How does Ian McEwan engage the interest of the reader in Chapter 1 of Enduring Love?

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How does Ian McEwan engage the interest of the reader in Chapter 1 of “Enduring Love”?

McEwan immediately captures the interest of the reader from the first sentence of “Enduring Love”, by implying that a significant event had taken place by referring to the “beginning” and “aftermath”. Throughout the chapter our interest is sustained as McEwan, via the character of Joe Rose, the first-person narrator unfolds the events of spring day when his (Joe’s) proposal was interrupted by a ballooning accident. Although the suspense of the balloon accident itself captures our interest, it is heightened by Joe’s retrospective view and scientific rationalism which imply that the consequences triggered by the accident of that day were more significant than the accident itself. Furthermore, as characters such as John Logan, Jed Parry, and Clarissa are introduced, our interest is further deepened as it is now our desire to know the consequences of the accident on all of these individuals.

McEwan engages our interest from the very start of “Enduring Love” by introducing the ballooning accident, which had interrupted Joe and Clarissa’s picnic; by contrasting the tranquil and romantic picnic with the dropping of the “corkscrew” and “danger” McEwan succeeds in heightening our interest as there is an abrupt shift in the story which intrigues us. When we read of the “child’s cry” our sympathy is provoked, certainly more with a “man’s shout” alone, and from this point we are completely hooked to the book, concerned of the consequences of the accident on both the child and man. In addition to this, although the ballooning accident itself engages our interest, the structural manner in which the story is told also plays a huge role; rather than disclosing what the “danger” was from the start McEwan gradually reveals it by shifting to events both before and after the accident. Interestingly, by delaying the information McEwan not only increases our interest, and provokes our speculation on what had happened, but simultaneously creates a new interest for us, in the character of Joe.

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This interest in Joe’s character can be attributed to both his peculiar and analytical, but intriguing character, as well as his retrospective view on the events that had occurred. His analytical mindset is displayed throughout the first chapter, but the best example would be when he is at the airport, waiting for Clarissa; there he examines the expressions of emotions of families meeting each other and although cynically concluding that “each appearance [was] ... slightly well acted than the one before” he ironically admits that he too displays the same characteristics as “all the rest”. This is not the only ...

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