From the Lists: #21 Henderson the Rain King

Henderson the Rain King (1959) by Saul Bellow is a bit of a conundrum to me. I had never heard of this book, even though it is ranked #21 on the 100 Best English Novels of the 20th Century so I was able to approach it without any expectations. And yet, when I completed it, I was left scratching my head. Is the book intended to be a late-in-life coming of age novel, a farce, a parable, a fever dream, a satyric retelling of Lawrence of Arabia, a Buddhist teaching?  Maybe yes to some and maybe no to all.

As if my head scratching were not enough, I stumbled across this piece of Wikipedia information when researching this post: "A week before the novel appeared in book stores, Saul Bellow published an article in the New York Times entitled “The Search for Symbols, a Writer Warns, Misses All the Fun and Fact of the Story.” Here, Bellow warns readers against looking too deeply for symbols in literature. This has led to much discussion among critics as to why Bellow warned his readers against searching for symbolism just before the symbol-packed Rain King hit the shelves."

Saul Bellow

If we simply focus on the "fun and facts," this book is about a patently unlikable man named Henderson, who through bad luck and circumstances inherits a great fortune and estate, which he immediately turns into a pig farm. A few unhappy marriages later, he is off to Africa for a series of bumbling adventures motivated by colonial paternalism for the poor, helpless natives. Along the way he meets an African tribal chief whose views of the world are possibly even more delusional than Henderson's proving that a little bit of information can be more detrimental than complete ignorance. And, as you probably guessed, mayhem ensues and Henderson returns home with a new outlook on life.

It all seems pretty straightforward, except the story is unreliably narrated by Henderson who seems motivated by an internal mantra of "I want, I want, I want." Based on his actions  it seems he only wants to be provocative, shocking, contrary, oafish, impractical, heroic and a doctor despite his disdain for reading and study. I see a bit of Buddhist philosophy in the narrative, but I see that everywhere these days. Our "hero" is constantly seeking something outside of himself that will make him happy. No matter his circumstances, he continues making bad decisions resulting in even more unhappiness. Since he is unable to recognize that his actions are the cause of his unhappiness, he traps himself in an endless circle of bad outcomes and unsatisfied desires (live, die, repeat).

It is likely we all know someone like this. I am guilty of making terrible decisions that I think will bring happiness only to realize later that I have not found happiness. The lesson must be that we learn to recognize when we are writing the same unhappy life story. Upon recognition, we must learn to use the wisdom gained in this life to make the right decision for not only ourselves, but for those whose lives will be affected.

While I am unsure of the significance of this novel and why it was given such a high ranking, it was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1960. It did not win the prize that year, but someone recognized a brilliance that eludes me.


Next up: #19 Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison