A Study of Psychological Tension of Women in Ian McEwan’s On Chesil Beach

Abstract

The goal of this research is to examine the psychological tensions in the minds of a female character named Florence Pointing in Ian McEwan’s On Chesil Beach. In the novel, both virgins Florence and Edward getting married in the early 1960s, before the sexual revolution. They both spend their first night of marriage in a hotel room, but sexual troubles separate these lovers, and their marriage lasts only one day. The novel relies heavily on psychological tension. McEwan discusses how society influences the lives of two individuals throughout the work. These two lovers were pulled between society conventions and psychological wants. Florence's psychological state is marked by anxiousness throughout the narrative, prompting her to decide to leave her marriage within a day.