Ethical Predicaments In Ian Mcewan's Major Novels

Ian McEwan is one of the most significant British writers since the 1970s. His early writings were controversial for their focus on violence, death and sexual deviance, which earned him the nickname"Ian MacAbre."Nevertheless, with 11 novels behind him and one winning the Booker Prize, McEwan is now lauded for the ethical vision in his works. Throughout his writing career, ethics have been his major concern, which require further studies. This dissertation is devoted to the exploration of ethical predicaments in his three major novels, aiming to shed light on the continuity and evolution of his investigation of ethics throughout his career.Varied ethical predicaments characterize McEwan's major novels, including the paradox of freedom, the ethical dystopia, and the ethical dilemma. Each predicament is a response to the particular ethical concerns of his time, demonstrating artistic features of a specific phase of his career as well."Ethics"not only refer to the accepted beliefs, principles, and rules about right and wrong that guide people in their conducts, but also encompass the contextualized personal understandings of right and wrong. Derived from"ethics,""ethical,"though it can suggest"morally correct,"always denotes"of or relating to ethics"in this dissertation unless specified as otherwise. Predicaments are particular situations that the individual finds difficult and unpleasant. Ethical predicaments as discussed in this dissertation refer to unpleasant situations where it is difficult or impossible for the individual to act rightly. It is discovered that ethical predicaments occupy a vital position in most of McEwan's novels. Furthermore, the major ethical predicaments in his fiction generally follow a line of development, in response to the changing ethical concerns of his time and his developing artistic techniques and vision. In view of manageability, this dissertation focuses on ethical predicaments in McEwan's three representative novels—The Cement Garden, The Child in Time, and Atonement, identifying a distinctive ethical predicament in each one, so as to reveal the continuity and development in his treatment of ethical predicaments. Chapter One consists of a brief introduction of McEwan's standing in Contemporary British literature, a review of English and Chinese scholarship on Ian McEwan, with particular focus on ethical criticism, a definition of the key terms, and then a brief introduction of the scope and structure of the dissertation.Chapter Two investigates the predominant ethical predicament in The Cement Garden—the paradox of freedom, with three sections respectively dealing with the ethical anarchy, the positive freedom, and the problematic freedom. Central to this chapter is the argument that the paradoxical features of freedom trap the children in an ethical predicament. Before plunging into concentrated discussions, the chapter first briefly examines the philosophical and cultural influence on McEwan, which may account for his special treatment of freedom in this debut novel. Section One investigates how the children arrive at ethical anarchy through gradual removal of parental authorities. In the light of Erich Fromm's theory, it could be discerned that the family is based on an authoritarian ethical system which forces the children to subjugate their freedom to conformity to social norms. Through subverting the patriarchal control and challenging the mother as a teacher of moral precepts, the children eventually enter an ethically anarchic situation. The ensuing section, centering on the positive freedom, aims to uncover the constructive role freedom plays in reforming traditional ethics. Cross-dressing and incest, the children's"deviant"behaviors, are often interpreted as signs of depravation brought about by their newly gained freedom. Admittedly, in ordinary circumstances the children's transgressive acts seem pathological; however, with McEwan's special artistic representation, their"deviance,"affirming spontaneity and creativity, could be read as a critique of the oppressive, hypocritical facets of traditional ethics. Section Three explores the other side of the paradox—the problematic freedom, disclosing the nothingness and loneliness resulting from their ethical anarchy. Without parental authorities in the house, there is no absolute criterion of moral goodness for the children who have not yet learned to create new values by themselves to confer meaning to life. Consequently, the children experience an excruciating sense of nothingness. Besides, their newfound freedom also results in agonizing loneliness, or a deep sense of unconnectedness, for the removal of the old authoritarian ethical system severs the established interpersonal relations, which, though oppressive to the children in varied ways, used to provide them with a sense of belonging. The markedly different directions the children take when freely developing their individuality also add to their loneliness. Therefore, freedom plays a constructive role in reforming the traditional ethics, but it also tends to bring about distressing nothingness and loneliness. This paradox of freedom constitutes the major ethical predicament in the novel, demonstrating the author's critical reflections on the ethos of the 1960s and 1970s, as well as his preoccupation with the private domain and the inner world in his early works.Chapter Three moves to examine the ethical predicament in The Child in Time—the ethical dystopia—a fearful futuristic situation where the individual is involved in moral corruption or problematic ethical relations. This chapter also falls into three sections, focusing on the moral corruption of the political arena, the vulnerability of marital relations, and the disharmony between nature and humans. A brief examination of the related circumstances in Thatcher Britain precedes the detailed discussions. Section One probes into the moral corruption of the political arena in the futuristic society, concentrating on the unsettling social injustice indulged by the government and the politicians'abandonment of ethical principles. As for the first aspect of corruption, McEwan is mainly concerned with the distributive injustice, that is, the abandonment of fairness in the distribution of wealth and benefits among the people. For the second, the author mostly delves into the politicians'dishonesty. Section Two focuses on the vulnerable marital relations caused by male dominance. Stephen's attempt to impose his outlook on Julie aggravates their marriage crisis, while Charles'assumption that Thelma should act like a self-sacrificing mother distorts their marital relationship. Section Three inquires into the disharmony between nature and humans, disclosing that humans'lack of environmental ethics leads to the tattered ecosystem. To be more exact, McEwan seems to suggest that it is the government's and males'materialistic, anthropocentric view of nature that is largely responsible for the environmental crisis. On the whole, the chapter reveals three major dimensions to the ethical dystopia portrayed in the novel. It could be seen that the specific ethical concerns in the 1980s Britain and McEwan's broadened vision carry forward his exploration of ethical predicaments. Chapter Four is devoted to the investigation of ethical dilemma in Atonement, examining in turn young Briony's ethical dilemma, the ethical dilemma in war, and Briony the writer's ethical dilemma. McEwan's recent preference for character-led novels is briefly analyzed at the beginning to account for his scrutiny of ethical dilemma in most of his later novels. Section One probes into the ethical dilemma that traps young Briony, analyzing the portrayal of the dilemma within two narrative frameworks so as to reveal its rich ethical implications. As a reader unaware of the revelation in the coda, one is invited to penetrate the surface of a personal dilemma to uncover the root causes of young Briony's quandary rather than focus on the dilemmatic situation. However, when the coda is revealed, the motive behind such representation becomes suspicious. Section Two explores the soldiers'ethical dilemmas in the Dunkirk retreat, identifying their"prohibition dilemma"and"obligation dilemma."McEwan's vivid portrayal of the soldiers'internal struggles in the dilemmatic situations lends a fresh perspective to the mythologized historical event. Section Three examines the ethical dilemmas facing Briony the writer, focusing on her"externally imposed ethical dilemma"and"self-imposed ethical dilemma."The economic base proves to be the root cause of Briony the writer's dilemma as to whether she should persist in publishing her novel or not. In this sense, the dilemma is externally imposed on Briony. Briony imposes another ethical dilemma on herself when attempting to atone through writing. Therefore, this chapter primarily investigates three major ethical dilemmas in the novel, demonstrating McEwan's exertion to reveal the subtlety and complexity of ethical predicaments.Chapter Five concludes the dissertation with a short summary of its main contents, which is followed by a brief account of the social and cultural backgrounds of the urgent ethical issues McEwan responds to in his major novels. It also examines the relevance of McEwan's novels to our time by placing them in the postmodern context, finally winding up the discussions about ethical predicaments by placing McEwan in an enduring tradition.