In this passage of Saturday, McEwan employs techniques which are the hallmarks of his prose. Closer examination of this short passage allows for greater understanding of his writing style.
analyse mcewan’s writing in pages 125-128
In this passage of ‘Saturday’, McEwan employs techniques which are the hallmarks of his prose. Closer examination of this short passage allows for greater understanding of his writing style.
The section opens with Perowne turning the radio on in his car after parking, listening to a news report on the rally in central London. First comes a description of what Perowne hears (“Those who stay in their beds this Saturday morning will curse themselves they are not here”) followed by his views on the matter (“He doubts that Theo will be cursing himself”). The initial description, whilst having pretensions at objectivity, has undertones of Perowne’s cynicism; this exemplifies the half-internal, half-external focalisation of narrative which McEwan uses in ‘Saturday’. By using this split focalised narrative, McEwan conveys Perowne’s feelings at all times (as the writing always has shades of subjectivity), but also gives the sense that there is an omniscient narrator, independently reporting Perowne’s actions. This partnership between Perowne consciousness and the omniscient narrator is the way in which McEwan presents Perowne’s views. The omniscient narrator picks up on external details with relative objectivity, and these observations are then tempered by Perowne’s viewpoint. His views on the world are revealed through his interactions throughout the day, with these interactions being described by the narrator. In this way, this section of the novel is less focused on the plot. Instead, it is a collection of Perowne’s thoughts, which allow the reader to develop a clearer profile of Perowne’s character. In this passage, the plot and outward description is almost secondary to the opinions on offer. Parts of the novel with more action may have more emphasis on immediate plot, but this contemplative style is prominent throughout, and is certainly dominant here. So, although the goings-on described seem fairly inconsequential in terms of plot, McEwan uses the everyday events of parking and buying fish to further develop both Perowne’s character and the reader’s perception of his psyche; the events lead to digressions and tangents which allow the reader to build up a mental profile of Perowne.