Seize the Day

Novel | Saul Bellow
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Write a short note on Hotel Gloriana.

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Write a short note on Hotel Gloriana. [NU: 2017]

Saul Bellow’s (1915-2005) “Seize the Day” (1956) shows the struggles of Tommy Wilhelm in New York City. Hotel Gloriana is an important place. It is not only a hotel. It is a symbol of Wilhelm’s failures, loneliness, and dreams. Through this hotel, we see Wilhelm’s broken life.

Wilhelm’s Living Place: Tommy Wilhelm stays at Hotel Gloriana. He lives away from his wife, Margaret, and children. He says sadly, 

“I’m deprived of my children.” 

He pays money but never sees them. Margaret keeps them away. At Hotel Gloriana, Wilhelm feels lost. He wakes up, smokes, and thinks of his troubles. The hotel becomes his poor shelter, not a happy home.

A Place of Painful Talks: At Hotel Gloriana, Wilhelm often argues with his father, Dr. Adler. Dr. Adler lives in the same building but ignores h

is son. Wilhelm asks for help. But Adler does not support him. In the lobby of Gloriana, Wilhelm feels humiliated. The father-son distance grows inside the hotel. The hotel becomes a place of rejection and suffering.

Symbol of Failure and Sadness: Hotel Gloriana is full of other lonely people. They are old and tired. Wilhelm feels he belongs here. He says, 

“For all the time I have wasted I am very sorry.” 

The hotel shows his wasted life. It is bright on the outside, but inside, Wilhelm suffers. Gloriana reflects his confusion, his debts, and his failures in the stock market with Dr. Tamkin. It is the symbol of his fallen life.

Hotel Gloriana is not just a hotel. It is Wilhelm’s cage of sorrow. In New York, this place shows his broken marriage, his quarrels with his father, and his wasted dreams. It becomes the true picture of his failure.

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Saul Bellow
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