The opening of ‘Enduring love’ begins with Joe assuring us that “the beginning is simple to mark”24, he talks of his and partner Clarissa’s sprint “away from [their] happiness”25. This can be compared to Thomas Hardy’s ‘In the Vaulted way’ whose narrator tells us that “overnight had come words that burned” their “fond frail happiness out of” them26 .Following on from this, McEwan reinforces how the beginning is ‘simple’ by using the word “sprint”. This intransitive verb may have been used, to suggest how quick the beginning can be told; McEwan contrasts to the “careful consideration” Joes uses to later speak of “John Logan’s fall”. This may explain why McEwan briefly writes about the picnic in Chapter one and then immediately uses Joe to inform us about the horrific event he later witnessed. The significance of the picnic is however written in detail:“sunlight under a turkey oak, partly protected from a strong gusty wind”27 McEwan uses this pathetic fallacy by juxtaposing “sunlight” and “gusty wind” This may signify the contrast between an ‘enduring love’ and ‘suffering’. McEwan therefore uses Joe’s narrative voice to hold back the information, increasing anxiety to find out about the “accident”28 which soon followed. In addition Joe admits he is “delaying such information”29 of the “absolute” “transformation”3 .Joe tries to escape from telling the story as “it was a time where other outcomes were still possible”31.
Schlink also uses this technique of delaying information, as “Hanna’s secret”32 towards the end “became clear” to “Michael” that she “could not read or write”34 .This causes Hanna to suffer due to her inability to defend her case and further causes doubts from the judge. Prior to this McEwan highlights the doubts of Clarissa towards Joe and therefore presents the ways in which their relationship suffers and causes drifts. One critic has suggested that the drifts in their relationship were therefore under threat from the “encounter”35 with Jed parry and we are led to form views about his characteristics. Perspectives of Jed differ between Joe and Clarissa, Joe defines parry’s being as a “tormentor”36 and man in need of mental help contrasting to Clarissa who disbelieves that Jed is at all mad. This later in the novel outlines guilt of how Clarissa “genuinely regret[s] ”37 her doubts causing guilt. Schlink reinforces this in ‘The Reader’ by reuniting Hanna and Michael at the trial which becomes a reminder of Michaels guilt. McEwan demonstrates how Clarissa and Joe’s views contrast by juxtaposing their viewpoints which later causes unhappiness in their relationship.
Thomas Hardy also faced an unhappy relationship filled with guilt and pain he and wife Emma suffered due to Hardy’s un-loyalty causing guilt upon him after her death. His life therefore is testimonial that ‘to love is to suffer; to be loved is to cause suffering’. Hardy’s poem ‘The Voice’ is written in a confused syntax, however, like the beginning of ‘Enduring love’, the meaning of the poem is “simple to mark”. The poem was written in the Edwardian era a time where religion was of high importance however jeopardized by Hardy, as his wife’s morality of religious beliefs, contrasted with Hardy’s unfaithfulness, which also would have caused Emma to “suffer” as she was in “love”. We are immediately told that the “Woman [was] much missed”38 in the poem, implying that there was aspects of love between them. Although Hardy’s action’s demonstrate that ‘to love is to suffer, to be loved is to cause suffering’ leading hardy into a realm of grief. It is intriguing to note how grief of a loved one can equate to the effects of suffering in each of the three texts. The concept of grief has been interpreted as “vague and ambiguous”42; authors present their own interpretations of grief generated through love in different dimensions. In ‘Enduring Love’ Chapter thirteen presents a semantic field of “bereavement” in a “perfect setting for sorrow”44. (setting) McEwan uses great detail by using verbs to illustrate Jean Logan’s character as the embodiment of grief through her “greasy” hair and her stained “cashmere sweater”45. It may be suggested that McEwan represents grief unjustly as Jean Logan not only desires to be put out of misery, of her husband’s death “suffering the way she was”46 , but also her want of “substantial proof” of her thoughts, that her husband was in an affair. Thus being the “centre of her torment”. McEwan puts not only the reader in a mind of ease but also Jean who had to “suffer” before “she can have any kind of peace”47, after longing to find out the results raised by her “suspicion”.
