Part III - Briony in England
The narrative remains located in 1940 but has moved from France back to England where
Briony is a trainee in a hospital in London. She has begun to rely on routine to help her deal with
her trauma of dealing with war casualties.
McEwans use of literary devices creates the impression that something is growing and will
soon burst upon the hospital. There are clues in the beds which spread "like deaths in the
night" and the ominously large supply of morphine being present.
This part of the novel reminds us that the story is about Briony's journey as a writer
alongside her crime. Her narrative voice has changed since the first part of the novel as
the literary posturing of a very young writer have given way to poised and evocative prose
which is unhurried and confident.
Again Briony finds herself thrown together with another girl her age. Fiona, who resembles
Lola.
Briony finds the other girls theatrical in their homesickness believing that the details in
their letters are supposed to "astound their loving parents". This is ironic as over-
dramatisation was a characteristic of Briony in Part I. Once again this highlights Briony's
change and her determination now to "work for her independence". She goes from craving
her mothers attention to withholding details of her life.
The literal destruction of the Tallis country estate due to one of the evacuee children
breaking the statue in the fountain represents the destruction of an era in English History
which the estate represents.
CC's letter to Briony about her story is a serious literary critique of her work as a form of
meta-narrative.
In the scene where the nurses are given a day off there is a shift from happiness to horror
- the children paying outside on "the grass shouting and laughing" lead up to unrelenting
horror where we are plunged into a hellish nightmare of suffering and horrific injuries.
The horror of war is presented through images drawn from domestic settings such as a
blackened leg like an "overripe banana" and the removal of a blood caked gauze likened to
the "famous tablecloth trick" and the plasma bags are hanging like "exotic fruits". The
juxtaposition of homely comforting images with the mens suffering makes it more sinister
and cruel. When Briony vomits it is mentioned in passing not to take attention away from
the horrors the men are facing.
Briony "learned a simple, obvious thing she had always known, and everyone knew" - she
begins to understand the sheet fragility of the human body in a way she did not
understand before.
Significance of the Literary Criticism Scene
The initials CC that sign Briony's rejection letter presumably stand for Cyril Connolly an
influential literary critic at the time.
The narrative remains located in 1940 but has moved from France back to England where
Briony is a trainee in a hospital in London. She has begun to rely on routine to help her deal with
her trauma of dealing with war casualties.
McEwans use of literary devices creates the impression that something is growing and will
soon burst upon the hospital. There are clues in the beds which spread "like deaths in the
night" and the ominously large supply of morphine being present.
This part of the novel reminds us that the story is about Briony's journey as a writer
alongside her crime. Her narrative voice has changed since the first part of the novel as
the literary posturing of a very young writer have given way to poised and evocative prose
which is unhurried and confident.
Again Briony finds herself thrown together with another girl her age. Fiona, who resembles
Lola.
Briony finds the other girls theatrical in their homesickness believing that the details in
their letters are supposed to "astound their loving parents". This is ironic as over-
dramatisation was a characteristic of Briony in Part I. Once again this highlights Briony's
change and her determination now to "work for her independence". She goes from craving
her mothers attention to withholding details of her life.
The literal destruction of the Tallis country estate due to one of the evacuee children
breaking the statue in the fountain represents the destruction of an era in English History
which the estate represents.
CC's letter to Briony about her story is a serious literary critique of her work as a form of
meta-narrative.
In the scene where the nurses are given a day off there is a shift from happiness to horror
- the children paying outside on "the grass shouting and laughing" lead up to unrelenting
horror where we are plunged into a hellish nightmare of suffering and horrific injuries.
The horror of war is presented through images drawn from domestic settings such as a
blackened leg like an "overripe banana" and the removal of a blood caked gauze likened to
the "famous tablecloth trick" and the plasma bags are hanging like "exotic fruits". The
juxtaposition of homely comforting images with the mens suffering makes it more sinister
and cruel. When Briony vomits it is mentioned in passing not to take attention away from
the horrors the men are facing.
Briony "learned a simple, obvious thing she had always known, and everyone knew" - she
begins to understand the sheet fragility of the human body in a way she did not
understand before.
Significance of the Literary Criticism Scene
The initials CC that sign Briony's rejection letter presumably stand for Cyril Connolly an
influential literary critic at the time.
