Tommy Wilhelm: An Alien in Saul Bellow’s Seize the Day
Tommy Wilhelm: An Alien in Saul Bellow’s Seize the Day

Summary/Abstract: The concept of alienation considerably has attracted attention among philosophers; sociologists, writers, and artists as well as other social scientists for quite a long time. Presumably, this perpetual interest corresponds to an essential experience of individuals residing in modern societies. A sense of separation, detachment, and estrangement from civic responsibilities and cynical pessimism toward institutions appear to be frequent and prevalent in all developed and industrialized countries. Furthermore, alienation leads to severe and grave social problems. The disillusioned person fails to pay his/her attention to his/her social responsibilities or the rules and beliefs of his/her society. As a result, the performances of individuals generally fail to live up to their potential. This article attempts to provide a clear and unequivocal definition to the concept of “alienation” and explore the traces of alienation in Saul Bellow’s Seize the Day. Tommy Wilhelm, the central character in the novel, is an outsider and a character battling with economic and psychological issues. He is overwhelmed by the loss of his job, financial insecurity, the break-up with his wife, and his complicated relationship with his biological father, and many more. He is an alienated man in search of his true self whom the reader carefully observe and follow in the course of a single, but a vitally important day in his life, which he referred to as his “day of reckoning.”

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