In Ian McEwan's novel "Saturday", I noticed several themes and events that takes place in Fitzrovia, London, where the story takes place. Th main character Henry Perowne, is a neurosurgeon that goes through a series of events all on the Saturday of February 15, 2003. By just analyzing Perowne who is a successful doctor and a great husband and father, you would think that his life is perfect and all together. However, it's evident that just because you're successful, can afford to live a comfortable lifestyle, and have a wonderful family, that doesn't mean that things are always going to be good and you'll always be happy. Things can change in a matter of a day and for the rest of your life you could have a different outlook on life. Perowne discovers this one Saturday that came with a series of violent events.That Saturday morning, he notices an aeroplane shooting across the sky in flames. Keep in mind that the September 11th attacks was only two years ago and countries were on a verge of declaring war. Reporters didn't know whether it was terrorism or just an accident. Perowne was probably wondering if the country he calls home is even safe anymore. Why must there be such violence and turmoil in this world? This causes his day to start off not so good and puzzle him a little. Later he has a collision with another car while in route to a squash match and damages the car a little. The other driver Baxter and two associates of his gets out of the car furious and demands money from Perowne but he refuses. Perowne took a punch to the chest and then realizes the onset of Huntington's disease in Baxter. He uses that to distract him so he could flee the scene safely. After running a few errands and handling some family matters, he returns home.
His family members trickled in shortly after each other. The event that really makes his day worse was when Baxter invaded his home right after his wife Rosalind had returned. Baxter and an accomplice came in baring knives and begun to threaten Perowne's family. They assaulted his father-in-law and to make things even horrible, they forced his daughter Daisy to take off all of her clothes. Fortunately, Daisy recites a poem and gets Baxter to break down and is then over powered. This is way too much to deal with in one day. It took a big toll on Perowne to be assaulted over a minor collision and then return home to watch his family assaulted and threatened and then his daughter degraded. There was a time when homes were the place where you felt secure and comfortable. Now home wasn't the same anymore for Perowne and his family. On page three of Nan Talese review of the novel, she wrote about how we can't avoid the worries of the future. The novel proves that things are not always certain in life and one day can make a big difference out of your life.
2 comments:
You have picked out two important events, but you must do more that summarize the action. What is going on behind the action of the family dinner.
Campbell, Austin:
It seems as if, as you say, there are several themes and events that dominate what is supposed to be Henry Perowne’s relaxing Saturday spent with his family. Although, this plan seems to be derailed from the moment he awoke from his restless sleep and stood at the window. When henry spotted the airplane streaking across the dark early morning night sky in a ball of flames, his mind began to analyze the various scenarios that have brought this plane into his view in the particular state it is in. One thought that immediately came to mind, was that it could possibly be a hijacked plan and part of some terrorist conspiracy to attack London. This set Perowne’s mind in to an unstoppable motion of analytical scrutiny of the days preceding events. For Perowne, this actually disrupted his sense of control that he had convinced him elf that he had over his life. If Perowne had nay control, it was while he was at work; however, we know that even in his world of work, there was little control because he could not always save the lives of his patients which he often needed to be consoled by his colleague. Ultimately Perowne’s need to be in control and fear of future terrorist attacks had lead him to assert himself recklessly during an auto accident with Baxter. Perowne need to gain control of this situation and sat in his car analyzing the best way to confront Baxter. Unfortunately Perowne found himself in a compromising position which threatened his wellbeing. After being assaulted by Baxter, Perowne’s obsessive analyzing served to give him a way to stop the initial assault in which observed Baxters symptoms of Huntington disease. This stunned and distracted Baxter long enough to allow him to slip away. This shook up Perowne’s day further. The culmination of the days event lead Baxter to invade the sanctity of his home and family and as you stated, proving that the course of life can change dramtically in a days time.
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