The Use of Symbolism in Iris Murdoch

It has been observed by more than one critic that Murdoch's novels are typically set in suburban London (Parini 75; Grimshaw 554), in part a reflection of Murdoch's own adult life, which was spent in a modest Oxford neighborhood in England. Yet in The Sea, the Sea and The Nice and the Good, much of the action takes place along the seacoast, and in both novels, the sea operates as a powerful symbol for the vagaries of life experience that are at once most serene and most chaotic. Weather, especially weather that is bound up with the sea, can be construed symbolically in each of the books. Another symbol that comes to the fore is that of religion, which is also a source of both serenity and chaos, although as used by Murdoch religion is perhaps more properly considered as a departure point for the theme of the vagaries of goodness, or the moral life well lived.

The cultural context for the appearance of The Nice and the Good was 1968, a year that witnessed what can be described as a "sea change" in Western culture. The Vietnam War was raging and dividing the US; two major assassinations occurred in America; European capitals (notably Prague and Paris) were in turmoil. In th

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gritty with sand and stones and crushed sea-shells and dried up marine entities of animal and vegetable origin" (NG 12). The sea is the source of all that detritus, and that makes it a symbol of the messiness and lack of clarity of life as a whole. For example, fact that Radeechy turns out to have been dabbling in all manner of supernatural nonsense so as to exercise sordid appetites deglamourizes Ducane's activity. He intends to cleanse himself in the sea when he descends the rocks to clear his mind. The sea does indeed concentrate Ducane's mind, but in the process it turns treacherous, as the tide fills the cave from which he might not escape. The actual cleansing takes place as he reflects on "how tawdry and small" the whole matter, including his life's work, has been: He saw himself now as a little rat, a busy little scurrying rat, seeking out its own little advantages and comforts. To live easily, to have cozy familiar pleasures, to be well thought of. . . . [I]f I ever get out of here I will be no man's judge. Nothing is worth doing except to kill the little rat, not to judge, not to be superior, not to exercise power, not to seek, seek, seek. To love and to reconcile and to forgive, only this matters (NG 329). It is obvio
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1510
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)