Melancholy has the ability to take a hold of someone through the chains that interlock soul and body and hurl them into an abyss of darkness. It’s a dark and saddening aspect that can be found in the hearts of people and cities alike. David from Call it Sleep and Louie from “Something to Remember Me By” both exhibit a fear towards death, their fathers and other aspects of life. They are constantly abused by their fathers. This instills terror and lack of being able to communicate effectively with others on an equal standing. David’s quest in Call it Sleep is an arduous, almost impossible achievement of attempting to overcome his fears in a melancholic city. David struggles with his immigrant life and thriving in an environment that is portraying a dark and gloomy Lower East Side. Louie’s mother instills several fears in his life as a young boy such as, the fear of dying and loss.
“The stench and the throb of New York tenements… New York wore in that period sober and dull” (9-11, Roth). As David and his mother arrive at New York City, they’re met with a contrasting view of their own perception. Roth portrays a gloomy New York that inhibits a sort of melancholic state over the character and hinders their own chances at being content with their lives. When David’s mother, Genya meets her husband, David, the first thing she notices is his fragile and disheveled state, “You must have suffered in this land… the new land is the same old poverty” (11-12, Roth). This melancholic city that Roth portrays has taken a toll on David’s father and its one of the first aspects of the city that Genya takes in. Roth explains that this New York City is not the gold mine of opportunity that others know it to be. On the contrary, this New York is one lined with darkness, decay and melancholy.
The cellar present in David’s apartment is reminiscent of the dark cities that both Bellow and Roth portray in their works, “the dull marshy stench of surreptitious decay uncurled against his nostrils… it was horrible, the dark. The rats lived there, the hordes of nightmares… the crawling and misshapen things” (92, Roth). Throughout the story, one of David’s fears is going outside, he would rather be at home with his mother. His fear of society culminates in the cellar as in the cellar rests the unknowing and the despair that is rampant throughout the streets of New York City. The cellar is also representative of the murkiness within the story and the toll it takes on David.
Bellow’s illustration of Chicago is one that flaunts death and despair. In almost every corner of Chicago, Louie can distinguish the gloominess present in Bellow’s Chicago. Stemming from the beginning of the short story when Louie states, “several birds fell straight down… depression hunters and their city game” (512-513, Bellow). This depiction of the men killing the birds is a method utilized by Bellow to set the melancholic mood and tone of the story that will follow. Perhaps the city game that Bellow is referring to is the tug of war between an individual and their success within a city that sets them up for failure. Due to his surroundings, Louie is pressured to think beyond what he can see and observe a deeper meaning in life rather than lose to the “city game”. Later on, in the story, Louie also acknowledges the temperament of his city, “take a reading of this boring, depressed, ugly, endless, rotting city” (522, Bellow). His description of the city echoes Bellow’s dark perspective on Chicago and the endless hurdles Louie had to overcome in his youth.
Louie and David have to deal with having fathers that are both verbally and physically abusive. This adds an element of melancholy for both characters as they’re weighed down by the pressures of attempting to look successful in their father’s eyes. They are also constantly attempting to avoid angering their parents as they’re aware that it would only result in pain and suffering. When Louie is reflecting on what will occur when he arrives at his house, that constant fearful pressure is present in his thoughts, “If my father should catch me I could expect hard blows on my shoulders, on the top of my head, on my face…” (539, Roth). This impending doom is one of the reasons why Louie decides to roam Chicago and stray from his house as he wishes to avoid his furious father and dying mother. It serves as a method for Louie to escape the dread and despair within his household although, Chicago does not differ from his house in a grand way as it’s also littered with death.
Due to the fear David possess against his father, his ability to communicate is hindered. When Luter arrives at his house, he becomes increasingly self-aware and nervous, “The lull of peace was over. He could feel dread rising within him like a cloud” (71, Roth). David has become more self-conscious because his father is constantly criticizing him, and this adds a sort of pressure on David to appear better in the eyes of others. Although, if he truly wishes to be happy, he has to shed his desire of fulfilling other’s perception of him.
In Janis P. Stout’s Suffering as Meaning in Saul Bellow’s Seize the Day, he explores the meaning of suffering in Bellow’s works and the ways in which it affects his characters. Although this journal entry does not specifically mention “Something to Remember me by” or Call it Sleep, it has several aspects that can be applied to both works. I will be examining the contents of what Stout has written and providing a critical perspective on his own interpretation of sadness within these stories.
Stout expresses that Saul bellow inserts suffering into his works expertly and does not allow his character to be engulfed by it, “Bellow does not let his people evade the harsh facts of pain and death, but neither does he mire them in meaningless misery” (Stout, 365). This is true and is present in Louie’s life when he becomes older. Towards the beginning of the story, there is a sense of dwelling on the past and nostalgia that he can’t rid himself of as he doesn’t appear to be content with dying or his life at an elderly age. However, towards the ending there is a sense of fulfillment and recognition from the readers that this is a story of warnings to his grandson and he’s not concerned with the past but concerned with the future of his descendants.
As I have already discussed, the setting of both Bellow’s Chicago and Roth’s New York is a gloomy illustration of these cities and serves as one of the most melancholic aspects of both stories. Stout agrees, “but living temporarily in the hotel… colors Tommy’s outlook with depression” (366, Stout). The dark coloring affect is present is present in David’s life as he searches for a light that might be his saving grace although in the end its simply his downfall and there is no light as the Rabbi states, “God’s light is not between car-tracks” (257, Roth). Perhaps the light that David continuously searches for is the light that will expel the dark coloring that Stout refers to.
