The Artist's Place in American Society
Humboldt's Gift explores the role of artists in American society. The United States, driven by business and dominated by wealth, boasts an advanced technological landscape. Science accomplishes remarkable feats, like performing heart bypass surgeries and enabling cross-country flights. But what place does art have in this society? Is it merely the pursuit of a few harmless intellectuals? Why have so many American poets taken their own lives?
Von Humboldt Fleisher represents the poet's struggle in American culture. His dreams found no support in this environment. The distractions and temptations of America overwhelmed the individual poet. Now, his friend Charlie Citrine reflects on Humboldt's life. Charlie, also an artist facing his own challenges, navigates the novel's narrative by striving to avoid the same tragic fate as his deceased friend.
The Concept of Death in American Culture
Charlie Citrine wrestles with the concept of death. As an admirer of Walt Whitman, he views death as the ultimate question, especially in a society fixated on pleasure and consumerism. He realizes that a fundamental belief in American culture is the notion that death is absolute and final. This belief permeates American institutions and behaviors, shaping the nation's collective mindset. Despite this, Charlie seeks an alternative path, aiming to uncover limitless possibilities within the universe. He turns to the anthroposophic teachings of Rudolf Steiner for a fresh perspective. Similar to religion, mysticism treats spiritual realities with sincerity, and Charlie Citrine embarks on a spiritual quest as a late twentieth-century Don Quixote.
Money, Success, and Happiness
Money is a central theme in Humboldt’s Gift. As the story begins, Charlie is a writer who once enjoyed success but has seen his fortune diminish due to poor financial choices and the exploitation by those around him. Feeling empty and unhappy, Charlie seeks a way to transform his life. His trusting nature has repeatedly allowed others to take advantage of him, draining his wealth and resources.
In contrast, the early chapters reflect on a time when Charlie was financially poor but content. During this period, he was full of ideas and energy, surrounded by literature, engaging conversations, rhetoric, and the affection of the beautiful Demmie Vongel. However, just as Charlie’s play Von Trenck becomes a huge hit on Broadway, his friendship with Humboldt falls apart, and his girlfriend dies in a plane crash. Throughout the narrative, Bellow, through Humboldt, implies that money and success do not equate to happiness and might even be at odds with it.
For example, Thaxter carelessly spends other people’s money and, despite his cheerful demeanor, proves to be an unreliable friend. Renata, another character, is similarly unreliable, only interested in marrying a wealthy man. Unaware of Charlie’s financial difficulties, she grows impatient with him and quickly marries someone else. Charlie’s ex-wife Denise took almost everything in their divorce—the house, the children, and a large portion of his money. However, as Urbanovich and others observe, Charlie has the potential to earn more if he dedicates himself. His wealth has attracted opportunists who are indifferent to his well-being. The only way for Charlie to escape their clutches is to give up his money.
Humboldt’s message escapes Charlie until the book's end. Charlie inherits a large sum from Humboldt’s estate but decides to focus on living a life that truly interests him instead of pursuing more wealth. The story suggests that money can stifle creativity, a point emphasized by Humboldt’s frustration with Charlie’s superficial success with the play. Charlie had deviated from his genuine artistic path in his pursuit of popularity.
Insanity and Artistry
In Western culture, it is commonly believed that artists are eccentric and passionate, often deriving their creativity...
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and talent from a disregard for societal norms. This behavior usually manifests as unconventionality, and the popular image of artists often emphasizes their destructive habits, such as alcoholism, drug abuse, and mental illness. This theme is explored inHumboldt’s Gift, where the main character, Humboldt, struggles with manic depression, paranoia, and substance abuse. Bellow depicts Humboldt as a troubled soul whose issues impede his creativity and productivity. His only significant achievement is his first book, Harlequin Ballads, which he wrote in his youth. As he ages, Humboldt becomes consumed with his wife, various job ventures, and battles with substance abuse, as well as mental and financial difficulties. As a result, he produces no notable work until late in life, and even then, his works are not recognized until ten years after his death. However, not all creative individuals lead destructive lives. Take Charlie, for example, who seems to have no vices and can create when he concentrates. His eccentricity lies in his habit of living in his thoughts, often appearing detached from reality, which leads many to consider him a snob.
Friendship
The central friendship in Humboldt’s Gift is between Charlie and Humboldt. Much like Humboldt's manic depression, their relationship is marked by extreme highs and lows. They explore topics together that few others have the patience for as Charlie ages. Despite the distance that eventually grows between them, their deep affection remains, evident in Charlie's dreams of Humboldt and the gift Humboldt leaves him after his passing.
Amidst the turmoil of relationships, marriages, and divorces, it's Charlie’s true friends who help him through difficult times. His genuine friends include George, Szathmar, Kathleen, Humboldt, and Demmie. However, since his separation from Humboldt, none of Charlie's new acquaintances have proven to be real friends. Instead, people like Cantabile, Thaxter, Renata, and Denise have taken far more from Charlie, both financially and emotionally, than they have given back. In his novel, Bellow highlights that friendship's true value goes beyond material wealth. Real friendship is defined not only by acts of kindness but also by enduring life’s ups and downs together.
Materialism
Materialism refers to an obsession with wealth and possessions. Throughout the novel, Charlie seeks to free himself from these material concerns. In the courthouse, he informs his lawyers of his desire to take a vow of poverty. By the end of the story, having earned enough to pursue his interest in anthroposophy, he turns down a lucrative scriptwriting opportunity. Before his Broadway success with Von Trenck, Charlie's finances are limited—he even borrows money from his girlfriend for a bus ticket to New York City. Fourteen years later, when he and Humboldt exchange symbolic checks as blood brothers, Charlie has just eight dollars in his bank account. A year later, Von Trenck becomes a hit, and Charlie finds himself with more money than he ever expected. However, this newfound wealth brings its own set of challenges. Charlie marries Denise and becomes entangled in her high-society views about his friends, home décor, and work. Even after their divorce, Denise continues to demand more money from him. He also mingles with people like Thaxter, Renata, and Cantabile, whose lives are centered around money. Thaxter is known for borrowing excessively and ignoring his debts. Renata aims to marry into wealth. Cantabile is a thug who seeks control over Charlie and access to his income.
Charlie's primary focus is on his meditation practice. He notices that Americans are consumed by materialism, neglecting their inner lives. Through meditation, he hopes to find a way to help people—a lofty ambition since he must first convince them there's an issue. Charlie struggles most with communication, as many of his friends and family view his meditations as absurd, tedious, and roundabout. Humboldt’s Gift can be interpreted as Bellow’s plea to Americans to recognize the perils of materialism.
Spirituality
Spirituality involves feeling connected to something beyond oneself. Though distinct from religion, they often intersect. Charlie is deeply concerned about spirituality because he believes it is lacking in the world. His main focus in the book is on his meditation practices. He is heavily involved with anthroposophy, a spiritual science created by Dr. Rudolph Steiner in the 19th century. Through structured meditations on anthroposophy, Charlie seeks to understand spiritual phenomena, such as communicating with the deceased. Unfortunately, rather than linking him to a higher power, his spirituality tends to alienate him from those around him.
