A Study Of Philip Pullman's Ethical Thoughts In His Dark Materials Trilogy

Philip Pullman,a distinguished contemporary British writer of children's literature,is known as one of the most outstanding Anglo-Saxon fantasy novelists.His work His Dark Materials Trilogy has received intense attention from western countries since its publication and won numerous awards including the Carnegie Medal for children's fiction and the Whitbread Prize.However,compared with studies abroad,domestic studies on it are inadequate.As a novelist with the sense of social responsibility,Pullman shows his ethical care to the human beings in His Dark Materials Trilogy.Therefore,with the theory of ethical literary criticism as its main method,this thesis investigates Pullman's ethical thoughts presented in the novel from three aspects,namely good and evil,altruistic ethical selection and ethical norms advocated by Pullman.To begin with,this thesis mainly analyzes the confusion between good and evil to explore Pullman's opinions of good and evil.Under the control of absolute authority,evil is often disguised as good in order to make people confuse hypocrisy with good.It is easy for people to get into the ethical dilemma and doubt about their choices because they can't recognize their ethical identity and the responsibility they need to take.By analyzing the confusion of good and evil,the thesis holds that Pullman shows his critique of the evils as advocating absolute authority and the desire of control and his affirmation of the goods as the pursuit of wisdom,freedom,vigor and creativity.Besides,this thesis illustrates people's ethical selections made in the situation when good is confused with evil to study Pullman's altruistic ethical idea.Whenpeople are confronted with the ethical dilemma between individual desires and collective interests,freedom and rationality,human factor and animal factor in them affect their ethical choices and make some of them do something brutal and consequently influences social order.However,by discussing characters' ethical selections,this thesis finds that Pullman believes that human beings can acquire ethical consciousness by making ethical choices under the guidance of altruistic spirit so that a harmonious ethical order can be established.Finally,this thesis discusses ethical norms that Pullman advocates in His Dark Materials Trilogy.A harmonious,stable family and social environment is an essential condition for people to distinguish good from evil correctly and make altruistic ethical choice according to their rational will.The observation of ethical norms is beneficial to keep a stable family and social environment.This thesis holds that Pullman constructs a series of ethical norms based on love,loyalty,trust,friendliness and sincerity and emphasizes the significance of observing ethical norms.To sum up,this study interprets Pullman's ethical thoughts from three aspects such as good and evil,altruistic ethical choice and construction of ethical norms,and restores the author' ethical map embodied with love and good as its core.Pullman conveys his ethical thoughts in literary works to support the educational function of literature.And moral education has a supreme significance to people's life.In the process of social development,the intertwining of good and evil has never stopped.The excessive pursuit of power and desire will make people lose their identity,obstruct the development of good and cause the confusion of good and evil.Pullman,a man with a high sense of social responsibility,believes that by holding on beliefs towards good,acknowledging one's identity and responsibility,caring for others,and conforming ethical norms,people can improve their growth and become human beings with moral responsibility.