Blog #4

"It was thought, perception, sensations that interested her, the conscious mind as a river through time, and how to represent its onward roll, as well as all the tributaries that would swell it, and the obstacles that would divert it.  If only she could reproduce the clear light of a summer's morning, the sensations of a child standing at a window, the curve and dip of a swallow's flight over a pool of water" (McEwan 265).

Briony experiences a transition in her writing as she begins to mature as a person. Writing is a reflection of someone's ideas and thoughts, and changes as these thoughts and ideas do.  This transformation in Briony's writing style and technique accompanies her realization of her values and morals.  As a child, by creating a story in her mind based off insufficient information, she made a horrible mistake that ended up ruining Robbie and Cecilia's lives.  This immature part of her is buried as she grows older.  As Briony grows up, she no longer misconstrues reality into fiction she creates in her head.  At the end of the novel, it's learned that Briony is the author of "Atonement," and this book is her atonement for the mistake she made as a child.  "Atonement" is a book about writing and the dangers of making conclusions and stories based off of something that we see, since this is one-sided information.  The novel is beautifully written; the plot follows Briony, Robbie, and Cecilia in their experiences during the war, and intertwines ideas of writing, love, family, and the contemplation of human thoughts and actions.  It leaves a bittersweet taste in the reader's mouth, as the ending concludes with Briony in her old age reflecting on her life and the choices she made.  The story urges the reader to pay attention to the choices one makes and the consequences they can have.