Robert graves persona in ‘the wreath’ speaks of how his “woman” “shall be punished”39 .Graves creates a semantic field of un-forgiveness, as his oxymoronic sentences such as “cared for me so, yet so ill used me” conveys signs of love “cared for me so” but expresses how the persona still suffered “a bitter year” highlighting that ‘to love is to suffer’40. Interestingly this can be compared to ways Parry “ill used” Joe, further showing that ‘to be loved is to cause suffering’.. Michele Roberts suggests that ‘Ian McEwan is always described as writing about gore and nastiness’ this opinion is inforced in ‘Enduring love’ which intensely depicts Joes “primitive terror” of Jed’s protestations of love. “You love me and there’s nothing I can do but return your love”. Jed’s further proclamations of love for Joe are seen in his letters such as chapter 11 for example which tells us of the way “love has given” Jed “new eyes” awaking his emotions; De Clemberauts syndrome; to make him “feel so alive, so alert with love”. McEwan uses a wide range of declarations spoken of Jed towards Joe outweighing love spoken of Clarissa. Despite this, Chapter 3 highlights that ‘love is to suffer, to be loved is to cause suffering’ as Joe tries to express himself towards Clarissa. “I wanted to tell her I loved her, but suddenly between us there sat the form of Logan”. Logan’s form is an indication of what Joe fears love consists of: absence and the withering away of intimacy. “We’ve seen something terrible together” states Clarissa, “we’ll have to love each other even harder”. Yet after the “deliverance” of making love, “the darkness beyond the gloom of the bedroom was infinite and cold as death”. Out of that ‘darkness’ came the voice of Jed, declaring the same words mouthed by Joe and Clarissa “I love you”. From those few words Joe was led to make his “first serious mistake” and Clarissa asks “who was that?” as Joe replies “Wrong number”. McEwan uses Joes “mistake” to derive a homosexual obsession in a counter typical religious character who believes in “God’s glory”. The view that God was at the centre of life was a strong belief in Europe up to the renaissance, when human interests were highly important. Since the eighteenth century enlightenment and science have influenced our current understanding of the world, the nineteenth century however somewhat regained the importance of nature and religion. Such opposing changes in perspectives are seen in the novel. The eighteenth century symbolises Joes love for science and interestingly contrasts Parry’s devotion to religion seen in the nineteenth century. Yet Parry’s homosexuality as a religious believer would have been unaccepted in both centuries.
Acceptance is also portrayed by McEwan despite this, as he allows Joe to adjust to the “settled arrangement”42 however urging “please stay Clarissa” he accepts that he is “on his own”. Shakespeare’s persona similarly shows acceptance in ‘My mistress’ he describes his lover’s eyes as “nothing like the sun” and metaphorically describes her hair as “black wires” but accepts that his “love” is “rare”. Schlink also portrays a rare love through the immorality of a teenager and a grown women being in love. The late 90’s in which the novel was written would place Hanna’s character debatably as a sex offender; Hanna and Michaels secrecy of their love can be interpreted that Schlink was conveying the importance of how people were perceived in society. Although this was the case Schlink uses Michaels voice in Chapter 3 to portray a highly descriptive view of the woman using imagery to outline her appearance; such as her “shoulder length, ash-blonde hair” and her “sleeveless smock” which revealed her “bear arms”67. This language suggests that her beauty was erotically as well as aesthetically pleasing to Michael. Being the age of “fifteen”68 Schlink demonstrates the reality of hormones allowing Michael to be “running the risk of becoming trapped in [his] own fantasies.” Such an entrapment formed his inability to “stop thinking sinful thoughts”. Ironically Michael becomes guilty of “loving a criminal” (how) and further highlights Schlink portrayal that ‘to love is to suffer, to be loved is to cause suffering’.
