SEIZE THE DAY
Seize the Day, a novella by Saul Bellow, offers a cold glimpse into the injustices of a world dominated by avarice and duplicity.
Written in 1956, Seize the Day describes eight hours in the life of Tommy Wilhelm, a middle-aged, unemployed Jewish New Yorker living on the Upper West Side. Not just any day, however--today is the day he will attempt to overcome the burdens imposed by his demanding, separated wife; his wealthy, despicably contemptful father; his aimlessness; his poverty; and himself. Taking the advice of Dr. Tamkin, he invests his last seven hundred dollars in shares of lard on the commodities market. He waits and waits throughout the day, deep in thought over past follies and present concerns. But, in the end, opportunism and bad luck once again defeat Wilhelm: the lard shares plummet, he loses his savings, and Dr. Tamkin leaves town.
Bellow poses a number of messages in Seize the Day . He suggests first--primarily--the corrupting effect of money on individuals and the cruelty of "the system." At the same time, however, Bellow says that one must be aware of life's unfairness and act accordingly: there comes a point, in other words, where one's own naivete becomes as shameful as the harsh reality it attempts to ignore. The solution, Bellow implies, is to seize the day--not just the important ones, but, rather, every day.
Like much of Bellow's work, this novella is a masterfully crafted work of literature. His novels include Dangling Man (1944), The Adventures of Augie March (1953), Henderson the Rain King (1959), and Herzog (1964).