Enduring Love Extract :: essays research papers

In an extract from Ian McEwans Enduring Love the of import character, Joe, faces many conflicts emotionally. In Joes mind, his emotions and rational thought pull him in two different directions when all he seeks is a common answer. In holy order to portray Joes emotional distress, Enduring Love is told through first person narration. Joe searches for logical explanations but the more he looks, the further the truth seems to be. The day after John Logans death, Joes conscious makes the whole event illumined and animated in his mind. He begins to relive the nightmare, trying to find the right answers. His censurable conscious accuses him of killing (John Logan). Joe cannot deal with his new-found responsibility and tries to find what he believes to be the truth. On one hand, he wants the truth to be that he was not an abetter _or_ abettor in a mans death yet on the other hand he wants to know what actually happened and who was the cause of it. However, the truth is, he will never know. He is left with questions and he who believes entirely in science, math and the nature of knowing, cant comprehend this fact. Joe analyzes the situation using his numeric and scientific knowledge. He believes that eight hundred pounds would have kept them close to the ground and therefore, the first person to let go is at fault. He is facial expression for someone to blame and so places all the responsibility on this one soul. Yet he does not want to be this person, when he knows he actually well could be. The thought of this being possible is excruciating and he obsessively tells himself that it was not him. He only wants the truth if the person turned out to be him. Joe tries manipulating mathematics to make calculations regarding the balloon incident and uses his analytical mind to find answers yet he never allows his feelings to consume him. Hes always analyzing his take thoughts. He wants a selected truth not reality. Joes conflict is also shown through a repetition of certain words. They show his feelings transition from self- blame to searching for the culprit. While trying to ease his mind, Joe no longer uses the word I. He cant take his own accusations and so places the blame on the group as a whole. He repetitively uses the word we when referring to what could have been done but was not.