ON CHESIL BEACH: STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS; CHAPTER 1

On Cheasil Beach; Ian McEwan.

The first chapter of the novel "On Chesil Beach"  introduces the story to the reader; In this chapter, the reader begins to know about the two  characters' lives.

In this chapter, we find the two protagonists of the story, Edward and Florence: they have just celebrated their marriage and they are going to pass t their first evening and night together as wife and husband.

The story is set in the 1962. We find the two characters in a Georgian inn, in Cheasil beach, in a Dorset county, where they are spending their honeymoon.

They are in a sitting room of their hotel and they are having dinner.

There is a third person narrator (he uses the  term "they" when he speaks about Florence and Edward) and, thanks to some clues, we can understand that he is an omniscient narrator: first of all, he gives us his point of view about things:

Page 3, line four: "But it is never easy"

Here he adds his comment, his personal opinion about what  he is speaking, so he influences the reader's idea.

Another important element, is that the narrator knows everything about all and about the two protagonists: he knows their feelings, their expectations, their worries, their life, their past, their families, their dreams...

He continuously gives us informations about Edward and Florence and he tells us their thoughts too. 

He doesn't allow the reader to imagine.

The narrator uses flashback too. For example, he tells about Edward's and Florence's marriage using this narrative technique:

Page 3, line twelve: "They wedding, at St Mary's, Oxford, had gone well"

The narrator hints at some events too,referring to  the weather conditions:

Page 3, line twenty-three: "...in weather that was not perfect for mid July..."

He use this kind of description to expresses what is going to happen

So, the narrator stirs up the curiosity and the attention of the reader which can make some suppositions about the two protagonists' future.

As for the characters, the narrator doesn't concentrate on the physical aspect, he describes Edward and Florence referring to their manners, their feelings, etc...

The first information about Edward and Florence concerns  their origin (they are British, from Oxford) and the fact that they are young and virgin. They are from different social classes: Florence's family was rich as we can understand that at page 3, line fiveteen: "Her parents had not condescended to his" and in page 3, line eighteen: "The couple had driven away in a small car belonging to Florence's mother"

Whereas Edward was  poor and unlucky, Florence and her family relation was more complicated. You ccan understand that at page 3, line nine: "...he had never stayed in a hotel before" and at  page 3, line nineteen: "...his mother had not significantly misbehaved"

Reading the chapter, the reader can understand that the two young newlyweds  come from different families, so they are also brought up in different situations and with different problems.

The reader is curious again: he would like to know what is the different between the two families and the reason why Edward's mother is described like an hypothetical "danger".

Reading the chapter, the reader becomes acquainted with Edward's and Florence's problems and expectations.

The two naïve characters have a common problem: they never speak to each other about sex (they usually speak about their childhood) and so, she/he ignores his/her problems about it: he is afraid because he thinks that he is not able to face the physical rapport with Florence and she is very scared about sex and all about it!

Nevertheless, they are rich in expectations: Edward hopes that marriage will resolve all his problems and Florence hopes that things will change, like a magic!

They are inexperienced of the wordl!

They thought that they would be free, with marriage, and without problems...

Page 6, line fourteen: "Edward and Florence, free at last!"

Page 18, line seventeen: "They were (...) free to do as they chose"

...But they are slaves of rules, they are traditional!

Page 18, line twenty: "Even when Edward and Florence were alone, a thousand unacknowledged rules still applied."

They are not together, they are always describes separately

Page 6, line twenty-one: "They separately worried..."

So, they are afraid to be adults and cope with fears!

Reading the problems about the two young people, the reader can make up an idea about  the young people of those years...

Young people were burned to society because they were people that didn't reach an aim; Young people were considered adults by society and responsible for something just after marriage.

Page 18, line seventeen: "They were adults at last..."

There was not support for young people, they were left alone!

Page 3, line two: "...they lived in a time when a conversation about sexual difficulties was plainly impossible."

Thus, the reader can understand that society was closed and old, tied to traditions and adverse to innovations!

It was a conservative society!