Alienation In Ian McEwan’s Amsterdam

Ian McEwan,the recognized “national writer” in English literature,is one of the most influential contemporary writers in the United Kingdom since 1970 s.Since the publication of his first collection of short stories First Love,Last Rites(1975),he has received the extensive attention of critics.He has been nominated six times for the Booker Prize,and in 1998 Amsterdam won the Booker Prize for him.McEwan’s early works depict the relationship between man and man,especially the relationship between man and woman,with his unscrupulous,concise and subtle writing style.His previous stories are full of violence,confusion,struggle and chaos,and the topic is dark and sensitive.Through the analysis of the relationship between man and woman,McEwan exposes the soul which has been tortured and distorted by all kinds of desires in the modern society.In Amsterdam,by putting together the relationship between man and nature,man and society,man and man,McEwan clearly shows man’s estrangement from nature,the abnormal development of people’s values and their moral decline under the social mechanism.Meanwhile,the alienated relationship between man and society leads to the alienated relationship between man and man,which is merely estrangement and mutual use between them.This thesis centers on the theme of alienation,aiming to make a detailed analysis and interpretation of Amsterdam.This thesis consists of three parts,namely the introduction,the main body and the conclusion.The main contents are as follows:The first part is an introduction,which mainly focuses on a brief introduction of McEwan and his novel Amsterdam,the literature review of international and domestic researches,the history of the theory of alienation and the significance of this thesis.The second part is the main body,which is divided into three chapters.The first chapter mainly centers on estrangement between man and nature,which analyzes the disharmonious relationship between man and nature,as well as its causes.In this novel,in order to complete the “Millennial Symphony”,Clive decides to seek for an inspiration in nature.However,his purpose is utilitarian.He ignores the comforting function of nature and considers that nature is merely an infinitely available resource.In addition,on his way to the Lake District,the beautiful scenery seems to be not its original sight any more,it has been marked by modern civilization.The second chapter deals with alienation reflected in the society.It mainly makes an exploration into the characters’ alienated labor and their moral decline under the alienated society.The characters in Amsterdam are successful elites with high social status.However,under such circumstances of an alienated society,people are insecure about their future.They are in fear of insignificance.In order to pursue reputation and profits,they will sacrifice others.Their productive activities become the tool to enslave them.They disregard social responsibilities and moral values to gain their personal interests.The third chapter concentrates on the characters’ alienated interpersonal relationship in this novel.The interpersonal relationship in Amsterdam is of estrangement and indifference.People are harboring the intense feelings of distrust and mutual utilization.The seeming friendliness is nothing but the hypocritical manifestation of people to help themselves benefit from the social events.This part,on one hand,analyzes the strange relationship under the legal marriage between Molly and George;on the other hand,it analyzes the mutual distrust between Clive and Vernon.Through the comparison and analysis,it shows estrangement and alienation between man and man in the modern British society.The third part is conclusion.On the basis of the analysis and interpretation of the main body,this thesis makes a summary of the alienation phenomena in Amsterdam and reveals the purpose and practical significance of this thesis.