Saul Bellow (2006)
Genre
Literary Fiction / Historical Fiction
Reading Time
1000 min
Key Themes
See below
Sign in to track this book
In Depression-era Chicago, Augie March, a man with an unyielding spirit, navigates a journey through many characters and jobs, all while pursuing his own destiny.
Augie March tells about his early life in a working-class Jewish home in Chicago during the Great Depression. He lives with his mentally disabled younger brother, Georgie, his older brother, Simon, and his nearly blind mother, all under the strong influence of their grandmother, Grandma Lausch. Grandma Lausch, a shrewd Russian immigrant, controls the family's small finances and dictates their lives with her statements and plans. Augie sees the struggles and quirks of his family and neighbors, developing an early sense of independence and a detached, observant nature amid the widespread poverty and lack of a stable father figure. He engages in petty theft and odd jobs, already showing his adaptability and resistance to being fully defined by his circumstances.
As Augie grows, he takes on many jobs, including working for a newspaper vendor, a shoemaker, and eventually for William Einhorn, a local businessman who runs a pool hall and other ventures. Einhorn, a charismatic and thoughtful figure, becomes a mentor to Augie, showing him a world of ambition, risk, and street wisdom. Augie observes Einhorn's rise and fall, learning about human nature and the pursuit of success. During this time, Augie also has his first romantic relationships, notably with Sophie Gueswiller, and begins to explore his own identity through these diverse experiences and the many unique people he meets in Chicago.
Augie's older brother, Simon, wanting financial security and social status, falls in love with and marries Charlotte Magnus, the rich daughter of a coal magnate. Simon, now part of the wealthy Magnus family, tries to bring Augie into their world, offering him a job in the coal business and urging him to marry a suitable woman. Augie, however, resists Simon's attempts to shape his life, feeling an aversion to being tied down by conventional expectations or the pursuit of money. He feels drawn to different experiences and people, keeping his independent spirit even as he temporarily benefits from Simon's connections, ultimately rejecting the path Simon wants for him.
Augie leaves Simon's influence and becomes involved with Thea Fenchel, a wealthy, strong-willed, and unconventional woman. Thea is set on training a wild eagle, Caligula, to hunt lizards in the desert. Augie goes with her to Mexico, where they live a bohemian life, funded by Thea's family money. Their relationship is intense but difficult, marked by Thea's controlling nature and her focus on the eagle. Augie, while interested in Thea's intensity and the unusual pursuit, ultimately feels limited by her desires and her attempts to define his purpose. The eagle's failure to hunt successfully reflects the failure of their relationship to give Augie the freedom or meaning he seeks.
After his relationship with Thea ends, Augie stays in Mexico for a time. He becomes involved with Stella, a woman he meets there. This relationship is less intense and demanding than with Thea, offering Augie a different kind of companionship. However, it also proves to be temporary. During this period, Augie continues to observe the diverse human experiences around him, thinking about his own journey and the paths he has taken or avoided. His time in Mexico strengthens his sense of being an 'independent man,' unwilling to be fully absorbed into any single identity or lifestyle, continually searching for something undefined.
Augie eventually returns to Chicago, where he continues his pattern of moving between jobs and relationships. He reconnects with various people from his past, including Einhorn, whose fortunes have changed, and Simon, who remains focused on his business and family life. Augie also meets and becomes involved with a woman named Mimi, who is a dedicated communist. Their relationship shows Augie the world of political activism and strong beliefs, but he resists fully embracing any single cause or idea, viewing it with his usual mix of fascination and skepticism. He keeps his detachment, even as he experiences the intensity of Mimi's beliefs and her group.
With the start of World War II, Augie enlists in the Merchant Marine, a decision that takes him out of America and across the Atlantic. His wartime experiences are marked by a series of misadventures and encounters with new, unique characters. He survives a shipwreck and finds himself in various European locations, including France. During this time, Augie continues to deal with questions of identity, purpose, and the meaning of freedom, far from Chicago. The war serves as another background against which Augie's independent spirit and his refusal to be confined by circumstances are tested and confirmed.
In a turn of events, Augie meets Stella, the woman he knew in Mexico, in wartime Europe. Their reunion leads to marriage. Stella, an actress, gives Augie a more stable, though still unconventional, partnership than his previous relationships. They settle in France, trying to build a life together amid the lingering chaos of the war and its aftermath. Their marriage, while offering companionship, still shows Augie's fundamental restlessness and his ongoing search for an authentic existence that aligns with his inner self, one that resists definition by external forces or societal expectations.
Augie and Stella establish a life in post-war France, where Augie becomes involved in various questionable business ventures, often with shady characters. He works with his friend Marcel, engaging in smuggling and other opportunistic schemes to make a living. These ventures are rarely successful long-term, but they give Augie a constant stream of experiences and interactions. He continues to meet diverse individuals, engaging in discussions about life, freedom, and human nature, always keeping his unique perspective as an observer and participant in the 'human comedy.' His experiences solidify his understanding of himself as a man who chooses his own way, even if that way is often wandering and undefined.
Throughout his adventures in France and beyond, Augie continues to think about his lifelong search for a 'worthwhile fate' – a life that is truly his own, free from the demands of others or the constraints of society. He struggles with the idea of being 'a born recruit' who resists recruitment, a man who consistently avoids definition. The novel ends with Augie and Stella on a road trip, having just completed a minor, semi-legal deal. Augie looks out at the landscape, contemplating the vastness of life and his place within it. He acknowledges the absurdity and complexity of existence, reaffirming his belief in finding joy and meaning in the act of living and embracing one's own unique, unscripted path, even if it remains perpetually open-ended.
The Protagonist
Augie's arc is less about transformation and more about the reinforcement of his inherent independence and his ongoing, open-ended search for a self-defined existence, culminating in an acceptance of his unique, unscripted path.
The Supporting
Her arc is static; she remains a powerful, if physically declining, force in Augie's early life, representing an oppressive, defining force he must escape.
The Supporting
Simon achieves the material success he desires but remains bound by its conventions, serving as a foil to Augie's pursuit of spiritual freedom.
The Supporting
Einhorn's fortunes fluctuate, but his character remains a consistent source of worldly wisdom and a model of resilience for Augie.
The Supporting
Thea remains fixated on her unique obsessions, unable to compromise her vision for a partnership, and ultimately cannot hold Augie.
The Supporting
Stella provides Augie with a partner who accepts his wandering nature, offering a form of companionship that allows him continued freedom.
The Supporting
Georgie remains in a dependent state, representing the innocence and vulnerability that Augie must leave behind to forge his own path.
The Supporting
Mimi's character highlights Augie's resistance to ideological commitment, ultimately failing to convert him to her cause.
The Supporting
Charlotte's arc is tied to Simon's; she provides the means for his social ascent, representing the life Augie rejects.
This theme is key to Augie's entire journey. He constantly seeks a life that is truly his own, not dictated by external forces, societal expectations, or the desires of others. From his resistance to Grandma Lausch's control and Simon's ambitions, to his rejection of Thea's possessiveness and Mimi's strong beliefs, Augie consistently shows his independence. His 'worthwhile fate' is not a destination but a continuous process of self-definition, a refusal to be 'recruited' into any set role, even if it means a life of wandering. His adventures in Mexico and Europe, and his various unconventional jobs, all reflect this relentless pursuit of an unscripted existence.
“I am an American, Chicago born — Chicago, that somber city — and go at things as I have taught myself, free-style, and will make the record in my own way: first to knock, first admitted; sometimes an innocent knock, sometimes not.”
Augie March deals with the question of who he is amidst a constantly changing group of characters and environments. He is 'a born recruit' in that many try to define him or enlist him in their plans, but he ultimately resists all such attempts. His identity is not fixed but fluid, shaped by his experiences but never fully contained by them. The novel explores how one maintains a core sense of self when faced with poverty, war, diverse cultures, and many influences. Augie's ability to observe, adapt, and yet remain fundamentally himself is central to this theme, suggesting that identity is an ongoing process of choosing what to accept and what to reject.
“I had a look for myself and saw that I was a person of original experience, and would have to find my own way to go through it.”
The novel questions and redefines the traditional American Dream. While characters like Simon pursue wealth and social status, Augie finds these goals empty and limiting. His version of the American Dream is not about money but about personal freedom, the right to pursue an individual, unscripted existence. Growing up poor during the Great Depression, Augie sees the limits and contradictions of conventional success. His encounters with figures like Einhorn, who embodies a more unconventional, street-smart ambition, further complicate the idea of what constitutes a 'successful' life in America, suggesting that true fulfillment might lie outside the established paths.
“What did I want to be? A good question. To be what I am, as I am, and to become what I am capable of becoming.”
Augie's life is defined by a series of intense, often temporary, relationships with many unique individuals. From the chaotic dynamics of his family to his romantic relationships with Thea, Mimi, and Stella, the novel explores the complexities of human connection. Augie is drawn to people but often keeps an emotional distance, observing them with curiosity. He seeks companionship but resists being fully absorbed or defined by any single relationship. This theme highlights the human need for connection balanced against the desire for individual autonomy, and how relationships can both enrich and challenge one's sense of self.
“I had a lot of human nature to deal with, and it was mostly in the other person.”
Throughout his adventures, Augie encounters life's inherent absurdity, its unpredictable turns, and its often-comical characters. He embraces this chaos with wonder and resilience. From Einhorn's bizarre plans to Thea's obsession with her eagle, and his own involvement in smuggling, Augie approaches life with a philosophical acceptance of its inherent strangeness. This theme is reflected in the novel's episodic structure and its energetic, often humorous, portrayal of human folly and aspiration. Augie's narrative voice, with its mix of wit and deep observation, shows that life, despite its difficulties, is a rich and vital experience to be lived fully.
