Freedom In Daniel Martin:An Existentialist Perspective

Fowles’quasi-autobiographical novel Daniel Martin has met with controversies since its publication. The novel is lengthy in chapters, complex in content and confusing in time and space. The protagonist is constantly exposed to conflicts of different cultures while travelling in the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa. These characteristics have added great difficulties to the reading of Daniel Martin and made it less welcomed than Fowles’other novels.In fact, Fowles has devoted much more energy and passion to the creation of Daniel Martin, therefore this novel not only carries on but also intensifies the theme of freedom which reoccurs in his works. This thesis, by employing Sartre’s existentialism, conducts a detailed analysis of the major characters and the narrative methods in the novel, so as to interpret the theme of "freedom" from the aspects of content and form.Thesis consists of introduction, three chapters and conclusion. The Introduction includes a brief account of John Fowles’creations, a review of current studies on Daniel Martin, Sartre’s existentialism and Fowles’philosophy of freedom, laying a foundation for the analysis in the following chapters.Chapter one starts from the relation between the individual existence and his freedom in the horizon of Sartre’s existentialism, focusing on the lonely and mysterious individual, individual and other, and the individual existence and freedom in the novel. The protagonist Daniel is destined to be lonely. His loneliness is reflected in his alienation from the outside world and others."Others are hell" is well illustrated in Daniel’s relation to the female characters in this book. Daniel objectifies the females by possessing their bodies and consequently ensures his own subjectivity. Sartre’s assumption that "existence precedes essence" denies God’s existence and subverts traditional philosophy. All these are embodied in Daniel’s beliefs and actions.Chapter two focuses on individual choice and freedom. Existentialists emphasize that "freedom" comes from active autonomous choice. Only by actively taking his responsibility can an individual gain authentic freedom. Daniel’s initial self-exile is an escape from responsibility and a misinterpretation of freedom. Daniel would not achieve the real freedom unless he manages to be true to others and courageous in undertaking the responsibility. Thus, the desperation and suicide of Anthony, Daniel’s friend, has to be re-interpreted. From the perspective of existentialism, desperation is endowed with a positive meaning. It urges people to give up fantasies, to take actions and to fight for the true meaning of life. Death undoubtedly erases one’s life, but the act of committing suicide, to some extent, is an evidence of human’s freedom of choice and his autonomy of ending his life.Chapter three explores the narrative innovations in the novel. In Daniel Martin, the protagonist’s frequent shifts between narrator and character express an effort to write his own story. Non-linear narration challenges the chronological narration by integrating different times and spaces, and thus releases the restraint on readers. Open-ending provides a possibility of readers’participation in a free interpretation of the novel.The concluding part reiterates the argument of the thesis. Daniel Martin, like Fowles’other works, is greatly influenced by Sartrean existentialism. Existentialism has become a deep-rooted part in the novel. Like Sartre, Fowles is concerned with man’s existence and freedom, encouraging them to make active choice and to undertake his responsibility.