How does McEwan create intrigue and suspense in the first chapter of the "Enduring Love".
HOW DOES McEWAN CREATE INTRIGUE AND SUSPENSE IN THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE "ENDURING LOVE" Ian McEwan uses a variety of skilful techniques to create intrigue and suspense in the first chapter of his novel; these include withholding crucial information, back tracking in time and also the wording he chooses to use. McEwan is constantly withholding crucial information from us. In a way, he is teasing us by telling us part of a story but not all. He does this right at the beginning of the chapter when the narrator and Clarissa are having a picnic they hear "a man's shout. We turned to look across the field and saw the danger", there is confusion; the narrator runs across the field, there is a "child's cry" and "four other men were converging on the scene". At this moment we do not know full what is going on because the vital information McEwan has left out here is exactly what the characters are seeing and what the narrator is running towards. So, straight off he is making the reader curious about what is going on - the drama - we are the given a sense of anticipation which make us want to read on with interest. Even the narrator himself tells us, "I'm holding back, delaying the information." The narrator backtracks in time - delaying the account of dramatic incidents. This keeps us waiting in anticipation as time period are cleverly interchanged, building suspense. There
Enduring Love: Chapter 12
Enduring love: Chapter 12 Chapter 12 allows McEwan to move along the plot as he is able to describe in retrospect Joes feelings as he is driving. The chapter begins with Joe reflecting upon his 'sense of failure'. Joe reflects upon the fact that he no longer finds comfort in work nor what he did before. He states 'twenty years ago I might have hired a professional listener, but... I had lost faith in the talking cure'. This provides an immense insight into Joe as a character as he admits he would have previously been to a 'professional listener' which can readily only be interpreted as a euphemism for a psychologist. Clearly, Joe has previously had issues which he has had to seek professional help with. Another insight into his character is shown as he is 'close to doubling the speed limit' which in this case, allows McEwan to create the message that Joe is in a distressed mood creating a transition from a rational scientist to an unstable man. We see a mind filled with anxiety and paranoia as Joe begins to relive the morning in retrospect. McEwan divulges into Joe and Clarissa's relationship where cracks seem evident. Joe speaking in first person says 'she seemed to agree', 'seemed because she was not quite whole-hearted'. The repetition of 'seemed' emphasises this uncertainty and their disconnected relationship. Joe is fast to make assumptions without any indication from
Representation of speech
How does McEwan use the representation of speech and other stylistic techniques to show the attitude of Joe towards Jed? Through the use of a dramatic event of the balloon accident, it is obvious to the reader that Jed Perry is becoming infatuated with Joe Rose. We can see this unfolding, and also Joe's attitudes towards this in the form of various techniques and styles used in the novel. Firstly, the use of first person narrative throughout the novel gives us an insight into Joe's innermost thoughts and feelings. The use of "Had I known what this glance meant to him at the time and how he was to construe it later and build around it a mental life, I would not have been so warm". We know from these words, that Jed is going to become obsessed with Joe further in the novel, and we can see Joe's reaction towards this. At the beginning of the conversation in chapter two, Jed approaches Joe asking him "are you alright?" an immediate attempt at controlling the conversation. Joe does not reply to Jed showing the disinterest Joe has in engaging in conversation with Jed. "My silence was hostile". It becomes apparent as you read, that Joe is the less confident speaker, even though he seems to be the most educated shown through the use of first person narrative, which gives an insight into his analytical and rational mind. Jed pushes the conversation to a place in which Joe is not
Consider the significances of innocence in Part One of Atonement.
