Justify the title of the novel Seize the Day
Seize the Day is a notable literary work by Saul Bellow. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Seize the Day.
Answer
Justify the title of the novel Seize the Day.
The title is significant for any literary work. The title is directly related to the theme or themes. The title of the novel “Seize the Day” by Saul Bellow (1915-2005) is an allusion to the Latin phrase “Carpe Diem,” which means seize the day or enjoy the present and do not worry about the future. The novel’s title has been handled ironically with literary meaning as well.
The tendency for quick success: The novel’s title may seem that success must be achieved quickly, but the Horatian phrase ‘Carpe Diem does not mean that fame and richness must be attained overnight. Instead, it emphasizes that we live for today, making proper use of time, not for tomorrow. The novelist also suggests that mistakes are parts of life but must be recovered by seizing the day.
You can spend the entire second half of your life
recovering from the mistakes of the first half
Therefore, the tendency for quick success, neglecting the present, has been rejected by the title of the novel “Seize the Day” since mistakes could not be rectified overnight.
Protagonist’s bad decisions: Saul Bellow has the mastery to spread the message that the wrong evaluation of seizing the day makes one astray. The novel’s plot starts with a flashback in which Tommy Wilhelm recalls the many bad decisions that happened in the past years, for which he is going through financial hardships and problems.
Ten such decisions have made up the history of his life, and one of such decisions is his persuasion after an acting career intentionally dropped out from college. His father advised him to complete his education first, but he did not heed his father’s advice and went to Hollywood, having been trapped by fraud Maurice Venice. After spending seven years in Hollywood, he was thoroughly rejected, and his collapse started because of his wrong choice of ‘seizing the day.’
Manipulation and deception: As it is known that the title has been handled ironically with literary meaning, it has two-fold