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wolfdan9 's review for:
Henderson the Rain King
by Saul Bellow
“The pursuit of sanity can be a form of madness, too.”
Henderson the Rain King is a novel satirizing a man’s quest for life’s meaning. Essentially it’s a comic misadventure in which an aging man visits Africa and meets a king who offers him a remedy: become a lion. Bellow’s prose balances erudition and humor better than probably any other writer I’ve read; he writes some very funny characters. As far as theme, I can acknowledge that Bellow and I share an interest in the hovering cloud of mortality, but I’m more fascinated by the psychological effects of morbidity and the inner turmoil of reconciling limited time and the certainty of death. Bellow touches upon this idea, and sets up a framework for this to be possibly discussed, but ultimately gives attention to Henderson’s spiritual transformation.
Bellow uses a lot of space in the novel to discuss Henderson’s background and key events in his life. Henderson never interacts with characters from these memories, but they’re often referenced again at the perfect moment. I enjoyed Henderson’s bromance with King Dahfu and, as an ESL teacher, had fun reading their interactions. Henderson comically speaks to some of the African characters without any consideration of their knowledge of English, so they often confusedly receive rambling, convoluted monologues with hyperspecific references to American or Jewish culture as his interlocutors. There’s a distinct irony in how these interactions are meaningful to Henderson, yet are so simultaneously rife with misunderstandings, exemplifying Henderson’s misguided quest. This comical absurdist approach may reflect many of our lives at large: a series of self-centered interactions in pursuit of some unclear goal that never fully concludes.
Henderson the Rain King is a novel satirizing a man’s quest for life’s meaning. Essentially it’s a comic misadventure in which an aging man visits Africa and meets a king who offers him a remedy: become a lion. Bellow’s prose balances erudition and humor better than probably any other writer I’ve read; he writes some very funny characters. As far as theme, I can acknowledge that Bellow and I share an interest in the hovering cloud of mortality, but I’m more fascinated by the psychological effects of morbidity and the inner turmoil of reconciling limited time and the certainty of death. Bellow touches upon this idea, and sets up a framework for this to be possibly discussed, but ultimately gives attention to Henderson’s spiritual transformation.
Bellow uses a lot of space in the novel to discuss Henderson’s background and key events in his life. Henderson never interacts with characters from these memories, but they’re often referenced again at the perfect moment. I enjoyed Henderson’s bromance with King Dahfu and, as an ESL teacher, had fun reading their interactions. Henderson comically speaks to some of the African characters without any consideration of their knowledge of English, so they often confusedly receive rambling, convoluted monologues with hyperspecific references to American or Jewish culture as his interlocutors. There’s a distinct irony in how these interactions are meaningful to Henderson, yet are so simultaneously rife with misunderstandings, exemplifying Henderson’s misguided quest. This comical absurdist approach may reflect many of our lives at large: a series of self-centered interactions in pursuit of some unclear goal that never fully concludes.