Being And Freedom:An Existential Interpretation Of The End Of The Affair

Graham Greene(1904-1991)is a legendary British author in English literature,who has been nominated Nobel Prize in Literature for twenty-one times.Graham Greene is extremely concerned about the individual's inner struggle and redemption.William Golding once evaluated him "the ultimate chronicler of twentieth-century man's consciousness and anxiety".The End of the Affair is the fourth and last of Green's explicitly Catholic novels.Set in London during and just after the Second World War,the novel examines the obsessions,jealousy and discernment within the relationships between three central characters: writer Maurice Bendrix;Sarah Miles;and her husband,civil servant Henry Miles.Graham Greene's novels are almost deemed as the detailed disclose of the human nature.The End of the Affair reflects main characters'dilemma of existence in the process of pursuing happiness and freedom,which is caused by godlessness,callous social condition and spiritual crises.Thus,the thesis will focus on the analysis of main characters'degradation as well as bravery on the basis of the theory of existentialism.In this thesis,the main structure is divided into three parts: introduction,main body and conclusion.The introduction part concisely introduces Greene's main works,the author's life experience and his achievements.This part also incorporates the literature review at home and abroad of the master Graham Greene's typical literary creations,especially the analysis of the chosen novel The End of the Affair,the origin and development of the existentialism,the elicitation of the thesis argument,and the introduction of the main idea of main body part.Among them,the main structure consists of four chapters.Chapter One emphasizes on presenting that both the central heroes Sarah and Maurice Bendrix and the minor character Richard Smythe show an indifferent attitude towards belief,and revealing a gradual progression towards atheist existentialism in Greene's work The End of the Affair.Chapter Two examines the lack of meaning in everyday life,refers to the existential concept of absurdity and focuses upon the inevitable alienation of the individual in a world that has no central point of reference for him.Chapter Three will focus on the fallen people's spiritual crises and their sufferings attough times.Chapter Four discusses freedom and determination,points to a conflict in Greene's work but concludes his characters do have freedom to choose,focuses on reunion with God and on Sartre's ethic of action and self-commitment.The last part is the conclusion part.It will sums up the whole thesis,restating the purpose and significance of existentialism and its application to the novel The End of the Affair,reiterating the author's heartfelt concern about the individual's inner heart,and calling for further study on Greene and the text.The conclusion part sums up the whole thesis,restating the purpose and significance of existentialism and its application to the novel The End of the Affair,reiterating the author's heartfelt concern about the individual's inner heart,and calling for further study on Greene and the text.