The End (READ LAST!)

Even though this is at the top of the blog, it should be read last. So now you are done with all of it! How was the trip? Fun? Boring? Slow? Fast? Whatever you think of it, I hope you have enjoyed it. Although I do not completely recommend it, you could read "More Die of Heartbreak" by Saul Bellow to further understand the novel, or go online and search up other great reviews and analysis of it. Since we're in the modern world now... "Peace Out!"

~Pitaah

Picture

I have posted the picture above. It may be difficult to see, so I will explain the basic layout of it. On the bottom right, there is a hand that is holding a broken heart. The middle is a railroad torn apart and barely holding the sun and moon which is the world shaped in a heart together. Everything in this picture is broken... except for that one tiny person far away walking on the railroad. That person has stolen a heart, which is the requirement to be able to leave this place. The land itself is a broken heart, and everything is broken, broken, broken...

I have also written a poem that corresponds with the picture. I hope you enjoy :)

Welcome, Welcome, to the Land of the Broken
Where Betrayal is Freedom's only Token.
Here is the Trail of Broken Hearts
Where Love is Split and Placed with Marks
Of Fear, Envy, and Loneliness
There is no Mark of Holiness
Is there a way to leave this place
To see a world that is Filled with Grace
Yes but there is a Price to Pay
If you want to be Shown the Way
Keep your Heart and Steal Half Away
And the World will Disappear within a Day
Broken Hearts and Broken Dreams
That is the Core of the World it Seems

~Pitaah

You Final Thoughts

We're at the end of the road, and tell me... What is love? What is lust? Is sex something to look forward to?

To What Extent Does an Author's Environment Influence His Perceptions of Self and World?

The first major environment would be family. His father and mother were the first people he saw, and they constantly try to make his world similar to theirs. In the first few years of out life, we basically only see our parents' lives, so of course it is not weird if our lives become close to theirs. Next are the people who he hangs around with. If the people are good, he is more likely to be a good person later in life. However, not everyone ends up that way. There could be the few who used to be in gangs and grow up to save the poor.

I believe that the environment could either completely affect you or not affect you at all. It all depends on your heart, what you think is right and wrong, and whether you want to let your will be swayed so much.

~Pitaah

A Relationship That Lasts

After reading the novel, I can assume that both of you have quite many problems dealing with love and relationships. I would like to ask you... what do you think defines a good relationship?

~Pitaah

The Two Superpowers

I have had this question for a long time, and it's been bothering me... where's the line between love and lust? How do people decide whether they are going for that guy or girl for love or the other?

~Pitaah

Action?

I would not call this book an action-packed story. Much of it is conversations between Kenneth and his Uncle, with some parts where the narrator (Kenneth) explains some area or what the situation is. This may sound extrememly boring, but what makes up for it are the "deep" and hard-to-answer questions about life: What is love? Where is that thin line between love and lust? How do you keep a relationship alive?

However, I would not like to say that the book does not have an sort of adventure in it. Of course, Kenneth and his uncle both strive to create a strong relationship, and their "adventure" is recorded vehemently. Adventure does not require monsters or a magic place. It can be near the heart.


~Pitaah

How the Book Characterizes People

Most of the time, the narrator explains people, such as Uncle's "ultramarine" eyes, or about Dad being a player, Mom trying to save the world, etc. Sometimes, he wouuld indirectly characterize people through how they talk, what they do, and how society views them. Uncle is criticized by Mom and Dad, Kenneth and Uncle speak about deep topics, and they always mess up in relationships. While some of the characterization of the characters are easily direct characterization, much of it is indirect and requires a bit of looking to find the true colors.

~Pitaah

BIO 2: Benn Crader

There are two words that could almost completely describe Kenneth's Uncle: a "hopeless romantic." He has constantly tried to create a lasting bond between him and someone else, but that was usually left with broken hearts and a torn relationship. He is a Botanist, a rather good one too. He and Kenneth share a strong relationship of friendship, and they both try to answer questions the world has left unanswered.