There are moments in which I disagree with Stout’s opinions such as, “These impulses will be rediscovered and validated as the false selves are drowned and true self is revealed” (Stout, 371). Stout is referring to the ways in which characters must overcome their melancholic environments and explains that in order for them to overcome these predicaments, it must be done without the aid of others and that a character must reach their lowest low. Unfortunately, this is not true and if one decides to overcome melancholy without the support of others, it will be to no avail. For instance, in Call it Sleep, David is cognizant of this and relies on his mother’s support throughout the numerous tumultuous times that he faces. If David were to try and solve his own inner conflicts without the support of others it might’ve led to his death. In fact, when he goes to the car tracks, he disregards the opinions of others and deems that he can be his own savior although, this fails drastically as he almost dies. In order for one to overcome any situation, the support and love of others is essential.
One of the most crucial melancholic aspects of this story is Louie’s upcoming death. He is near death and thus, takes the time to recount his own story and reflect on his dark past. Louie states, “I am writing this account, or statement, in response to an eccentric urge swelling toward me from the earth itself” (539, Bellow). This illustrates that he is knowledgeable of his death and acknowledges that his urges stem from the earth. One could argue that this urge is also representational of his environment which has shifted greatly from the days of his youth. Bellow’s prose has a sympathetic effect on the readers for the character that seems to be mourning their oncoming death and is in constantly worry of what he will be leaving behind.
Along with his own death, he’s extremely aware of the effect that his dying mother had on him during his youthful days. He reminisces on the stages of her decay and how he would avoid his mother due to the fear that she would be dead, “Even when she was awake, my mother couldn’t find the breath to speak… Except for the nurse, there was nobody in the house” (513, Bellow). Throughout the story its evident that Louie is avoiding his home as he finds other ways to go home and stretches out his journey in an attempt to avoid the death of his mother. This is also evident as when he returns home, one of the first thoughts that comes to mind is, “If my mother had already died, he would have embraced me instead” (Bellow, 540). This clearly exemplifies Louie’s constant worry in regard to the death of his mother and adds to the somber tone of the story. Not only has Bellow casted a sort of sympathy towards Louie however, he enriches the story by adding the element of the dying mother as Louie is also dying. Despite Louie’s dark environment, he’s able to progress and surpass his own doubts that occur during his youth. As a result, he’s able to lend his grandson helpful insight into his own coming of age.
Towards the ending, Bellow decides to leave its readers with a bittersweet ending that highlights the troubles of aging, “I have made my preparations… I have written this memoir, a sort of addition to your legacy” (540, Bellow). The ending also resembles the sadness that is present throughout the story as this elderly man is departing from his life and family. Similarly to other elderly people, he worries that he has not done his best in preparing the next generation or leaving enough behind for his family to prosper after their death. It’s also essential to point out that there is strength in this message as well. Louie has accepted his fate and deals with it in a surprisingly positive way. He does not wallow in his pity nor does he struggle to remain in the present. Louie has evolved from his younger self and has learned to navigate through the difficulties of life.
In Call it Sleep, David cannot grasp the overall meaning of death and the process that it takes. He often ponders on the idea and asks his mother questions about what occurs after death. His obsession with death could be due to his ignorance or oblivious mindset towards the world. The mention of death is present in both stories and adds to their melancholic aspects. Due to the mention of death, it casts a dark shadow over the content and prohibits the readers from seeing it in an uplifting tone. After his discussion with Genya, David is shocked at the idea of death, “The dark, In the dark earth. Eternal years. It was terrible revelation” (Roth, 69). Roth also mentions darkness in Call it Sleep several times as the darkness attempts to engulf David and makes it difficult for the other characters to see beyond it, into the light. This “revelation” that David speaks of haunts him afterwards as it comes to his mind multiple times when he thinks of death or sees anyone who is dead.
Louie also speaks of a revelation he witnesses when attempting to understand death through his metaphysics novel as he cannot bring himself to accept that his mother will die, “Flesh and blood are poor and weak, susceptible to human shock” (Bellow, 536). This coincides with David’s revelation as he ponders on the idea of his mother dying and realizes that she’s not invincible and is also prone to dying. In Louie’s later years, this revelation has become evident of himself as well. Although they have similar revelations, the path that Louie takes is entirely different than David’s perspective. Louie has used this as a method to progress and explains to his grandson that this is not a negative aspect of life rather one that he can change by living a healthier, happier life and hopefully not commit the same mistakes that Louie did.
Despair has the ability to seep through any boundary. Whether that boundary is oceans, walls, mountains, rivers or boundaries that cannot be seen, despair is present in all public spheres. Although, melancholy doesn’t necessarily have to be the undoing of every person. For some, sadness and the hurdles of life will make them stronger rather than weaken them. The same can be said about Chicago and New York. As stated in the infamous “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus, “lift my lamp beside the golden door”. She sees New York as a city enriched with opportunity and a city for lost souls. However, Roth’s dark portrayal of New York City contrasts this view as David finds himself increasingly alienated and met with the sickening darkness of the city. Louie continuously searches for an escape from the burdens of his life, only to be met with the hellish and utterly distraught Chicago.
Manfrer Espinal's Composition Portfolio 