Blog #4 Atonement

pg. 220 "He would never forgive her. That was the lasting damage."

This part of the book, Robbie is thinking about Briony and how her lie had turned his life upside down. Obviously Briony is in the wrong and her story was formed out of falsehoods and probably jealousy, but the significance of her lie was so much that Robbie will never forgive her. I found this really interesting because some people might consider Briony a child while others would think that she should know better. So, is Briony a child who should be forgiven or an adult who knew full well what she was doing? From Robbie's standpoint, he believes that she knew what she was doing and I think that is why the damage is lasting. For Robbie, there was intent in Briony's actions; he even mentions how she said she loved him. It looks as though she acted out of jealousy. Was she jealous of her sister, or was she just jealous that she couldn't have Robbie? Regardless of the source of this jealousy, Briony had no business accusing Robbie of the crimes that he allegedly committed. However, Briony is also still very young when she makes the accusations. She could have been looking out for her sister and cousin when she was talking to the police. I think for an outsider, it would be easier to accept that Briony was naive and childish and therefore she acted irrationally. To Robbie (and Cecilia), Briony was a smart girl who knew what she was doing which would probably hurt more than an accident that a child should make. Briony is just at a stage in her life that makes it hard for us to put her into the category of child or young adult. Now Briony has grown up and realizes her wrongdoing. On page 215, Robbie thinks,"Here she was, offering a possibility of absolution. But it was not for him. He had done nothing wrong. It was for herself, for her own crime which her conscience could no longer bear." Robbie says he would never forgive her, but I do think that with time Brioiny can properly atone for her actions and Robbie may forgive her.