The Relation between Father and Son in Seize the Day from the Perspective of Lacanianism

Journal: Arts Studies and Criticism DOI: 10.32629/asc.v6i2.3823

Jingqi Hu

Tianjin Foreign Studies University, Tianjin, China

Abstract

This paper examines the relation between father and son in Saul Bellow’s Seize the Day from the perspective of Lacanianism, focusing on the mirror stage and symbolic father. It argues that Wilhelm’s self-identity is shaped by his father’s emotional detachment and failure to provide guidance, leaving Wilhelm isolated and confused. The analysis shows how the breakdown in communication and lack of symbolic support lead to Wilhelm’s existential crisis and identity loss, illustrating the psychological consequences of an absent symbolic father.

Keywords

father-son relationship, Lacanianism, mirror stage, symbolic father

Full Text

PDF - Viewed/Downloaded: 0 Times

References

[1]Bellow, Saul. Seize the Day. Penguin-Odyssey Editions, 2013.
[2]Jacques Lacan. The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psychoanalysis. Penguin, London 1977.
[3]Scholem, Gershom. The Messianic Idea in Judaism and Other Essays on Jewish Spirituality. Schocken Books, 1995.
[4]Allen Guttmann. The Jewish Writer in America: Assimilation and the Crisis of Identity. Oxford University Press, 1971.
[5]Pinsker, Sanford. Jewish American Fiction 1917-1987. Twayne Publishers, 1992.
[6]L. H. Goldman. Saul Bellow’s Moral Vision: A Critical Study of the Jewish Experience. Irvington, 1983.

Citing this article:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License