Consider the significances of innocence in Part One of Atonement. Innocence can be defined as being pure and lacking corruption, having little knowledge of something's consequences, and is also used as a euphemism for virginity. McEwan explores innocence as key theme in Atonement throughout Part One, showing how the main characters' innocence, or lack of, forms the narrative plot. McEwan creates the nursery setting to represent Lola's innocence, having Paul Marshall's intrusion show her vulnerability. Despite 'the adult she considered herself at heart to be' McEwan has 'Lola had come to the nursery that morning' to show the irony of her desires. Although she is fifteen, McEwan places most of Lola's acts in the nursery, a room which has strong connotations of being cared for as a young child. This makes it clear to the reader she may not be ready for adult experiences, emphasising her innocence. McEwan creates Paul Marshall to be seemingly pure as he enters the nursery in his 'white suit', with Lola's vulnerability made clear as she thinks 'a game was being played' whilst they conversed. However, the trust surrounded with the nursery is broken as he sees 'that the girl was almost a young woman' whilst 'watching her closely'. The reader are led to believe by McEwan that Paul Marshall is caressing Lola, and the description of her 'unblemished incisors' highlights this
How Does McEwan Hook The Reader?
How Does McEwan Hook The Reader? "Beginnings matter. They always have. Middle's have no limits- they can scrunch up or they can sprawl. Endings may be left open, ambiguous, and incomplete. Never has a novel not begun. And if it doesn't begin right, the suspicion is that the rest of it won't be right either". "In an age of multiple choice and short attention spans, beginnings are more crucial than ever. To prevent readers drifting off, an author has to hook them quickly". A prime example of a great beginning is the first chapter of 'Enduring Love by Ian McEwan. Many regard this as the best introduction written for a modern novel. "Enduring Love" opens with a chapter so masterfully written, that the rest of the novel must inevitably disappoint. The standard of the opening is so high that in theory no other chapter will be able to compete with such brilliance resulting in an anticlimax, this must follow some kind of thermodynamic law of literature. McEwan achieves this greatly deserved acknowledgement by the way he hooks the reader almost immediately. His use of various techniques allows him to place the reader in a situation created by him. By doing this he has you, the reader, in the position he wishes thus creating an opening chapter so good it would be impossible to put it down. McEwan uses many different techniques to hook the reader and to try and create suspense. From
What techniques has McEwan used to make his opening striking in "Enduring Love"?
What techniques has McEwan used to make his opening striking, in Chapters 1-3? - Jessica Bryant McEwan uses a variety of literary devices within the structure of Chapters 1-3 of "Enduring Love". The use of syntax, time, focalisers, sensory and metanarrative techniques have the effect of holding the reader in suspense as well as creating characterisation to a lasting effect. Time is used to create transformations between suspense and exhilaration. The striking first sentence utilizes a short syntax, "The beginning is simple to mark", (whereby the use of rhetorical questioning teases the reader) creating an abrupt, heart-stopping sense of trepidation from the very beginning. Longer, more complex sentences are used in conjunction with this, to create a feeling of continuous action, "I was wild by now, ready to fight, run, dance, you name it"; via the use of syndetic listing, a drag in time is formed. The differentiation between the two, causes a bigger build up as the alternating tempo contrasts to a more pronounced effect. A change between perfect and imperfect tense is used, "I was stretching out my hand" and "we heard a man's shout", to form a dramatic break in the change of events, as McEwan's narrative changes between an observed account, and an account to which the reader is involved - the difference between objective and subjective that guides the reader through
Examine the techniques used by McEwan in his presentation of the murder scene.
Examine the Techniques used by McEwan in his Presentation of the Murder Scene The scene begins in a busy restaurant where Joe, Clarissa and her godfather are celebrating Clarissa's birthday, which Joe describes as like "walking into a storm". This is the first hint we get that something awful is about to happen - we can see the similarities with the first chapter already as in the beginning they were "partly protected from the strong, gusty winds". This similarity also shows us that they are about to witness, or become part of, another earth-shattering episode. McEwan uses words and phrases such "in memory... afterwards... at the time... what it preceded... a day or so later... the confusion of hindsight can cause memory..." which gives us a sense of the impending disaster, heightened by his use of the same language at the start - we have been shown already that Joe remains in the prior moments for as long as possible when recounting a horrific scene and we sense he is doing this here, adding to our fears that something terrible is about to happen. Joe is describing the scene in hindsight so at this point knows the outcome and that the bullet was meant for him and is plagued by guilt - "on a score of sleepless nights I've been back to plead with them to leave... I'm from a tainted future." He begins putting incredibly precise detail into everything he describes, even telling
Examine the relationship between Jed and Joe as it develops through the course of the novel.
