The Underlying Tragedy of Joe Rose’s story in Ian McEwan’s Enduring Love

While the tragedy of Enduring Love’s plot might seem obvious, the significance of Ian McEwan’s novel’s tragic elements is that they could be found in several layers and do not merely lie in the unfortunate incident with which the first chapter commences or even its aftermath. The life of Joe Rose, the novel's protagonist, changes drastically after the traumatic experience, and the neglected elements in his life reappear as tragic elements. In this study, modern tragedy and Joe Rose’s situation as a modern tragic hero caught in uncertainties are discussed to point out the inevitability of John Logan’s tragic fall, and Joe’s failure in the time of crisis and his own life.

Keywords:

tragedy , Ian McEwan , uncertainty