어느 유태지식인의 자아성찰

A Jewish Intellectual’s Self-Examination

This paper tries to search for a Jewish intellectual’s acceptance of reality through self-examination in modern society. Herzog is an intellectual and also ordinary man encountering various dilemmas in family and society. Although he has a family breakdown, he tries to overcome this difficulty with the awareness of his Jewish heritage. At the same time, he hopes to achieve self-realization through self-examination in the community. After many sufferings, Herzog recognizes the importance of humanity and respect for individuality. Namely, human relief can be said to depend on an understanding of original human nature by accepting his own life as it really is, not on utopian illusion, political solution and scientific research, etc. Herzog boldly encounters unreasonable reality and social absurdity and tolerates them, regarding himself as a part of reality courageously. Herzog experiences many affairs and difficulties, which lead him to self-examination and self-realization in the end. Here, we can see Bellow’s belief in the possibility of accommodation of self and world.