Ethical Dilemmas And Ethical Identity In Netherland:a Narrative Ethics Account

Netherland is a literary work created after seven years’ hard work by contemporary American writer Joseph O’Neill.The novel has been highly praised by critics since its publication in 2008.Researchers at home and abroad have analyzed the themes in the novel from different angles,but few have studied the theme of ethics in the novel from the perspective of Narrative Ethics.Based on James Phelan’s Narrative Ethics and integrating the viewpoints of Li Dingqing on ethical relationships and terms of the “Sphinx Factor” and ethical identity proposed by Nie Zhenzhao,this thesis constructs the theoretical framework.This thesis explores the ethics of “the told” and the ethics of “the telling” in Netherland.In analysis of the ethics of “the told”,this thesis explores the interpersonal relationship and ethnic ethics in the story world.In interpretations of the ethics of “the telling”,the ethical attitude of the implied author is discussed towards individual ethical identity and social ethics structure.This thesis figures out that in the relationship between man and man,confronted with disharmony in marriage,indifference in friendship and estrangement in parentchild relationship,the protagonist Hans makes his own ethical choices to return to marriage,estrange Chuck,and care for his son in memory of his mother;in terms of the relationship between human and society,Hans expects a more fair society in which all ethnic groups get along equally in a multicultural environment;and the implied O’Neill shows the awakening of ethical consciousness of “others”,and shows his concern about the impact of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on social and individual ethics in the United States.Integrating ideas of Li Dingqing and Nie Zhenzhao into the theory of Narrative Ethics,this thesis analyzes the ethical principles and perceptions of Joseph O’Neill while explaining the ethical phenomenon of novels and the ethical choices of characters,providing a reference for the exploration of ethical relationships in literary works and for the interpretation of the ethical phenomena in contemporary society.