Reverence For Life:Bioethics In E. B. White’s Trilogy

E. B. White passes on his philosophical idea of life through his trilogy, namely, Stuart Little, Charlotte’s Web, and The Trumpet of the Swan. In his eyes, life could be filled with twists and turns due to human interference. The imperfection of life, like a runt, can have a wonderful life after going through the tough trials,and be rewarded with a happy ending.Life is a process of exploring truth, searching for the good and realizing beauty. The author aims to raise awareness about life, which underlies his lifelong pursuits."Reverence for life" is not only a philosophical notion, but also a recurrent theme in literature.Having been affected by time, self-awareness and western rationality, White reflected his inner philosophic thought on life by means of his trilogy. From his perspective, life is the main motivation to encourage one to achieve self-dependence and self-realization despite size and power. Life will be more vigorous with care, respect, and sympathy. Above all,the humanistic ideal embodied in E. B. White’s trilogy provides not only guidance to fresh life but also access to society which highlights the growth of life.Based on White’s concern for life and growth, this thesis aims to explore Schweitzer’s concept of "reverence for life" under the lens of bioethics from his trilogy. With the exception of Introduction and Conclusion, the main body of this thesis is composed of three sections. Chapter One introduces Schweitzer and his concept "reverence for life", and shows the close connection between his philosophy and White’s works. Chapter Two devotes to the portrayal of life in E. B.White’s trilogy, and unfolds how the philosophical idea is expressed his trilogy congruously. White’s philosophical thoughts between the lines over life and growth are worth exploring. The enlightenment of life is the topic of Chapter Three. As is known to all, there is no literary work written without any purpose. The enlightening meaning is an integral part of children’s literature. The third chapter aims at exploring the beneficial aspects as many as possible. He depicts three seemingly insignificant characters in his trilogy, namely, a mouse, a runt pig, and a dumb swan. The reason that he chooses these three insignificant creatures is that he wishes to express his view of life.White holds that to live a worthy life one must be independent and set a goal for self-realization. With humanistic care, respect, and sympathy, he summons people to withdraw from interfering with the natural world. He provides an active guidance for life and growth meanwhile puts forward good advice to us.