Theme of victimization has been integrated and interwoven in the novel “Seize the day”. The characters like Dr. Tamkin, Wilhelm, Dr Adrer Maurice Venice, Margaret, Olive etc are the victim of Contemporary American Society which has been depicted is one of worshiping money, of unhappy conjugal life of extreme selfishness, deceitfulness of degeneration of human relationship of exploitation, detachment and isolation.
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Degeneration of conjugal relationship in American Society
Whilhelm-Margaret relation is a typical example of the degeneration of conjugal relationship in American Society. Tommy Wilhelm, the protagonist of the novel as a problem ridden man, acutely suffering from his family and members and relatives. His wife and children are now living separate from him but his wife is still demanding from him the amount of money that is too much from him.
Wilheml’s wife Margaret
Though she is not living with him she does not agree to divorce. Wilheml’s wife Margaret is head strong authoritative and self centered. Wilhem’s life is totally embattled by his relation ship with his wife. Their early conjugal life was happy. But it did not last long, Margaret soon turned into a malicious, spiteful and dreadful woman. She became too domineering. All these caused a different world from their relationship and each of them was ejected into a cleavage into a different world from their former state of bliss.
Margaret’s Attitude to her husband Wilheml
Margaret showed a hostile attitude to her husband and to ruin him financially and emotionally. She exerted gradually increasing torment by demanding more money from the financially handicapped Wilhelm. All this was for her self interest, self-centred motive. She wanted to relies her purpose and keep tormenting Wilhelm. The degeneration of the conjugal life in the whole of American Society is an important focus of the plot of the novel.
Father-Son relationship in seize the day-Degeneration relationship between father and son
The degeneration relationship which can prove Theme of victimization in seize the day between father and son is another problem in the contemporary American Society. Dr. Adler is Wilhelm’s father who is retired man living permanently in hotel as he is very rich. He is very cruel to his son Wilhelm. When Wilhelm requested financial help from his father the latter says:
“I can not give you any money. There would be no end of I started. You and your sister would take every last buck from me. I’m still alive, not dead. I am still here. Life isn’t over yet. I am as much alive as you or anyone. And I want nobody on my bank. Get off.”
Wilhelm says to his father in the following ways:
“All you seem to think about is your death, well I am sorry. But I am going to die too. And I am your son. It isn’t my fault in the first place.”
Dr. Adler is callous to suck an extent that he refuses to give Wilhelm even emotional and financial support. He is very unsympathetic towards Wilhelm. Then Wilhelm tells his father simply blames him and says that all the fault is Wilhelm’s. Out of utter frustration Wilhelm says to his father,
“Ah Father, Father! It’s always the same think with you. I am a hundred ties more depressed that before. Why is it? You have no sympathy. You want to shift all the blame on to me”
Enigmatic character of Dr. Tamkin
The enigmatic character of Dr. Tamkin features another aspect of American life and society. He is a great riddle fro the protagonist Wilhelm. His relationship with Wilhelm gives us a profound insight into an interesting aspect of the character of American people: man’s mad pursuit of money and for the sake of money having recourse to all sorts of deceitfulness.
Tamkin has strong physical features which remind us of the animal qualities especially prowling hunting animals. He possesses many intellectual qualities and his moral and philosophical outlook on life turns him into on enigmatic abstruse and Machiavellian figure. Dr.Tamkin is a cunning character. Wilhelm gives his last seven hundred dollar to invest in the stock market business.
Tamkin capitalizes Wilhelm’s weakness and exploits him. The price of rye and lard falls. So, Wilhelm loses the chance of selling them for profit Wilhelm realizes that Tamkin was on his back and made him carry. Wilhelm-Tamkin relationship represents the puzzle that simple honest people like Wilhelm faces in dealing with extremely cunning people like Tamkin.
Above all we can say that Theme of victimization in seize the day by Saul Below has discussed clearly.
For your better understanding about the theme of isolation in seize of the day or Theme of victimization in seize the day, you may enjoy the following video:
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