Atonement Part 2

On page 316 of Atonement, Ian McEwan writes, “Cecilia took a cigarette from a packet by the cooker, and then, remembering that her sister was no longer a child, offered one to her” (McEwan 316). I believe that this snippet is much more momentous than someone simply handing their sister a cigarette. Here, we see the cigarette representing Cecilia finally accepting Briony as an adult. At age thirteen Briony was seen as a naïve child, however, this borderline neglect forced her to come up with outrageous stories in her mind. These absurd fallacies are what ultimately caused Briony to blame Robbie Turner for the crime, but now eighteen-year old Briony is seen as an adult who must take the fall for her younger thoughts and actions. It is probably due to her age and career that Briony is finally seen as an equal, which is emphasized through her finally being old enough to smoke. However, it is interesting that before blaming Robbie for the crime she was treated as a child, yet when blame needs to be placed, everyone wants to pose her as an adult. Clearly, Briony should have to live with what she did, but I also believe that it should be considered that everyone treated thirteen-year-old Briony as almost an inferior, thus leading to her wild thoughts. Yes, she is at fault, but in a way, she almost had a very screwed up reason to. In addition, Briony coming to see Cecilia and owning up for what she did showcases that she truly has grown up, again which is emphasized through the cigarette offered by her sister.