Examine the relationship between Jed and Joe as it develops through the course of the novel. From the very start of the novel "Enduring Love" it is made clear that the relationship between Jed and Jose Joe begins on an awkward note; Jed followed Joe to the scene of Logan's death and Joe describes his appearance as "threatening". With the assistance of Joe's retrospective observations we learn that this is the start of Jed's obsession, having misinterpreted a "friendly nod" from Joe as a sign of love. This awkwardness is further increased as Jed attempts to convince Joe to "pray together"; something that should usually be an intimate affair between loved ones, rather than complete strangers. The fact that Jed goes on to talk about Joe's partner Clarissa in an over-amicable manner as if he also knew her confirms Joe's view that his behaviour was particularly peculiar. With retrospect, Joe claims it is now "odd to evoke the figure of Jed..." which confirms that from his first meeting an uneasiness had already developed in his mind and that the relationship between him and Jed was one doomed to failure. The extent of Jed's delusional belief in a romantic relationship existing between himself and Joe is fully established at the very end of chapter three - structurally placed at the end to give the most emphasis. Jed calls Joe at 2AM in the morning and says "I just wanted you to
What do you find interesting and distinctive about the opening chapter of "Enduring Love?"
What do you find interesting and distinctive about the opening chapter of "Enduring Love?" The first chapter of "Enduring Love" is famously known by book lovers and critics alike for its enthralling opening, which left his readers gasping for air through the heart thumping suspense. The chapter opens with setting the scene of the incident. MacEwan creates foreboding by implying that something is about to happen. "...this was the pinprick of time on the time map...saw danger..." We know that something bad is going to take place, this immediately casts a black cloud over what we are about to read and so intrigues the reader; luring us to read on. The way in which MacEwan writes in first person retrospect is essential to the story in its entirety, as this narrative approach allows us into Joes' most inner thoughts and feelings, engrossing us in the characters emotionally, and giving us the feeling of transporting into the book, physically. MacEwan makes the story life-like by being able to inform us of Joe's thought-processes, interrupting the main point Joe is trying to make with past happenings, as maybe we would when telling someone about an incident or event. This narrative approach therefore makes him able to use flashback to extreme affect, giving MacEwan the chance to create nail-biting suspense and tension. For example, on page 3, Joe finally gets to the main point and
How does McEwan capture a sense of desperation in Part 2 of 'Atonement'?
How does McEwan capture a sense of desperation in Part 2 of 'Atonement'? The title 'Atonement' hints at a dark secret, a need for retribution and weighty themes, which McEwan duly delivers. The desperation in the narrative format of Robbie the soldier is paralleled by Briony's increasing desperation to obtain penance for her crime. It is a desire further complicated by her omnipotent narrative role; McEwan steps in and out of his characters' minds with unfettered confidence and in Part 2 he provides Briony with the same gift so that she might assume the mind of Robbie. This can therefore provide her with only a fabricated atonement, of which she is subconsciously aware will never fully purge her of her sin. Briony says that "it isn't weakness or evasion, but a final act of kindness, a stand against oblivion and despair, to let my lovers live and to unite them at the end." The second half of the story opens as Robbie, is released from jail only to land himself in the British Army retreating toward Dunkirk. Along with Robbie's terror and his desperation to return to the woman he loves Briony, now a nurse, has realised the true nature of her error, and she greatly wishes to reverse her actions and Part 2 follows her crime's repercussions through the chaos and carnage of World War II. The emotional trauma of the war and the wounded is developed in a manner that allows us to