Questions about Bellow's Seize the Day

[pertolote23]

I just finished reading Saul Bellow's Seize the Day. I loved the book but still have some questions.
When this was written could you really invest money in things like lard and rye? I'm not sure about the implications of these items... and the profit found in wheat... maybe I'm just over analytical; it is killing me though.

If anyone has any ideas I would be most grateful for an answer of any sort.
A

 

[novella]

You still can invest in those things even now. It's called the Commodities Market, and you never take receipt of the goods, just buy and hold for price fluxuations. That's called futures trading. The lard is called Pork Bellies. These commodities are traded bigtime in the Chicago market.

 

[pertolote23]

thank you so much for your answer. can you think of any symbolic significance? i was thinking that perhaps it fits the main character to invest in something like lard... a luxury, not a necessity. maybe that is why the wheat reaps profit, it is something of substanence.

thank you again. if you have read the book and have any ideas on what the significance is, i'd love to hear that as well.
a

 

[clueless]

Until the 1960s, lard was the most widely used cooking fat in America, so it was not a luxury at the time. Rye bread was very popular among people coming from Central and Eastern Europe, including thousands of Jewish people who had fled from Germany. So you see, he was not investing in luxury goods, but in everyday products.