Seize The Day
by Saul Bellow
Award: Nobel Prize Winner 1957
Nomination: National Book Finalist 1957
Date Read: September 16, 2020
Wilhelm is a man just nearing the end of his rope, a shambles of nerves and ambition. He is a perfect example of someone who never can quite pull it together, failing at just about everything he tries. As Wilhelm begins his day, he knows he is in financial trouble but he has yet to realize that this is the day it will all come crashing down.
Matching his disposition, Wilhelm is ill-kempt, leaving dust and filth in his wake. He is a disappointment to his father, his wife, his children and, ultimately, himself. He has never quite risen to the challenges required of modern men and feels the world has spurned him, even though he was raised a child of privilege.
With nothing left to spare, Wilhelm invests his last $700 with a shady fellow resident of the hotel at which Wilhelm and his father reside. This Dr. Temkin asks for and receives a power of attorney, allowing him to administer Wilhelm’s investments, assuring him he has only money to make. And, of course, Dr. Temkin takes off with Wilhelm’s money, leaving him absolutely destitute.
This depressing character study makes me panic as adult problems are no joke. Everyone who has carried Wilhelm through his life – his father, estranged wife, and friends – all refuse to help bail him out. Perhaps for the first time in his life, Wilhelm will be forced to find his own way out of the fix he has put himself in. Perhaps it will be through this ultimate struggle that Wilhelm will begin to grow.
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