Analysis of Atonement by Ian McEwan
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Part One: Introduction
Atonement by Ian McEwan falls under the genre of fiction, mystery, and suspense. The word Atonement means reparation for a wrongdoing. The book is set time of pre, present, and post World War II. The book references many well know works including Grey’s Anatomy, Macbeth, and Hamlet. Briony Tallis plays the role of both the protagonist and the antagonist in this piece. She is the main character and the story is told primarily through her eyes. Briony Tallis is a 13 year old who expresses great passion in writing. Briony has 2 older siblings Leon and Cecilia, who are visiting from London and Cambridge. One day, Briony comes across her older sister Cecelia and Robbie, Briony’s crush, making love in the library. Briony, being so young, didn’t understand what was going on. She misinterpreted the whole situation and ended up telling false stories about Robbie. This led to problems in Cecelia and Robbie’s relationship, resulting in a break up. Briony later realizes he effect of her actions on Robbie and Cecelia, and even if Robbie and Cecelia never forgive her, she is determined to receive atonement for what she did. Main themes include guilt, misconception, and innocence. A few symbol in this piece include, the vase, water, and the window. Ian McEwan did a wonderful job of using other literary devices such as diction, foreshadowing and allusion.
Part Two: Journal Entries
One: In the first chapters of Atonement, the thirteen-year-old main character, Briony, struggles with determining who she wants to be and what she wants to do. It is like she is an adult trapped in a child’s body. She even describes her life as “unbearably complicated” (34). However, there are some things, life changing things, which Briony is yet to understand. This is determined primarily in the beginning of the book when she happens to notice Cecelia, her older sister, and Robbie, son of the Tallis’ charlady, in a somewhat intimate
Part One: Introduction
Atonement by Ian McEwan falls under the genre of fiction, mystery, and suspense. The word Atonement means reparation for a wrongdoing. The book is set time of pre, present, and post World War II. The book references many well know works including Grey’s Anatomy, Macbeth, and Hamlet. Briony Tallis plays the role of both the protagonist and the antagonist in this piece. She is the main character and the story is told primarily through her eyes. Briony Tallis is a 13 year old who expresses great passion in writing. Briony has 2 older siblings Leon and Cecilia, who are visiting from London and Cambridge. One day, Briony comes across her older sister Cecelia and Robbie, Briony’s crush, making love in the library. Briony, being so young, didn’t understand what was going on. She misinterpreted the whole situation and ended up telling false stories about Robbie. This led to problems in Cecelia and Robbie’s relationship, resulting in a break up. Briony later realizes he effect of her actions on Robbie and Cecelia, and even if Robbie and Cecelia never forgive her, she is determined to receive atonement for what she did. Main themes include guilt, misconception, and innocence. A few symbol in this piece include, the vase, water, and the window. Ian McEwan did a wonderful job of using other literary devices such as diction, foreshadowing and allusion.
Part Two: Journal Entries
One: In the first chapters of Atonement, the thirteen-year-old main character, Briony, struggles with determining who she wants to be and what she wants to do. It is like she is an adult trapped in a child’s body. She even describes her life as “unbearably complicated” (34). However, there are some things, life changing things, which Briony is yet to understand. This is determined primarily in the beginning of the book when she happens to notice Cecelia, her older sister, and Robbie, son of the Tallis’ charlady, in a somewhat intimate