Robert grave’s poem ‘Symptoms of love’ was written in a period when Graves had a volatile relationship with Laura Riding after leaving his wife. It can be suggested that his experience of relationships may have influenced his views on the concept of love. ‘Symptoms of love’ being the title holds strong imagery and connotations of love are conveyed by his negative views. The poem begins “Love is a universal migraine”82 capturing the poet’s techniques to compare an emotion to a medical condition mirroring the ways McEwan unveils the danger of the DeClembarauts syndrome; a syndrome which portrays an emotion as a medical condition. Love being expressed as a universal migraine metaphorically presents a factual tone although views may be argued against this idea. A ‘migraine’ is a severe headache its use in the poem symbolises the intensity of the poet’s feelings not only suggesting but also demonstrating with examples that ‘love is to suffer’. This tone is continued to the following line “bright stain on the vision//blotting out reason.”83 This suggests that love has distorted the vision of the persona and has affected their state of mind. The third and fourth verses list the symptoms as “leanness, jealousy//laggard dawns.”85 The use of words Graves uses creates a semantic field of darkness and conjures an image of suffering and torment. Furthermore this suggests that love comes with inevitable anxiety and foreboding “omens and nightmares” reluctantly “listening” and “waiting” expressing fears and paranoia. The persona in ‘Symptoms of love’ however urges “take courage, lover!” the exclamation mark signifies the urgency of the command. Cynically the poem ends, with the questioning voice of the poet “can you endure such grief//at any hand but hers?”86 forming a twist in the recent informative structure as it now creates a sense of realisation that people’s perceptions of love differ, depending on the actions expressed by characters.
McEwan’s close thoughts of the actions performed by characters increases the ways we view there characteristics. “Clarissa put her hand on Jeans arm”72,showing signs of comfort and assurance. However McEwan creates Jeans character as a woman who prepares herself for the worst as “her ferocious gaze was suddenly on the girl”73 accused, Jeans grief then becomes anger and we are pulled into believe her judgements as her certainty becomes an “extra pain”74. Eagerness increases due to McEwan’s structure, his intended delays and use of ellipses creates anxiety, then the sudden request to “get this over with”75 is later followed by a series of short sentences which increase the suspense but slows the process of finding out the answer to her suspicions. We then find out that Bonnie- the accused woman and her companion James Reid were in fact “in love”76.McEwan causes “such distress” to Jean through the love of another couple which caused suffering of the unknown;
Rupert Brooke’s ‘Sonnet’ reinforces this idea as the narrator speaks of the “Dead” stirring and the “unknowing” which causes the narrator to “tremble”77. The omniscient narrator describes Jean’s reactions in a form of shock as “her left hand was across her mouth” rather than a “sigh”78 of relief. The realisation that she was suffering the unknown and carrying a heavier burden on top of the grief she already faced led to “tears in her eyes” Jean then questions “who’s going to forgive [her]”79.Although there is a sematic field of closure McEwan allows her suffering to remain as “the only person who can” forgive her “is dead”.
McEwan binds three different love stories in this novel, Joe and Clarissa, Jean and Logan and Jed and Joe. Each love story with contrasting endings, one captures Jeans character, placing her in a realm of suffering by disallowing any chance of redemption now that her husband is “dead”, the second also shows an “enduring” suffering, the difference being that this one can only end when parry is “dead” McEwan therefore closes the whole novel when parry is still alive, The last, being the fairytale ending of hope and love for Clarissa and Joe.
This is of great significance in the book as it concludes with McEwan’s use of denouement allowing the reader to have unanswered questions resolved, but leaves the characters with a lack of hope.
After Joe shot Parry, there were no "kisses and tears and conciliatory murmurs and words of forgiveness and love", Clarissa did not jump into his arms and forget about everything that had happened and Joe was left in acceptance that "perhaps [they] really were finished". If that was how the story ended, the readers' would not be satisfied by the ending, after following the lives of these two contrasting characters and identifying with them, that sort of ending would have been bad for the novel. Appendix 2 outlines the theme of enduring love so provides the perfect ending to the novel, the same way it begun, with love that is enduring.
(tieing it up with a outstanding way to conclude all narratives and poems linking back to the task focus linking to question how poets contrast, resulting with my view) resembling the ways Elizabeth Browning hyperbolically states “I love thee with the breath, smiles and tears of all my life”18 in ‘Sonnet XLIII’. Rossetti’s poem ‘song’ ,using alliteration to present the persona’s will is to “sing no sad song”16 her poem ‘Remember’ instructs her loved ones “do not grieve”17. The poem starts “Remember when I am gone away”, this paradoxical line intertwines the themes of life and death. (100)
this can be compared to his poem ‘The foreboding’ which also expresses fears “would it be tomorrow, would it be next year?”
Bibliography
McEwan,I-(1997)- Enduring Love
Schlink,B-(1997)- The Reader
The New penguin Book of Love Poetry (1973)-Edited by Jon Stallworthy
Childs,P-(2007) Ian McEwans -Enduring Love
Gibson,J-(2003) Ian McEwans, Enduring Love-A level book of notes
by
ren10000 (student)
