The Spiritual Pilgrimage-an Ethical Study On Iris Murdoch’s The Sea，the Sea

Iris Murdoch (1919-1999), considered as one of the post-war British novelists,enjoys an international reputation. She is also a moral philosopher. Murdoch’s writingcareer begins at1950s, and she produces a large number of works during the40years:twenty-six novels, five philosophical works, six plays and two poetry collections.Literary critics have always been focusing on the intimate relations between literatureand ethical criticism. As a moral philosopher, Murdoch’s works also show this point.She takes novels as the tool to convey her philosophical and ethical ideas. Murdochnever stops thinking about human beings’ moral issues and blends the concept ofGood into her novels.Though Murdoch has been nominated for the Booker Prize for6times, The Sea,the Sea, published in1978, is the only novel that wins the most prestigious literaryprize in UK-Booker Prize. The novel tells about the story of the famous play directorCharles Arrowby in the first-person narration. Charles moves to a coastal house awayfrom London to reflect on his own life and to learn to be good morally. At first, he islost in his illusionary world, enjoying controlling others to satisfy his own needs.After experiencing many contingent things and with the help of James, Charles finallyovercomes the obstacles preventing him from achieving the Good. He moves back toLondon and lives a normal life.On the basis of ethical literary criticism and Platonic allegory of the cave, thisthesis probes into the protagonist Charles’ journey of spiritual pilgrimage in The Sea,the Sea by means of close reading. At the same time, it elaborates Murdoch’s moralphilosophy and her idea of Good.The main body of the thesis is divided into three chapters. Chapter one is anintroduction of the literary basis, including ethical literary criticism, Murdoch’s ideaof Good, and the relation between arts and morality. In Chapter two, Murdoch’sexplanation about illusion and egoism, along with Charles’ egoistic behaviors arepresented. The last chapter illustrates that with the help of James, Charles reflects onthose mistakes he has made before and set foot on the right path to achieve the Good.Based on the above analysis, a conclusion can be drawn that only by overcoming subjective illusions, paying attention to separate beings’ otherness and accepting thecontingencies in the world, can one be a morally good person.