1. Define the phrase “dangling man” by relating to specific qualities of Moses Herzog’s character. 2. Explain the thematic significance of the water and the fish motifs. 3. Evaluate the traits and attitudes of Sandor Himmelstein and Simkin as stereotypes. 4. Explain the thematic significance of the motion imagery in […]
Read more Study Help Essay QuestionsSaul Bellow Biography
Saul Bellow was born on July 10, 1915, in Lachine, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal, two years after his parents emigrated from St. Petersburg, Russia. Abraham Bellow failed in a long series of jobs and financial ventures — a bakery, a group of shops, and sackmaking for the Canadian government […]
Read more Saul Bellow BiographyCharacter Analysis Sandor Himmelstein
Herzog’s Chicago lawyer is physically challenged like Gersbach and like Nachman, Moses’ boyhood friend. The physical deformity is a symbol of a distorted human personality, for Himmelstein treats human nature without emotion. He leans toward a pessimistic, Hobbesian concept of human nature as basically corrupt, brutal, and power hungry; for […]
Read more Character Analysis Sandor HimmelsteinCharacter Analysis Ramona Donsell
Herzog’s latest mistress is from Buenos Aires and is a beautiful, exotic female who devotes herself to sensual experiences as a means of elevating the spirit from its lethargy. Ramona has made a religion of sex. Like Sono Oguki and other women in Herzog’s life after his divorce, she provides […]
Read more Character Analysis Ramona DonsellCharacter Analysis Valentine Gersbach
The man who cuckolds Herzog is a radio announcer whose egotistical personality enables him to endure the fact that he has only one leg. Valentine has the physical, sexual stamina that Herzog lacks, and he has the ability to seem sincere in any pose he assumes. Under the guise of […]
Read more Character Analysis Valentine GersbachCharacter Analysis Madeleine Pontritter Herzog
We see Herzog’s domineering, beautiful, and intelligent ex-wife more clearly than any other character except Moses himself; she is the major influence upon his actions throughout the novel. She has suffered from her own neurotic fear of existence without justification, has been obsessed with religious rituals, and has desperately sought […]
Read more Character Analysis Madeleine Pontritter HerzogCharacter Analysis Moses Elkanah Herzog
Bellow’s hero is a contemporary portrait of the alienated American Jew in search of identity. He has been cuckolded by his best friend, Valentine Gersbach; both of his marriages have failed; and he has failed to achieve his intellectual quest to resolve the philosophical problems of Romanticism. He is no […]
Read more Character Analysis Moses Elkanah HerzogSummary and Analysis Part IX
There is an idyllic quality in Bellow’s descriptions of Herzog’s home in Ludeyville. The peaceful environment reflects the restored sanity of Herzog’s mind and spirit. In his absence, the property has become a “sanctuary” for many birds as it had once been a sanctuary for Herzog’s foolish dreams. His mind […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part IXSummary and Analysis Part VIII
Despite all of Herzog’s noble intentions, he makes a fool of himself. Despite his abstract musings about reason and emotion, and about death and human values, he realizes that he is acting like a lunatic. Because of his morbid obsession for introspection, he almost injures June and subjects her to […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part VIIISummary and Analysis Part VII
Convinced that June, the only “genuine” product of his years with Madeleine, is being mistreated, Herzog speeds toward Chicago filled with the lust to kill. Hate has overpowered love within his heart. The poisoning desires of his heart for vengeance and personal justice have taken control of him. This section, […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part VII