~Pitaah

Simplistic and Eloquent Language

After reading the book, I have found two different styles of writing that Paul uses. Either he has great skill in creating more than one style, or I have far too limited vocabulary that I call the "normal" style within the book "stylish." He has the simple language, and the eloquent language.

Simple Language: When Saul did not have any needs for "scrumptious" words, such as when explaining a character or situation, he would use language without much inner meanings inside. This may be easier for the reader to understand, but does not leave a lasting impression. For example, when he does not want the reader to think much on what he is writing, he uses "hollow" phrases such as "Dad was a hit with women" (Bellow, 17). While this may provoke some thoughts on what Kenneth's dad does, it does require much extra thinking to understand what's being implied.

Eloquent Language: Now this is when things get cloudy. Once Bellow wants the reader to eat the words, to inhale it all in and think deeply about them, he begins to give the reader lots of food to consume. Much of this novel has this type of eloquent language, which has left me biting the dust countless times.

"The earnest student is immersed in the Psilophyta, the Arthrophyta, the Pterophyta, and instead of being blasted away beyond the moon, he hold a universtiy chair" (Bellow, 20-21).

The only way I found out what Psilophyta meant was searching it up, and the definition had to do something about plants. This relates to Uncle in some way, and that's only the first layer in the layer of meanings.

~Pitaah

BIO 1: Kenneth Trachtenberg

I have already wrote much about Kenneth, but I can still give a brief overview about him. I do not believe he had much information, such as height, colors of his eyes, hair, or skin. He lived in Paris for a while before he moved to America. His father's name is Rudi Trachtenberg. His mother... was called Mother. He travels far and wide, constantly going to different cultures. I believe this sums up most of it.

~Pitaah

THIS IS ME!

The story is written in first-person, narrated by Kenneth Trachtenberg. His eyes are quite intellectual and emotional, often pondering on what life is bringing. More specifically, he obsesses over the thoughts of love, lust, sex... but does not do this alone. Benn Crader is a great helper, and he also learns through all the relationships both men are constantly trying to forge and rekindle back to life.

Where To?

Perhaps the most important movement of the characters is Kenneth Trachtenberg's immigration to the Middle West from Paris. His interest in Paris began to fade when he saw the "modern world" of America, and besides, his beloved Uncle, Benn Crader, owns a university in America, and he wanted to stay close by in case Uncle needed help in his love life. However, although this is an important place in the book, Kenneth Trachtenberg is an adventurous person, constantly traveling around the world, from Paris to America to Japan.

There is no specific date to record here, but it can be assumed that this was the 20th century, with much of the modern world being displayed within the text. There is also no actual place to write, although America is one of more important places, being very talked about. Also, I cannot venture very deeply into time, as much of the novel only uses morning, noon, and night instead of specific times. I am going to make a "wild guess" here. Due to the novel's complexity, especially in its writing styles and so many deep and confusing vocabular words, the author could be omitting specific dates and times to prevent the reader from dwelling on those unimportant topics and instead focus on what's being questioned upon. This could also explain why there are two main styles of his writing.

~Pitaah

Purpose of Creation

I have read "To Die of Hearbreak" by Saul Bellow and I would like to reach further understanding of the novel by reaching toward answers inside the text and creating a simulation of the novel with "mock characters" having conversations, asking questions the novels so eloquently posed, and trying to answer them by myself. There are nine main sections within this blog: Introduction, Style, Setting, Structure, Point of View, Characterization, Mock Conversation, Road of the Broken-Hearted (A picture), and the "Essential Question." Within each section will be the assumed answer through my point of view, and perhaps arguments depending on the characterizations of people within the book.

P.S. To avoid confusion, at the end of every post, there will be a name. Mine will be Pitaah, and if a mock character posts, he/she will have his/her entire name typed.

~Pitaah

"More Die of Hearbreak" by Saul Bellow

If you break a heart...
Seperated forever apart
You will never mend the broken
For the pain will be unspoken
Within the fragile soul
Of a light so cold
Never to see the day
Without love to shine the way...

~Pitaah