“A man's character is his fate. Or must be. And what a character, what a fate!”
Augie's distinct voice guides the story, interweaving plot with his reflections.
The novel is told entirely from Augie March's first-person perspective, giving the reader direct access to his thoughts, observations, and unique philosophical outlook. His narrative style is expansive, colloquial, and often digressive, blending vivid descriptions of events and characters with profound meditations on freedom, identity, and the meaning of life. This device allows Bellow to explore complex ideas through Augie's engaging and highly individual voice, making the reader a confidant in his lifelong search for a 'worthwhile fate.' It also highlights Augie's role as an observer and interpreter of the human comedy.
A series of episodic adventures as Augie drifts through life.
The novel largely follows a picaresque structure, where Augie, the 'picaro' or rogue hero, moves from one episode, job, and relationship to another without a fixed destination or overarching plot. Each chapter or section presents a new set of characters, challenges, and experiences, reflecting Augie's restless spirit and his resistance to being tied down. This structure allows for a broad exploration of different social strata, philosophical ideas, and human types, emphasizing Augie's journey of self-discovery through continuous interaction with a diverse and ever-changing world, rather than a linear progression towards a specific goal.
Characters who highlight Augie's unique qualities through contrast.
Bellow frequently uses foil characters to illuminate Augie's distinct personality and philosophy. Simon, with his ambition for conventional success, serves as a direct contrast to Augie's rejection of material wealth and social climbing. Thea Fenchel's controlling nature and singular obsession with the eagle highlight Augie's desire for unencumbered freedom. Even figures like William Einhorn, while admired by Augie, represent a different kind of 'independent man' – one focused on influence and operation, rather than Augie's more existential quest. These foils underscore Augie's core values and his consistent resistance to being defined or confined by others' expectations.
Thea's eagle represents untamed nature and the futility of trying to control freedom.
Thea Fenchel's wild eagle, Caligula, serves as a powerful symbol. It represents untamed nature, fierce independence, and the inherent resistance of certain spirits to domestication or control. Thea's obsessive and ultimately futile attempts to train Caligula to hunt lizards in the desert parallel her efforts to control Augie and mold him to her will. The eagle's refusal to perform its assigned role mirrors Augie's own refusal to be 'recruited' into a life that isn't his own. Its wildness and freedom, even when constrained, reflect Augie's own essential, untamable spirit and his deep-seated aversion to being captured or defined.
“I am an American, Chicago born—Chicago, that somber city—and go at things as I have taught myself, freestyle, and will make the record in my own way: first to knock, first admitted; sometimes an innocent knock, sometimes a criminal.”
— The very opening lines, Augie introducing himself and his narrative style.
“Everybody is an unknown quantity, a mystery, a problem, but it's not a mystery for me. They're all the same. They're all full of ideas and schemes, and they all want to get ahead. But they don't know how to do it.”
— Augie reflecting on people and their ambitions, early in his life.
“A man's character is his fate.”
— A recurring philosophical idea Augie grapples with, often in relation to his own choices.
“I don't mind a little suffering if it's for something good.”
— Augie's pragmatic view on hardship and purpose.
“What did I want to be? A good human being. But that's not a thing you can be. It's something you are or you aren't.”
— Augie contemplating his aspirations and the nature of goodness.
“Columbus too thought he was on his way to China, and discovered America. But his discovery was a mistake. America was a mistake. I am a mistake.”
— Augie's humorous and self-deprecating reflection on his own life's trajectory.
“To be able to choose! That's the great thing. To be able to choose your own life, your own fate, your own friends, your own woman, your own everything.”
— Augie's deep appreciation for the concept of free will and self-determination.
“There was a time when I was a boy and I thought I was going to be a great man. But I found out that I was going to be a man, and that was enough.”
— Augie's maturation from youthful idealism to a more grounded understanding of life.
“Truth, if it's true, is always beautiful.”
— Augie's aesthetic and philosophical view on the nature of truth.
“You can't get away from yourself. You can only get away with yourself.”
— A poignant observation on the inescapable nature of one's own being.
“I had a feeling that there were other things besides money, and that they were more important.”
— Augie's early recognition of values beyond material wealth.
“The world is a very strange place, and people are very strange in it.”
— A general observation on the eccentricities of life and human behavior.
“I'm not a man to stay in one place, or to stay with one idea.”
— Augie's declaration of his restless and adaptable nature.
“You can't just live for yourself. You have to live for others too.”
— Augie's evolving understanding of responsibility and communal living.
“Why must I be a sort of a sport, a kind of a freak, a person of exception?”
— Augie questioning his own unique path and tendency to diverge from conventional life.
Ready to see how well you understood this book? Take our interactive quiz with 10 questions.
Saul Bellow was a Canadian–American writer. For his literary work, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts. He is the only writer to win the National Book Award for Fiction three times, and he received the National Book Foundation's lifetime Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters in 1990.
