Ethical Dilemma of Abortion in Francine Rivers’ The Atonement Child

Abstract

Francine Rivers’ novel The Atonement Childs hows how deeply Christian beliefs and values govern the Western attitudes and behavior. The protagonist, Dynah Carey, who is a Christian girl, falls victim of unwanted pregnancy due to rape and then suffers a great ethical dilemma whether to abort the child or not. To understand this dilemmaI have analyzedthe case through the two seemingly opponent views, consequentialist view and the Christian view, as explained by Michael Banner in his bookChristian Ethics and Contemporary Moral Problems. Though Rivers has tried to ultimately resolve the dilemma in a way it is approved by Christian beliefs and ethics, the dilemma actually continues to remain unresolved, thus suggesting that the author herself isunconsciouslyin the state of dilemma.To show this, I have employed Homi K.Bhabha’s concept of “Third Space”. Key Words: abortion, dilemma, rape, consequentialism, Christian ethics, ambiguity