From Escape To Commitment:An Analysis Of Saturday From The Perspective Of Ethics

As one of the most influential contemporary writers,Ian McEwan has drawn much attention from critics and readers in his exploration of human destiny and social reality in his writings.Saturday,a post 9/11 novel,is set on the day of February 15,2003 when the Iraq War is around the corner.The threats of terrorism and war lead to conflicts between instinctual desires and social reality.This paper based on ethical reading,analyzes the predicaments and ethical conflicts of the protagonist,Henry Perowne and furthermore discusses his responsibility for others in society.First,this paper probe Perowne's predicaments in the relation of the external world and in interpersonal relationship,under the background of terrorism and the Iraq War.Facing with the turmoil and upheaval,he keeps his condition of self-isolation;and he has difficulties in keeping harmonious relationship with others.The paper then explains the ethical conflicts Perowne experienced in social issues,the impending war,the inequality in society and the dispute between literature and science.Finally,Perowne's ethical choice is discussed here.In the end of this novel,Perowne family is threatened by an occasional violent incident of Baxter,a thug with fatal illness,but rescues by his daughter's recitation of Dover Beach.Perowne,under the moral instruction of literature,realizes the vulnerability of life existence and learns to take responsibility for his guilt.In Saturday,the value of literature's ethical cultivation and the responsibility are emphasized and Ian McEwan shows his optimism about human's future.