The Search of Safe Harbour from Capitalist Imperialism in Seize the Day

Abstract

Seize the Day by Saul Bellow delineates the imperialistic aggression of money creating a society of emotional sterility. Money like an imperialist controls everybody’s everything and all are forced to adore money in this novella. Here the father-son relationship is rounded with the financial successful father and the financially insolvent son as in the case of Dr. Adler and Wilhelm. Only his father cares of how much he earns. His marriage life with Margaret is controlled by money and rounded with his paying premiums of policies without giving emotional soothing. So he is always in search of safe harbour to build a deep human connection with every situation devoid of adoration of ‘Holy money!’ He goes to Hollywood to be an actor for the fulfillment of his wishes, but it remains unsuccessful. He chases his father to be treated as his kid, but his father cares him not as child. Moreover his identity change from Wilhelm Adler to Tommy Wilhelm is to adapt in capital imperialistic society to find a shelter by having free essential self which turns into a failure attempt. He relies on Tamkin for his success in financial war. Tamkin as a means of imperialism has taken the power of attorney over his last seven hundred dollars and captures this little by little placing the mosquito net over his head by visionary ideas and providing all emotional needs which he is eager to have. But his search of safe harbour is continuously torn by the blow of imperialistic tactics of money and is wounded by the money-making weapons. This paper aims at how he achieves a safe harbour in funeral of a stranger with ‘happy oblivion of tears’ by creating a wide vision with his compassion and by the recognition of his connection with common humanity out of capitalist imperialism.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2017.v8n2p195