MOSES-MADELINE AFFAIR NOVEL HARZOG BY SAUL BELLOW
Ultra-modern Woman
Madeline was ultra-modern in her views, while Moses was very often stuck to the past in spite of his intellectual and scholarly pursuits. Moses offered to take her to a restaurant for breakfast since he would not let her go empty-stomach and drop her at Fordham. At the restaurant, Moses mentioned by the way that his mother loved fish since she came from Baltic provinces, but Madeline showed no interest whatsoever in the mother of Moses, who was himself a fatherly person to her-"She was one of de dead, without effect on the new generation". She told Moses that she was to go to meet her mother as she had heard that her mother was again having some trouble from her father. She was ry that her mother was still slavishly going after her husband. She told Moses firmly that he should not think that she was going have a life-long affair with him. When Moses said that he would feel miserable if she left him, she made it plain to him that she had no faith in the behaviour of men, implying that she would have him as and when she felt like doing it. She told him that she had seen how her mother had been living a miserable life for being tied to her father for the whole life-"My mother had to live A difficult life. She worked, while Pontritter carried on. He bribed me when I saw him with one of his broads." She had bitter experiences from other males. She told Moses, "My childhood was a grotesque nightmare. I was bullied, assaulted, ab-ab-ab, abused by a grown man", who paid her to be quiet. Moses tried to console her by telling that hers was not an isolated case, "It happens to many, many people", but she was not satisfied with such indifference as Moses insinuated. She was annoyed with her father who had told her when she was only six, "we all died and rotted in the grave." She thought it was an outrage to tell it to a girl of six or seven, and that such a man 'ought to be punished for it, though it did not matter now when she was young and had faith in Jesus-"I believe in my Saviour, Jesus Christ. I am not afraid of death now... I'm willing to go on living, and bring children into the world," provided that I have something to tell them when they ask me about death and grave. But don't expect me to go in the ordinary loose way-without rules. No! it'll be rules or nothing." She obviously meant to say that there had to be strict and stringent rules of conduct to guarantee, honour and safety to women.
Misunderstanding of Herzog
When she was going to the Church, she slipped and had to come back home heavily taped. She asked Moses to help her. Moses unpinned her hat, removed her clothes one by one carefully, led her to the bed and lay down with her 'to warm and comfort her as she wanted him to'. Moses foolishly believed that her carnality was in contrast and violation of the religious edicta which she pretended to espouse, because he failed to see the woman simmering in her. She was a devout Christian and passionate woman at the same time as neither was inimical to the other. Herzog unwittingly wrote sardonically to Monsignar who had baptized her a Catholic-"Ecclesiastical dolls-gold- threaded petticoats, whining organ pipes. The actual world, to say nothing of the infinite universe, demanded a sterner, a real masculine character." In the end of his letter he quoted his daughter's nursery rhyme, whereby he wanted to say that woman would love and live contented if they got love and comfort from men, as if women had only physical needs, no spiritual. And very foolishly he wished for a sterner masculine character though himself had the least of it.
Aunt Zelda's Defence of Madeline a
Moses went to see aunt Zelda to complain against Madeline who had told him slainly that she wouldn't waste her youth and beauty on him and that she would not live with him any more though she had a daughter, Junie, from him. Aunt Zelda told him in unambiguous words that he was responsible for his alienation from Madeline. Aunt Zelda rose in defence of Madeline with a statement of her faith in Madeline. She said, "Madeline and I have always been more like sisters... I'm glad to say that she had been terrific, a serious person." But Moses contradicted her, rather dismissed her, arguing that 'returning a husband like a cake-dish or a bath towel was not acting like a serious person as aunt Zelda had made her out to be. Aunt Zelda held a mirror to Moses to show what mistakes he had committed. She said that Moses was 'overbearing, gloomy', 'very demanding'. 'Have to have your own way, and wore his wife out, 'asking for help, support. Moses accepted these faults of his and candidly added, "I'm hasty, irascible, spoiled'. Aunt Zelda added that he was 'reckless about women', and it was his mistake 'to yourself in the country so you could finish that project of yours', which he could never wind up. She said plainly, "You were a fool to bury yourself and her, a young woman, in the Berkshires, with nobody to talk to", and as Madeline had told her, he was 'a dictator, a regular tyrant' who ballied her' constantly. Aunt Zelda told him frankly and rightly, "A girl had a right to expect from her husband nightly erotic gratification, safety, money, insurance, furs, jewellery, cleaning women, drapes, dresses, hats, night clubs, automobiles, theatre !" Madeline being young, beautiful and ambitious could not have lived without above mentioned necessities of a modern woman. To top all the lapses and misdemeanours was, as aunt Zelda said, that he was selfish'.
As regards safety and welfare of his daughter, Junie, Aunt Zelda said, "Madeline is a good mother. And you don't have to worry." In the end, Aunt Zelda told him about Madeline that 'she doesn't run around with men. They phone her all the time, chasing after her. Well, she is a beauty, and a very rare type, too, because she is so brilliant... She's always at house. She's rethinking everything."
Geraldine Portnoy, Lucas Asphalter's friend, a former student of Herzog, also wrote to Herzog in defence of Madeline that she had sympathy with her because he found her 'so vivacious, intelligent and such a charmer, and has been so warm and frank'. She admired her and was greatly pleased by her confidence. She went ahead to remove doubts in the minds of Asphalter and Herzog about Madeline's lesbian inclinations. She said that people had the tendency of imputing lesbianism to two women friends. She wrote, "Lucas warned me to look out for something dikey, but then any intense feeling between members of the same sex is often, and unjustly under supervision." Thus Madeline was well-defended and acquitted of being homosexual. And she said for the positive side of Madeline that she was 'a beautiful, brilliant person with a fate of her own. Her experiences are rich, or pregnant. As Herzog read the word 'pregnant' he thought very foolishly that she was to get a child from Gersbach, but his experience corrected him instantly. He knew that she was not pregnant-'She'd be too far clever to let that happen. She owed her survival to intelligence'.
