Modern People's Living Predicaments:a Neo-psychoanalytical Study On The Children Act

Ian McEwan,the prestigious contemporary British writer,has been attracting worldwide critical acclaim for a long time.His fourteenth novel The Children Act tells the story of main characters' struggles and choices when trapped in marital,professional and spiritual dilemmas,exploring the multi-topics of the relationship between sexuality and love,the conflicts between law and religion,the protection of children's welfare and the limitations of judges' responsibilities,and the paradox of freedom.Based on Fromm's new psychoanalysis,and with some of the important concepts of Freud's classical psychoanalysis,this paper reveals the living predicaments encountered by modern people in the western world and demonstrates Ian McEwan's reflections on wasteland-like social surroundings,appeal for the return of true love and expectations for individuals exploring a way out and achieving self-realization.This thesis is composed of five chapters.Chapter One includes the introduction to the author and his works,the previous research findings,the theoretical framework and the significance and structure of this thesis.Chapter Two probes deeper into the relationship between sexuality and love,expounds McEwan's views on the malformation of modern people's marital values and the root causes of the prevailing love crisis among the society.Through a thorough analysis of the three cases presided by Fiona,Chapter Three demonstrates the conflicts between law and religion,elucidating how individuals degenerate into the tool of rationality and self-serving and eventually become disoriented under contemporary social and cultural context.By focusing on Adam's spiritual journey to self-destruction,Chapter Four explores the paradox of freedom and the typical escaping mechanism of negative freedom.Chapter Five is the conclusion,which indicates that by giving voice to a female judge,The Children Act is Ian McEwan's another success in the writing of contemporary living predicaments,profoundly analyzing the maladies affecting modern people.McEwan's The Children Act has its present and practical significance,clearly showing the writer's intense sense of social responsibilities.