The Hegemony of Politics and Ideology in Saul Bellow: Contradictions, Philosophical Influences, and the Struggle Between Humanism and Modernity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1603.14Keywords:
politics, ideology, inconsistency, subversion, hegemonyAbstract
This paper discusses the hegemony of politics and ideology in Saul Bellow’s writings. It further examines the ideological and philosophical inconsistencies in Bellow’s writings, focusing on the interplay between politics, humanism, and the hegemonic forces of modernity. This study, drawing on a theoretical framework that integrates Kantian ethics, Hegelian dialectics, Marxist class struggle, and Foucauldian power structures, explores how Bellow upholds the philosophical traditions that reveal the fundamental contradictions in his worldview. His writings simultaneously reinforce aspects of the very systems, creating a paradoxical stance on modernity proving critique on capitalism, materialism, and totalitarian ideologies. Through the findings and an analysis of Humboldt’s Gift, Mr. Sammler’s Planet, and Herzog, this study highlights how Bellow’s portrayal of Jewish identity, the Arab Israeli conflict, and Western intellectual traditions reflects an unresolved tension between his literary aspirations and philosophical influences. Moreover, the findings suggested that Bellow, despite his attempts at subversion and critique, remained deeply entrenched in the ideological structures he wanted to challenge. His shifting perspectives—ranging from a critique of Western hegemony to an implicit reinforcement of its values—reflect the broader struggles of 20th-century thought, where the search for moral and political clarity often gives way to ambivalence. Finally, the researcher concludes that, in Bellow’s writings, the contradictions are not merely personal but emblematic of the inherent tensions within Western modernity and its philosophical traditions.
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