He stood along the wall with others and looked toward, the coffin and the slow line that was moving past it, gazing at the face of the dead. Presently he too was in this, line, and slowly, slowly, foot by foot, the beating of his heart anxious, thick, frightening, but somehow also rich, he neared the coffin and paused for his turn, and gazed down. He caught his breath when he looked at the corpse, and his face swelled, his eyes shone hugely with instant tears.

The dead man was gray-haired. He had two large waves of gray hair at the front. But he was not old. His face was long, and he had a bony nose, slightly, delicate twisted. His brows were raised as though he had sunk in to the final thought. Now at last he was with it, after the end of all distractions, and when his flesh was no longer flesh.

From “Seize the Day” by Saul Bellow

Wilhelm is a victim of his own failure in life. He lost his job, his wife, his children, his well-to-do father’s support, and now his last shot at success. He was swindled out of the little money he had to survive.   Pushed by a crowd of onlookers, he finds himself inside a funeral home. Bellow describes Wilhelm’s breaking point at a stranger’s wake the way only a genius can. “He neared the coffin and paused for his turn, and gazed down. He caught his breath when he looked at the corpse, and his face swelled, his eyes shone hugely with instant tears.” At this very moment, Wilhelm makes a stunning discovery: “His brows were raised as though he had sunk in to the final thought. Now at last he was with it, after the end of all distractions, and when his flesh was no longer flesh.”

The battle to understand ourselves rages on through our entire life. Every day we hope to come closer to the truth and make sense of our existence—who we are, what our roles are, where we are going.

P.S.: My last email featured a personal story entittled “The Fatidic Watermelon Slice.” If you have yet to subscribe to Our Circle of Friends, please go to www. theclassicwriter.com and join us. As a token of appreciation, you will be able to download “The Silver Teacup,” an exciting collection of short stories.

Warm regards,

Louis