Themes Of Atonement - 971 Words

In Atonement by Ian McEwan, the literal meaning of the title is â€Å"reparation for a wrong.† Although the initial understanding of the meaning of the title is clear, the reader does not know what the apology or reparation is for. The reader only gradually discovers the purpose of the title through many events and through repetition and point of view. Throughout the novel, there are many themes that are portrayed and developed: guilt, water, sexual desire, etc. However, none are shown and are more actively represented than that of an atonement; an apology for wrong doings†¦ a reparation. Though there are many apologies present throughout the work, there are none more prominent or important than that of Briony Tallis. In the beginning of the†¦show more content†¦Robbie went searching for the twins on his own, a mistake that he would constantly think of in â€Å"his near future.† Briony also searched alone, later coming across two figures that were struggli ng on a secluded area of the enormous back yard. She discovers it to be Lola - raped and horrified. However, in the pitch darkness, Briony admits to herself that she could not see the man as he left the scene. Lola tells Briony she was unaware of who it was that had attacked her, but despite Briony’s self realization, she tells her terrified cousin that it was Robbie - â€Å"It was him. I saw him.† All members of the search party, except Robbie, came back inside to deal with the situation at hand; now more important and serious than the twins running off. Briony tells the police officers her statement, repeating the fact that she saw â€Å"him† with her own eyes. She even gave the letter that Robbie wrote Cecilia and gave it to the police as further proof of Robbie’s crazed and dangerous mind. Robbie returns to the house later, a police car awaiting his entrance, with the two boys - one on his shoulder, the other by his side. Five years later, the reader is brought into the world of Briony again. She is eighteen now and attends nursing school. However, Briony admits that she does not do nurses work because healing those in need is her passion, but she attends to make herself â€Å"useful,† and to makeShow MoreRelatedAtonement Theme979 Words   |  4 Pages The novella The Atonement by Ian McEwan produces a reoccurring theme of lost innocence. The children in the novella lose their childhood innocence after one wrongful accusation which tears the Tallis family apart. The setting in the novella develops the mood to be light and airy as the Tallis family resides in the English countryside. Nonetheless, the light and airy mood changes to one that is dark and full of mystery as the Second World War starts. Each character is tested by themselves and othersRead MoreAtonement Theme Love Essay1573 Words   |  7 PagesIn Atonement, the theme of love is explored in a variety of different ways. McEwan explores many different kinds of love including romantic love, platonic love, self love and family love. One way that McEwan explores love in the novel is through letters. The epistolary form of the novel gives the readers an insight at what the characters are thinking and feeling, as they more profoundly express their feelings through their letters. For example, Robbie and Cecilia have expressed their feelings toRead MoreAtonement Theme Analysis1028 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Ã¢â‚¬Å"My darling one, you are young and lovely, But inexperienced, and though you think The world is at your feet, It can rise up and tread on you† (Part 1, Chapter 1, Page 16). Briony Tallis is an ambitious thirteen-year-old girl who dreams of one day becoming a famous author. Her first work is a play titled â€Å"The Trials of Arabella† that she writes and plans to perform in celebration of the return of her older brother Leon. This stanza was taken from Arabella’s father’s monologue as he explainsRead MoreEssay Topic: Discuss Point of View as a Technique and Theme in ‘Atonement’.1716 Words   |  7 Pagesfiction to create particular themes in such books as the Atonement by Ian McEwan, Jane Austen and many other authors. Using these styles has been spoken of as heightened literary skills which delivers to the reader what the author desires to reveal of their characters. It is an advanced and old style that can be used to bring forth the many perceptions created by the writer. This essay will discuss how point of view is used as a technique and thereupon the theme of atonement within free indirect styleRead MoreFrank Wede kinds Spring Awakening And Atonement1568 Words   |  7 PagesFrank Wedekind’s Spring Awakening and Ian McEwan’s Atonement examine the notion that those who abuse power do so for personal gain. Through the use of themes such as: Power in sexuality, including notions of submission and dominance. Coming of age, regarding how children either don’t want to grow up, or contrastingly grow up too quickly. The power dichotomy between parents and children, contrasting children oppressed by their parents to those who act as a parental figure, and the use of guilt toRead MoreAtonement and in Memory of W. B Yeats765 Words   |  4 Pages‘In Memory of C. Tallis and R. Turner’ In this essay I will discuss the effects of W. H. Auden’s poem ‘In Memory of W. B. Yeats’ upon the tone, and the foreshadowing of plot line of Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement. The poem and the novel are both elegiac- it is the contribution of the poem to Atonement at the crucial point before the deaths of the characters Robbie and Cecilia that begins to set the tone of elegy within the novel. This acknowledgement of death and mourning brings a sense of impendingRead MoreOmnipotence and Atonement Throu Self-Reflective Narration Essay1726 Words   |  7 Pages Omnipotence and Atonement Through Self-Reflective Narration At first glance, Atonement is a war-torn love story of two star-crossed lovers and simultaneously the life-long struggle of a girl who feels she, and her lies, are responsible for keeping the couple apart. It is not until the end of the novel that readers are told Briony Tallis, the aforementioned young troubled girl, wrote the whole novel and changed the truths about the fates of the lovers, Robbie and Cecilia. This revelation highlightsRead MoreNovel: ‘Atonement’ by Ian Mcewan1242 Words   |  5 PagesNovel: ‘Atonement’ by Ian McEwan Social structures, upper class faà §ades and the meaning of truth are just some of the themes that Ian McEwan reveals in his book, ‘Atonement,’ through the various interrelationships of his characters. The characters and how they relate to each other help us as readers come to a better understanding of our own lives as through the novel we are forced into the tumultuous lives of the wealthy, naive and deceitful. Although this may seem far extreme compared to ourRead MoreEssay on Atonement by Ian McEwan785 Words   |  4 PagesAtonement by Ian McEwan Atonement comes from an at onement, the idea being that penance and suffering allows us to be at one with God or ourselves. The central theme of atonement is that of seeking forgiveness. This is manifested through the characters and their actions. In the book Atonement by Ian McEwan, the act carried out by Briony sets of a chain of events, for which either atonement is sought or society seeks atonement from. Brionys character is described as being compulsivelyRead More Khaled Hosseinis The Kite Runner Essay1008 Words   |  5 PagesHe is always selfish when with Hassan, treating him as a servant but expecting a best friend attitude in return. He then realizes his mistakes growing up in Afghanistan and America and changes his ways, trying to get redemption for himself, a key theme in the story. Amir always wants to get attention from his father in his childhood and feels that he is being neglected by his father because he writes stories whereas Hassan is an athletic person. Amir believes Hassan is the son that Baba never had