著者

神戸 春樹

出版者

東海大学

雑誌

東海大学紀要. 文学部 (ISSN:05636760)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.74, pp.45-57, 2000

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Apollo 11 landed on the moon on July 20,1969,which was a monumental event in the twentieth century. All people in the world were talking about the moon and the other planets. In 1970 Saul Bellow, one of the greatest American writers, showed a significant reaction to it and published Mr.Sammler's Planet. This novel is considered a history and a prophecy, and called a nonfiction philosophical novel. The themes of this work are the madness of man and the corruption of our civilization. I'd like to concentrate on these themes and examine the significance of this work. Mr.Sammler, the main character, having survived being buried alive in a Nazi concentration camp in Poland during World War II, is living in New York. He suffered from the historical tragedies in Europe and now is exposed to the crime and violence in New York. He recognizes the importance of the balance of religion and science. Furthermore, he is awakened to religious mind learned from Eckhart.