THE FAILURE OF A RELATIONSHIP AS A CLASH IN STEREOTYPICAL GENDER ROLES: AN ANALYSIS OF IAN MCEWAN'S ON CHESIL BEACH

The aim of my work is the reconstruction of Edward and Florence's personalities, the two main characters of On Chesil Beach, a novel by Ian McEwan, in order to demonstrate that their failure as lovers is directly connected to their will to represent an ideal of masculinity and femininity. The relevant problem, however, lies in the fact that they cannot deal with these two ideals independently, but they are clearly bound to social expectations. In fact throughout the course of the novel they try to shape and adjust themselves to the needs of the social conventions of their age and the expectations of their parents, but this will bring them to a final unfixable fiasco. It is 1962 and Edward and Florence, newlyweds, intend to spend their first wedding night in the romantic location of Chesil Beach (Dorset). This should be the best day of their lives: they are ultimately free to let their feelings go. Or, at least, this is what is seems at first. However, social conventions still influence their minds and their freedom is only apparent. Their thoughts are profoundly burdened by the anxiety of social expectations that hang on their shoulders. Philip Larkin's annus mirabilis, 1963, is around the corner, but they still live in the legacy and according to the standards of the Victorian Age, waiting for something to happen, something that may help them overcome their fears and insecurities, instead of trying to create a balance themselves. In the first chapter I deal with Edward, while in the second chapter I focus my attention on Florence. The last chapter is reserved to my personal conclusions.