The new revelation leads the protagonist to an objective judgment of his past relationship with Iva: Iva and I had not been getting along well. I don’t think the fault was entirely hers. I had dominated her for years; she was now capable of rebelling (as, for example, at the Servative party). I did not at first understand the character of her rebellion. Was it possible that she should not want to be guided, formed by me? (80) Towards the end of the novel, Joseph no longer insists that Iva be subject to his taste. So their relationship has been much improved after both sides have withdrawn somewhat to fit each other. Iva and I have grown closer. Lately she has been remarkably free from the things I once disliked so greatly. She does not protest against this rooming-house life; she seems less taken up with clothes? She does not criticize my appearance... And the rest: the cheap restaurant food we eat, our lack of pocket money. (126).
It remains unknown whether Joseph has ever realized that his isolation from his wife is deeply rooted in his male chauvinism. But he certainly becomes aware that self-esteem also means respect for others. Iva is his wife, not his puppet. Mere equal-minded, he is willing to accept his wife as a free person who has her own choice, her own taste and her own personality. He admits that “Eventually I learned that Iva could not live in ay infatuations” (81).
Besides the trouble with Iva, Joseph still can not get along well with other female characters, his mother-in-law and his niece Etta. Mrs. Almstadt is the stereotype mother-in-law who is dominant and bossy in handling domestic affairs. Joseph resents her, thinking that she is shallow, superficial and childish: The telephone was never idle for more than five minutes. Her friends kept calling, and to each she repeated the full story of her troubles. (15-16) All women are talkers. Maybe Katy (MTs.Almstadt) talks more than most, but you got to allow for that. She ...’Never grew up?’ (17)
As Joseph himself admits: “My niece and I are not on good terms; there is a long-standing antagonism between us” (50). According to him, women are born superficial and haughty, and their sole interest is to make up themselves. “Etta is a vain girl. I am sure she spends a great many hours before the mirror”(51). Finally they fight with each other. Declaring that “Beggars can’t be choosers” (58), Etta badly injures his self-esteem.
Since his relations with both male and female characters are ambivalent, Joseph, being jobless and aimless, feels heart-broken, rootless and alienated.
Through Joseph, anyhow, Bellow does not intend the darker view of our existence. As the story closes, Joseph and Iva are at least in a state of peaceful coexistence. He makes peace with his fellow tenant Vannaker, an old man, hard of hearing, a drunk and a thief, who has annoyed Joseph progressively throughout the seven months’ delay. Joseph also returns to his books. He learns that “goodness is achieved not in a vacuum, but in the company of other men, attended by love”(75). When Joseph gives up the battle and volunteers to join the army, he feels a great sense of relief. To join the army is to join the human race, since he does not and can not live alone in a world of which he is a part, and he needs connections for self meaning as well as for social meaning.
It remains unknown whether Joseph has ever realized that his isolation from his wife is deeply rooted in his male chauvinism. But he certainly becomes aware that self-esteem also means respect for others. Iva is his wife, not his puppet. Mere equal-minded, he is willing to accept his wife as a free person who has her own choice, her own taste and her own personality. He admits that “Eventually I learned that Iva could not live in ay infatuations” (81).
Besides the trouble with Iva, Joseph still can not get along well with other female characters, his mother-in-law and his niece Etta. Mrs. Almstadt is the stereotype mother-in-law who is dominant and bossy in handling domestic affairs. Joseph resents her, thinking that she is shallow, superficial and childish: The telephone was never idle for more than five minutes. Her friends kept calling, and to each she repeated the full story of her troubles. (15-16) All women are talkers. Maybe Katy (MTs.Almstadt) talks more than most, but you got to allow for that. She ...’Never grew up?’ (17)
As Joseph himself admits: “My niece and I are not on good terms; there is a long-standing antagonism between us” (50). According to him, women are born superficial and haughty, and their sole interest is to make up themselves. “Etta is a vain girl. I am sure she spends a great many hours before the mirror”(51). Finally they fight with each other. Declaring that “Beggars can’t be choosers” (58), Etta badly injures his self-esteem.
Since his relations with both male and female characters are ambivalent, Joseph, being jobless and aimless, feels heart-broken, rootless and alienated.
Through Joseph, anyhow, Bellow does not intend the darker view of our existence. As the story closes, Joseph and Iva are at least in a state of peaceful coexistence. He makes peace with his fellow tenant Vannaker, an old man, hard of hearing, a drunk and a thief, who has annoyed Joseph progressively throughout the seven months’ delay. Joseph also returns to his books. He learns that “goodness is achieved not in a vacuum, but in the company of other men, attended by love”(75). When Joseph gives up the battle and volunteers to join the army, he feels a great sense of relief. To join the army is to join the human race, since he does not and can not live alone in a world of which he is a part, and he needs connections for self meaning as well as for social meaning.
No comments:
Post a Comment