A study on Bellovian love in Saul Bellow's More Die of Heartbreak

솔 벨로우의 "죽음보다 더한 실연"에 나타난 사랑의 의미

This study aims to analyze what Saul Bellow wants to define "Love" in his recent work, More Die of Heartbreak. As a humanist, Saul Bellow is concerned about materialism in Post-modern age through his works. Today there are so many people that are hurt by the failure of love or experience heartbreak. We need to sense invisible danger all around us. We can find Bellovian love in More Die of Heartbreak. Bellow suggests that there should be "true love" between people, especially between men and women. But Kenneth Trachtenberg and Benn Crader have selfish and materialistic love. Kenneth had only a sensual desire for Treckie who is his daughter's mother. He cannot persuade Treckie to marry him. Benn, a middle-aged widower, peremptorily marries Matilda Layamon who is much younger than he. Unfortunately, the marriage brings him neither peace nor love. Benn recognizes his wrong conception of love through the death of Mrs. Bedell and Villitzer, and breaking off a marriage with Matilda. He decides to go to Antarctica. This is not an escape. This is his determination to save himself. At the North Pole he sets out to recover his gift of vision and redeem his fall from grace. He will desert his materialistic and absurd self. After the expedition, he will experience rebirth as an authentic human being who has acceptable eyes. Kenneth and Benn learn to conceive of love as one of man's strongest inner energies, for it is through love that you can penetrate to the essence of human being. In this study I try to define Bellovian love. In More Die of Heartbreak, love is a spiritual power that may even transfigure man.