搜索
ASilverDishSaulBellowIntroductionSaulBellow'sstoryASilverDishillustratestheskillofoneofthegreatestAmericanauthorsofthetwentiethcentury.ThestoryspansaperiodfromthemiddleoftheGreatDepressiontothemid-1980s,showingthechangesthattimerendersinbothsocietyandinoneman'slife.Themaincharacter,WoodySelbst,isoneofBellow'sfinestcreations.Alonesome,successfulbusinessman,Woodyreminiscesaboutthecircumstancesunderwhichhisfather,aconmanandthief,causedhimtolosehisscholarshiptoaseminaryschool,anactthatredirectedhisentirelife.AuthorBiographySaulBellowisconsideredoneofthegreatestwritersAmericahaseverproduced,havingwoneverymajorwritingawardavailable,includingtheNobelPrizeforLiterature.HewasbornonJune10,1915,inLachine,Quebec,Canada.Hisparents,whohadrecentlyemigratedfromRussia,movedthefamilytoChicagoin1924.Afterhighschool,BellowattendedtheUniversityofChicagofortwoyearsthengraduatedwithhonorsfromNorthwesternUniversityin1937,takingdegreesinsociologyandanthropology.Hewentontodosomepost-graduateworkattheUniversityofWisconsin,butsoonreturnedtoChicago,whichisthecitythathehasbeenmostcloselyassociatedwiththroughouthislonglifetime.•FormostofBellow'slife,hewasateacher.HisfirstpositionwasatPestalozzi-FroebelTeachersCollegeinChicago,from1938to1942.DuringWorldWarII,heservedwiththeMerchantMarines.WithmoneyfromaGuggenheimfellowship,hetraveledinEuropeafterthewar.AfterastintasaneditoratEncyclopediaBritannica'sGreatBooksprogramfrom1943–1946,hetookpositionsatUniversityofMinnesota(1946–1949;1954–1959),andthentheUniversityofChicago,wherehebecametheGrunierDistinguishedProfessorintheuniversity'sacclaimedCommitteeonSocialThought,in1962.Bellow'saffiliationwiththecommitteelastedformorethanthreedecades,until1993.HethenwenttoBostonUniversityandbecameaprofessorofEnglish,apositionthathehelduntilhisdeathin2005.SaulBellowdiedat89onApril5,2005,atBrookline,Massachusetts.Hehadhadfivewives,threesons,andwithhisfifthwife,onedaughter,bornwhenhewas84.AuthorBiographySummary•Afterhisfather’sdeath,WoodySelbstfeelsayawningemptinessinhislife.Attheageofsixty,heisdeeplydisturbedbyquestionsaboutthemeaningsoflifeanddeath.Inhisperiodofmourning,herecallsatriptotheWhiteNile,wherehehadseenabuffalocalfbeingseizedbyacrocodilewhiletheparentbuffalolookedonwithoutunderstandingwhatwashappening.Theirbrutegriefnowhelpshimtocopewithhisown.•AsWoodyreflectsonhisownlife,hisfather’s,andtheirunusualrelationship,thestoryrevealsthecontoursofWoody’simaginationandthetravailsofhisexperiences.Hispresentlifeisfullofcares,forhesupportshisinvalidmotherandtwoinsanesisters,oneofwhomhehascommittedtoamentalinstitution;awife,fromwhomhehasbeenseparatedforfifteenyears;amistress;and,now,hisfather’swidow,Halina,andherson,whoplaystheorganatgamesinthestadium.Despitethenumberofdependentswhomhehasaccumulated,Woodylivesalone,workingasatilecontractor.•Asayouth,Woodygrewupfast,andhisspirithasremainedindependent;atthefuneralparlor,heinsistedondressingthecorpseforburial,andatthefuneral,herolleduphissleevesandshoveledthedirthimself.ThereisnoharminWoody,yethisself-respecthasnotallowedhimtoliveentirelywithinthelawandhasledhim,overthecourseofhislife,intotheft,smuggling,procuring,andadultery.Still,heismovedbyhonesty,hehatesfaking,andhehasalwaysheldinhisheartbothabeliefinloveand“asecretcertaintythatthegoalsetforthisearthwasthatitshouldbefilledwithgood,saturatedwithit.”•Woody’smemoriesandreflectionsprobetheseelementsofhispersonality.Hisparentsexertedverydifferentinfluencesonhim.HismotherhadbeenconvertedtoChristianitybyAuntRebecca’shusband,theReverendDr.Kovner,himselfaconvertedJew,whoseministrywasfinancedbyawealthywidow,Mrs.Skoglund.KovnerimpartedhisfervortoWoodyand“taughthimtoliftuphiseyes,gavehimhishigherlife.”AftertheboyacceptedJesusashispersonalredeemer,hewaspaidfiftycentstostandupinchurchesandgivehistestimony.•ThoughnotaverydevoutJew,MorrisSelbstwasincreasinglyalienatedfromhisconvertedfamily.HeconsideredKovnerafoolandresentedthewayhiswifeanddaughterswerebeingturnedinto“welfare...CharactersWoodySelbstThisstoryfocusesonthelifeofWoodySelbst,whoisnowasixty-year-oldtilecontractorinChicago.Woodyisthecenterofhisextendedfamilyandthemeansofsupportformanypeoplearoundhim.Helivesalonebuthasagirlfriend,Helen,whomheseeseveryFridaynight.EveryFridayhealsoshopsforgroceriesforhiswife,fromwhomhehasbeenseparatedforfifteenyears.HegoesonSaturdaystovisithismotherandhistwosisters,whoareintheirfiftiesandstillliveathomewiththeirmother.Hehassupplementedtheincomeofhisfather,whohasrecentlydied,andhisfather'smistress,Halina.Woodylivesaloneinanapartmentatophiscompany'swarehouse.Hetravelsinternationallybyhimselfonceayear.Heisgenerallylaw-abidinganddependable,buthealsohasacriminalstreak:inthepreviousyear,forinstance,hesmuggleshashishinfromKampala,justfortheexcitementofdoingso(thehashishisusedtostufftheThanksgivingturkey).Hedoesnotliketokeepentirelywithinthelimitsofthelaw,consideringitamatterofself-respecttodootherwise.WhenheisinhisteensduringtheGreatDepression,Woody,bybirthaJew,convertstoCatholicismandattendsaseminary,whichispaidforbyabenefactress,Mrs.Skoglund