Existential Reading Of The Characters In The French Lieutenant's Woman

As one of the most important postmodernist writers, John Fowles published his masterpiece The French Lieutenant's Woman in 1969. After its publication, it created a quite stir in the literary world. John Fowles is greatly influenced by the popular existentialism, especially by Jean-Paul Sartre. In this novel, existential views exist in every corner and it lays the philosophical foundation for Fowles's creation. Fowles deeply believes in such existential doctrines as being-in-itself, being-for-itself, absurdity, free choice, seeking self and so on. Accordingly, his main characters, Sarah and Charles, either linger about his fate or struggle for freedom and self.This thesis consists of five parts.The introduction will introduce the biography of the author, John Fowles, the brief content of The French Lieutenant's Woman, literary views on this novel both at home and abroad, Fowles's philosophical views, existentialism and its influence on Fowles.Chapter One discusses the characters'being-in-itself. Being-in-itself is non-conscious and static, a state of inauthenticity, and it is opaque and solid and in the opposite side of being-for-itself. Being-in-itself has no relationship with consciousness, which exists without depending on other objects and only determines itself. The two characters, Ernestina and Charles typically represent a kind of inauthentic life state in the Victorian age. Ernestina, as the typical miniature of the Victorian women, represents everything that time highly praises, that is, having or showing a tender or demure, discreet, self-effacing nature. They treat themselves and their fellows as the accessory of men. Among all the words that describe women's good qualities that rank highly are obedience and sexual oppression. Charles is a contradictory character, who idles with traveling and is an amateur scientist in his first half of life although he calls himself a Darwinist. His being-in-itself lies in his attitudes towards women, his conformity to conventional Duty and his sense about science and social status.Chapter Two mainly deals with the thoughts of being-for-itself in Sarah and Charles's minds. Being-for-itself is authentic and pursues the self of human nature. It is fluid and open towards the future. Being-for-itself, in some sense, is a kind of consciousness. Charles sees through the essence of marriage of his time and chooses his own marriage by his choice based on love rather than on social status and money. Charles abandons his labeled thoughts about viewing people and appreciates Sarah out of his own judgment rather than gossip. Sarah's being-for-itself reflects in several points. Firstly, her ways of seeking self shows her wisdom and intellect. Keeping her self has been endowed the topmost position in her heart, and no one can take it, even the husband. She possesses the same and even higher wits compared with men. Secondly, her thoughts towards women's roles in the Victorian time differ from the common. She pursues women's independence and self. Thirdly, she dares to break away from the convention and stands out before the serious social morality.Chapter Three pays attention to another concept of existentialism, absurdity and free choice, and the main characters'free choice under the anxious circumstance, together with Fowles's free creation themes and how he endows readers'the right to have free choice. Sartre's existentialism is about human's concrete existence in the absurd world and about people's experience in pursuing their freedom and self. Fowles endows freedom to his characters, and discusses what role he should play as the novelist. At the same time, he also endows it to his readers. The triple open endings fully deserve the most striking creative skill in the novel. In this chapter, Sarah totally lives in an absurd world and her free choice comes from her positive struggle and even sets herself in an insulted and shamed environment. Charles passively accepts his fate and at last is forced to make free choice and finds his self. The concept of freedom serves as the key point to understand the novel, because the plot of the novel surrounds the topic of pursuing freedom and finding the self of the characters.The last part is the conclusion. After serious research and analysis of the different characters, especially Charles and Sarah, this thesis comes to a conclusion that they are endowed in the plentiful existentialist philosophy by Fowles during their pursuing freedom and self. Being-for-itself is what Fowles highly praises. Human being can not avoid encountering anxiety and choice in such an absurd and void world, and free choice can help human beings find their self in it.