Abstract：Abstract: Ravelstein is a novel written by the famous Jewish American writer Saul Bellow and was published in 2000. An Interpretation of Ravelstein from the perspective of Professor Nie Zhenzhao’s theory of Sphinx factor reveals that the protagonist Ravelstein makes wrong ethical choices in his journey of life. He peruses pleasure and abandons responsibility in social life and sticks to the wrong idea of marriage in his private life. The two wrong choices result in the tragedy of the protagonist. In contrast, Chick makes a right ethical choice in his journey of life. He never stops cultivating himself as a scholar in social life and devotes to his marriage single-minded in private life. Because of the two right choices, Chick manages to have a good life in spite of the ups and downs in his life. With the different ethical choices and results of the two characters, the author illustrates the theme that morality is the foundation for healthy existence and all-around development of human beings.
Key words: Ravelstein；Saul Bellow; Sphinx factor；ethical choice；morality
