As tale out of Holden Caulfield on Catcher during the the new Rye, Herzog features some issue you to definitely indicate to the autobiographical structure
Almost every other signs of existential crisis such as for example unreasonable anxiety and stress may be seen with Holden. As he offers to Sally Hayes, exactly who the guy does not have any people legitimate emotions to possess, he admits which he feels as if the guy constantly must get into action; otherwise, the guy concerns one to something crappy should come. not, the guy understands that their steps don’t have any intellectual aim. It worry that is caused by the newest existential fear he knowledge, is even found when he feels cool regarding the playground. The guy fears that he has got the pneumonia, and he is about to perish: “We left alarming that we was delivering pneumonia, along with men and women hunks out of freeze within my locks, and i would perish”(The brand new Catcher regarding the Rye, 1951, 201).
Herzog was initially had written within the 1964, a short time after the book away from J.D. Salinger’s The newest Catcher on the Rye (1951), therefore reflects the mental soul of blog post conflict The united states as well as the facts and you will attitude of their publisher. The character Herzog, including the writer of the publication, Saul Bellow, lived in Canada, came up of an effective Jewish history, got numerous marriages, that is an emotional having complications with new bulk neighborhood who’s reach live mechanically with no spiritual thinking. This spiritual machine could easily be inferred on the certain emails the reputation Herzog produces to several anybody on the novel together with their behavioural attitude towards specific situations which he knowledge.
Herzog is actually an established teacher, who comes from a very religious history you to definitely values faith and you can family unit members. But not, despite their religious record along with his archaic side you to dignifies societal relations, Herzog has stopped being in a position to set faith and you will family unit members into the the fresh heart out of their lifetime. In the a letter the guy produces so you’re able to God he states: “Just how my head has actually battled and then make coherent sense, https://kissbrides.com/hot-south-korean-women/ I haven’t been too-good from the they” (Herzog, 1964, 325, italics brand new). His Jewish source is an important theme on book and you may brings essential clues to the internal problems they have. He apparently considers their earlier in the day and his awesome family unit members just like the a beneficial treatment for getting away from the new despair you to encompasses him. Which paradoxical element of Herzog’s mind might be portrayed with the sentences:
His sister Willy, their sis Helen, even the cousins. It actually was childish regarding him; he know you to. He could just eyes on themselves, the guy would be therefore undeveloped on that significant side of their nature. He both made an effort to believe, in his very own vocabulary, if or not this really is their archaic element, prehistoric. Tribal, you realize. On the ancestor praise and you can totemism (Herzog, 1964, 78).
The current community that surrenders him try criticized into after the terms getting overlooking the individual and you can adopting a materialistic view of existence.
Regardless of if Moses Herzog’s archaic spirit you to philosophy family members, love, psychological dependence, passions is actually mentioned once or twice from the novel, he or she is not able to realize which spirit in the an effective community where affairs have more instrumental thinking than simply religious
In a district. When you look at the an effective century. When you look at the transition. In a bulk. Switched by the science. Significantly less than organised fuel. At the mercy of astounding controls. In a condition caused mechanical. Following the late incapacity off revolutionary hopes. Inside a society that has been no neighborhood and you can devalued anyone. As a consequence of the latest multiplied strength of number and this generated care about negligible (Herzog, 1964, 200).