Theme of Isolation in the Novel “Seize The Day.”

Answer

Comment on the theme of isolation in the novel “Seize The Day.”  

The theme of isolation is central to Saul Bellow’s (1915-2005) novel “Seize the Day,” published in a post-war world in 1956. The novel portrays Tommy Wilhelm as a man struggling with deep feelings of loneliness and separation, both from society and from the people closest to him. Tommy’s isolation is not just physical but also emotional and psychological.

The theme of isolation in the novel “Seize The Day”: Through the character of Tommy Wilhelm, the novel explores how modern life, with its financial pressures and materialism, can lead to a profound sense of isolation.

Isolation Within Family: From the very beginning of the novel, Wilhelm’s isolation is clear. He is a 44-year-old man estranged from his wife and children, living in the Hotel Gloriana. It is a place mostly occupied by elderly retirees. He does not belong in this environment and feels out of place among the older residents.

His father, Dr. Adler, also lives in the same hotel. Even though they are living in the same hotel, Wilhelm is emotionally distant from him. Dr. Adler represents the successful, self-reliant figure who refuses to help Wilhelm either financially or emotionally. Tommy realizes:

The money makes the difference.

Speaking to his father, Dr. Adler, Tommy Wilhelm identifies money as the divisive force between himself and his father. Dr. Adler sees his son as a failure who must deal with his own problems. This rejection from his father increases Wilhelm’s sense of isolation.

Separation from Wife and Children: Wilhelm’s separation from his wife and children further adds to his loneliness. Although he loves his children, he is unable to live with them. Tommy’s wife refuses to grant him a divorce because she wants to get financial benefits from him. The narrator says,

The peculiar burden of … existence lay upon him … That must be what a man was for.

Tommy Wilhelm considers the obligations of his roles