Blog #4 Atonement

“She would have been about ten years old, just starting to write her little stories. Along with everyone else, he had received his own bound and illustrated tale of love, adversities overcome, reunion, and a wedding. They were on their way down to the river for swimming lesson he had promised her… He wending over the basket as he said this and he heard, but did not see, her jump in… ‘Do you know why I wanted you to save me?’… ‘Because I love you.’ She said it bravely with chin upraised, and she blinked rapidly as she spoke, dazzled by the momentous truth she had revealed.”

This quote stood out to me during the reading because it gave a look into the past, prior to us learning about the characters and their behaviors in Part 1. Briony, in the beginning of Part 1, immediately shows her capacity and eagerness to tell a story. This passage from Robbie shows the possible birth of her theatrics. Not only does the quote show the creation of Briony’s story telling tendencies and her attraction to drama, but showed a possible bias for her later accusations against Robbie. Did McEwan construct this passage and Robbie’s thoughts to show that his scolding of and disregard for Briony’s feelings could have led to his own demise? I wonder if McEwan choosing to reveal this later in the book made it possible for people to believe Robbie was Lola’s accuser.

Robbie’s thoughts over what could have lead to where he is now, as well as his situation with Cecilia and her family, shows a common theme about contemplation about past events. The story, as it changes perspective, makes the reader work to understand what the facts are as well as how to perceive the characters, this quote does exactly that, it makes you question Briony’s choices. The time at which the thoughts are occurring seems to be used by McEwan to show development of character as well as a logistical way to show the truths to the story.

“What could have been?” seems to be a good question that sums up the mental processes of characters in the latter parts of the book. Briony’s questioning of her false testimony, Robbie’s wondering of what lead him to being accused and separating from the family with Cecilia, and maybe Lola’s questioning of what she experienced with Paul when she was assaulted, and what she came to believe as true on that night.