Harmonious Self And Sane Society:A Study Of Saturday In Literary Ethics

Saturday is one of the most influential works of Ian Mc Ewan.Saturday has been highly praised by many critics and readers since it was published in 2005.Scholars have mainly analyzed it from the perspective of narratology,psychoanalysis,ethics,history and other perspectives,but a few have analyzed the novel from the perspective of literary ethics.Therefore,based on the theory of ethical literary criticism,this thesis analyzes the major character Perowne’s ethical conflicts,his ethical choices,and causes of his ethical choices.This thesis contains five chapters.Chapter One starts to introduce Mc Ewan and Saturday,main researches about this novel,the purpose and significance and theoretical foundation.Chapter Two discusses ethical conflicts Perowne confronts,through analyzing the estrangement between Perowne and his daughter Daisy,their different attitudes towards the impending Iraq War,the conflict between science and literature reflected in Baxter’s breaking into Perowne’s house to kill him,and the tension between Perowne and his colleagues.Chapter Three and chapter Four expound what kind of ethical choices Perowne makes and the reasons for his ethical choices.In order to deal with the relationship well between father and daughter,the relationship with Baxter and the relationship between man and society,Perowne makes his own correct ethical choices through attending to fatherhood,taking responsibility for the patient Baxter and better integrating into society.The reasons of Perowne’s ethical choices are his reflection on destructiveness of wars,his awareness of the importance of ethical responsibility,and his pursuit for a harmonious ethical relationship.Chapter Five draws a conclusion of the whole thesis.The ethical conflicts Perowne faces in Saturday reflect not only his personal problems but also social reality in Britain at that time and the character Perowne is emblematic of all common people,which shows the novel’s grand theme and Mc Ewan’s humanistic sentiment.Through the analysis of the ethical conflicts Perowne confronts in Saturday,the thesis can help to deepen readers’ understanding of the novel.Through the analysis of the ethical choices Perowne makes and the reasons for his choices,the thesis explores Mc Ewan’s ethical thoughts and ethical realistic concerns about British social matters,which brings the important enlightenment that people should take responsibilities in our life,hold a balanced opinion on the relationship between science and literature,and between material and spirit,in order to create the ideal picture of harmonious self and sound society.