Saul Bellow's Triumphant Life in The Adventures of Augie March

Abstract

(Portion of Introduction) Joseph Campbell's heroic journey is the archetypal narrative that gathers all other narratives into itself. In his book The Hero With A Thousand Faces, Campbell reads the myths of the Orient, Athens, and the Decalogue of Moses "to understand not only the meaning of those images for contemporary life, but also the singleness of the human spirit in its aspirations, powers, vicissitudes, and wisdom" (28). Beyond Gautama Buddha bringing back the Good Law and Moses the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai; beyond thousands of years as many miles separating these men and their respective communities; beyond today's separation felt between Jews, Christians, Muslim, and Hindus, the power of Campbell's ideas reveals the bonds hidden beneath the cultural differences of places and names and humanity's heros. It is the purpose of this essay to trace the heroic journey and the use of myth in Saul Bellow's novel The Adventures of Augie March to discover what meaning heroic images have for contemporary life.