"She paused outside the phone box to admire the huge cumulus clouds piled against a pale blue sky. The river with its spring tide racing seaward reflected the color with dashes of green and gray. Big Ben seemed to be endlessly toppling forward against the restless sky. Despite the traffic fumes, there was scent of fresh vegetation around, newly cut grass perhaps from the hospital gardens, or from young trees along the riverside. Though the light was brilliant, there was a delicious coolness in the air. She had seen or felt nothing so pleasing in days, perhaps weeks." (pg. 269)

This passage stood out to me for a couple of reasons. When I first read this little section, the imagery really struck me. I don't know what it was about this specific imagery scene that really caught my eye, but as I was reading it, I felt refreshed and comforted. I felt like I could actually see the landscape, smell the smells, feel the air. This is a rare feeling for me to get when reading, as I am usually pretty dense concerning literature. I really like how McEwan referred to the cool air as "delicious". I feel like I knew exactly what he meant by that because I prefer cooler weather and get a sense of almost reward when I am cool, perhaps because I live in Lothrop with no AC. I also really liked the description McEwan gave about the scent of the air. The scent of freshly cut grass seems so familiar to me that I felt myself nearly smelling it while reading. The description he gives to the optical illusion of Big Ben also stood out to me because I always remember standing under huge antennas on a cloudy day as a kid and always thinking they were falling because I didn't understand the concept of perspective at the time. All in all, I think this is one of the most beautiful scenes in the whole book weather it be from the nostalgia it awakens or just the sheer sense of beauty it conveys. In a different direction, I found it odd that Briony was able to pause in the middle of her stressful day to just admire the scenery, especially because she had just been feeling strong guilt in the paragraphs before. She takes this moment as a brief escape from her own mind which ravages her with stress and guilt. This is understandable, but, for me at least, if something is stressing me out, I find myself working to get past it as everything I experience until it is resolved is tainted by it. I would probably actually look at this scene in a stressful state of mind and wouldn't think it is as beautiful just because of my mindset, so I think its admirable that Briony is able to see the good in a situation.