Saturday By Ian McEwan

SaturdayBy Ian McEwan

Characters: Henry Perowne Baxter (Has Huntington's Disease) Rosalind Perowne Daisy Perowne Theo Perowne

Background:Personal: Written in 2005Political: Protests ongoing in the UK about the 2003 invasion of Iraq

Revolution and Rebellion-Protestors speaking out against the UK's involvement in the Iraq invasion of 2003. The largest protest in British hitory- One person cannot create a revolution. He cannot influence major political problems as one man-Henry rebels against the notion that ignorance is bliss. He tries to analyse the world around him and give it meaning. (1)-Henry finds himself alone between the pro-war government and anti-war protestors. He does not affrim which side he supports. 

Notable concepts:-Henry's  quest to find a place in the modern world- Noticeable  blending of forgein and national political news versus individual human drama-Baxter vs. Henry in passion vs rationality-Henry tries to find a balance between human nature and defined human morality

Links:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_(novel) Additional thinking points: http://www.randomhouse.com/doubleday/saturday/mcewan_saturday_rgg.php Quotes: http://jkkelleywritenow.blogspot.com/2006/06/saturday-by-ian-mcewan.html

Ian McEwan writes in an essay for The Guardian 'We remember what we have seen, and we daydream helplessly. Lately, most of us have inhabited the space between the terrible actuality and these daydreams. Waking before dawn, going about our business during the day, we fantasize ourselves into the events. What if it was me?' 

1)'No more big ideas. The world must improve, if at all, by tiny steps. People mostly take an existential view' Henry thinks very critically about views. In doing  so he rebels against  passion. He is critical and pragmatic.  2)Happiness seemed like a betrayal of principle, but happiness was unavoidable'3)'It isn’t rationalism that will overcome the religious zealots, but ordinary shopping and all it entails' 

Themes:-Happiness-Political engage-Rationalism-Political awareness vs self awareness

-Henry Perowne and Baxter are foils of one anther. Baxter being the passionate, irrational one while Henry is the rational, pragmatic. Both, however, show signs of human values such as revenge and self-awareness. Henry overcomes these. He is an example of a moral compass.

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