Atonement Ideas
Atonement - reparation for a wrong with a reconciliation. Robbie becomes a scapegoat for
Briony's sexual confusion and later becomes a sacrifice for war and his class. Through
metafiction, Briony writes Atonement as a form of atonement for accusing Robbie wrongfully
which causes an immense sense of guilt on her part. The novel spans 60 years and is a work of
metafiction that alludes to its own form of artificiality to encourage the readers to think about
the nature of fiction. The word atonement has ecclesiastical resonance - the lack of "an" before
it referring to a particular case but without the 'an' atonement is an abstract concept with no
particular example.
, McEwans 9/11 Quote and its links to Briony:
McEwan stated that during 9/11 the bombers should have placed themselves in the
thoughts of the victims and then they would not have been able to do what they did.
McEwan believes that cruelty begins with a lack of empathy.
Setting
The novel begins in the summer of 1935 to 1999 creating a timeline of guilt in number of
different periods. Country house is a typical setting for crime settings. The second setting
is Dunkirk a lawless place with a focus on the terrible crime of war and also place where
petty crimes are done and overlooked. The third setting is a hospital where Briony
attempts to find reparation. It is a place of both misery comfort wounds and healing. The
last setting is back in London are places security comfort but also guilt.
Part I has a hazy and elusive quality where the actual incidents are not seen head on but
glimpsed or recalled later. Many of the situations which happen have many different
perspectives however these perspectives are always missing a certain sense. We do not
see the actual attack on Lola and Briony even wonders if it is some trick of the dark and
perspective. This may link to the characters metaphorical incapability to see clearly.
Post Modernist
Atonement - reparation for a wrong with a reconciliation. Robbie becomes a scapegoat for
Briony's sexual confusion and later becomes a sacrifice for war and his class. Through
metafiction, Briony writes Atonement as a form of atonement for accusing Robbie wrongfully
which causes an immense sense of guilt on her part. The novel spans 60 years and is a work of
metafiction that alludes to its own form of artificiality to encourage the readers to think about
the nature of fiction. The word atonement has ecclesiastical resonance - the lack of "an" before
it referring to a particular case but without the 'an' atonement is an abstract concept with no
particular example.
, McEwans 9/11 Quote and its links to Briony:
McEwan stated that during 9/11 the bombers should have placed themselves in the
thoughts of the victims and then they would not have been able to do what they did.
McEwan believes that cruelty begins with a lack of empathy.
Setting
The novel begins in the summer of 1935 to 1999 creating a timeline of guilt in number of
different periods. Country house is a typical setting for crime settings. The second setting
is Dunkirk a lawless place with a focus on the terrible crime of war and also place where
petty crimes are done and overlooked. The third setting is a hospital where Briony
attempts to find reparation. It is a place of both misery comfort wounds and healing. The
last setting is back in London are places security comfort but also guilt.
Part I has a hazy and elusive quality where the actual incidents are not seen head on but
glimpsed or recalled later. Many of the situations which happen have many different
perspectives however these perspectives are always missing a certain sense. We do not
see the actual attack on Lola and Briony even wonders if it is some trick of the dark and
perspective. This may link to the characters metaphorical incapability to see clearly.
Post Modernist