Shocking News
Herzog was shocked when his old friend, Lucas Asphalter, told him that Valentine had become very popular in the social and cultural life of Hyde Park and that he was living with Madeline and obviously carrying affair with her. In his confusion and disappointment, Herzog went to Dr. Edvig to know about Madeline's state of mind, but he found that Dr. Edvig himself was interested in her. He wrote to him, "I hoped you might help me to understand her. Instead, you went for her yourself. You did. It's undeniable, the more you learned from me that she was beautiful, had a brilliant mind, by no means sane, and was religious, to boot." He further wrote to him that he was at the point of breakdown when he went to meet him as he had learnt that Madeline and Gersbach were in bed when he was on the couch.
Phoebe Gersbach also told him that she knew her husband was sleeping with Madeline'. She pitied Herzog not because his wife was adulterous but because Herzog was eggheaded for having prapped Valentine Gersbach in the cultural society of Chicago-She blamed him for aggravating Valentine's ambitions-Gersbach the public figure, Gersbach the poet, the television intellectual, lecturing at the Hadassah on Martin Buber'.
Spirit of Rivalry
Madeline was not only a beauty, but was preparing for her doctoral examination in Slavonic languages. Shapiro was well- versed in the literature of every field, and he showed himself as an eager listener, and active participant in discussions, while Moses, she complained, had 'never really, listened to her. He wanted to shine all the time'. While Madeline and Shapiro discussed various subjects animatedly, Herzog felt neglected and over-shadowed. He wrote to Shapiro, "While you and Madeline were tossing your heads, coquetting, bragging, showing off your clean sharp teeth-the learned badinage, I was trying to take stock of my position. I understand that Madeline's ambition was to take my place in the learned world. To overcome me. She was reaching her final elevation as the queen of the intellectuals, the castiron blue stocking. And your friend Herzog withering under this sharp elegant heel." It was obviously a sort of jealously in Herzog's mind his male-chauvinistic character would not bear being over-shadowed by his wife. In his state of depression, he went to the extent of saying that Madeline was paranoic. He took list of traits of paranoia from a psychiatrist and found that all the traits of paranoia-pride, anger, excessive 'ratonality', homo-sexual inclinations, competitiveness, mistrust of emotions, inability to bear criticism, hostile projections, delussions', he 'thought about Mady in every category'. Herzog thought that Madeline was paranoic, and Madeline thought in turn that Herzog was insane.
A Sane Counsel
Sandor Himmelstein told Herzog that he had made a mistake in getting himself united with Madeline on account of her beauty and intellect because, in his view, happiness in married. life had nothing to do with these qualities. He said, "Every man is a sucker for some type of broad (woman), I always got clobbered by the blue-eyed kind, myself. But I had the sense to fall in love with this beautiful pair of brown eyes. Isn't she great?" So he meant to say that one should have woman who would like a good friend share griefs and joys of life gladly with her husband.
Beatrice, Sandor's wife, was of the view that Madeline was basically a good person. Herzog said that Madeline was self-willed and rigid woman-"A strong-minded bitch. Terrifically attractive. Loves to make up her mind. Once decided, decided for ever. What a will power. It's a type." But Beatrice contradicted him, saying, "Still she must have loved you once... I happen to think she's a nice person. At first she looked stuck up and acted suspicious, but when I got to know her she turned out to be friendly and very nice." Sandor also said, holding Herzog guilty, "People are nice most of them. You've got to give them a chance." He dismissed the charge levied against Madeline by Herzog that she was calculating and cunning on the ground that she didn't break off before he signed the lease of the house, saying that she needed a roof over her kid's head.
Sandor told Herzog that he would not succeed in getting his daughter, because jury would favour blooming and lovely Madeline, not 'haggard and gray-haired, and bam!
Sandors Himmelstein advised Herzog to leave Madeline for ever-"If she wants to go, fuck her! let her go! You'll be Okay" Sandors made it clear that Madeline wanted somebody else. He further explained to Herzog that Madeline would not be any trouble to him as the chances were that she would marry somebody after being divorced and would not be entitled to alimony. He had seen that she had many suitors, who came running hard-on, tripping over themselves. That includes rabbi of my temple. She's some dish'. But he must get insurance for his daughter, so that she might get money every month, if he got sick, or met an accident. In order to bring home to him the necessity of having such a policy, he said that he would get a policy so that his wife would get support if something happened to him. It was after some hard-hitting words were spoken, he agreed to get a policy on his life. Finally, he advised Herzog to get a housekeep of his age and a good lay or get a girl who survived the concentration camps, and she would be grateful for a good home. Herzog felt that Himmelsteins knew home truths better than he did-"I was so far gone into foolishness that even they, those Himmelsteins knew more than I. And showed me facts of life, and taught me the truth."
Himmelstein was right in his own way to say that Herzog must leave Madeline if she didn't want to live with him, but Herzog was so much enamoured of her that he even didn't know whether Madeline was really beautiful and charming or he felt so due to his being deserted by her-"Was Madeline really such a great beauty, or did the loss of her make him exaggerate did it make his suffering so notable." He went on recounting as she was when she took instruction for Mansignor Hilton, "A recent Redcliffe graduate, and very beautiful. Her complexion healthy and pink, fine dark hair gathered in a bun behind and a fringe on her forehead, a slender neck, heavy blue eyes, and a byzantine nose which came straight down from the brow. The bangs concealed a forehead of considerable intellectual power, the will of demon." The blow of her beauty had-struck him so deep that it was impossible for him to forget her.
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