Enduring Love by Ian McEwan

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Enduring Love by Ian McEwan How important are the Appendices in the novel? The opening of a novel is vital, as it sets the foundations for the story to come. In “Enduring Love” the ending (The appendices) is just as important. The appendices are important in many aspects. Together they are a conclusion to the story, the classic ‘happy ending’ that all readers desire. Thus without them the novel would not conform to McEwan cyclic structure. Starting and ending with love that is endured or love that is enduring. Appendix 1 is factual; allowing the reader to amass their own opinions, independent of character influence. It is also McEwan’s tool to ensure that the reader understands the full story by providing facts and background information that link with how the characters have portrayed certain aspects of the story. Appendix 2 is emotional linking back to the theme of Enduring Love also it maintains the importance of letters in the novel. The Appendices also carry the motif of the story, the theme of Enduring Love, but additional themes are outlined such as Appearance Vs Reality, Fact Vs Fiction. But deeper within the text are references linked to reality and reiteration that writing, in whatever form, can be deceiving because writing is art and is therefore based on the creativity of the writer. The Appendices are vital to this novel because most readers like a happy ending. Appendix 1 concludes the story assuring that “R (Joe Rose) and M (Clarissa Mellon) were reconciled” and because Clarissa is infertile they “successfully adopted a child” making their lifetime dream of starting a family come true. This is important for the ... ... middle of paper ... ...iting. The reader is led to believe that the case study is true fact. The names Wenn and Camia (the psychologist responsible for writing the case study) are an anagram of Ian McEwan. So the case study is in fact fiction. McEwan uses this to show that it does not matter what type of writing it is, whether it is a literature piece, a case study, an article by a journalist, a love letter or a poem. You cannot be sure if it is reliable. All writers are artists and their media is their canvas. Their work will always be influenced by their expressiveness, their creativity and their purpose. The case study was written for a purpose, to provide a believable ending to the story and clear up any doubt. It was too perfectly formed to be true life, the curtains, the links, and the letters all perfectly mastered to fool the reader.

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