Literary Analysis Essay on Atonement by Ian McEwan

Introduction

These days most guilt results from doing things against the law and failing to own-up when brought to books. Most people usually, feel guilty after involving in activities which jeopardizes the rationale and peaceful coexistence of the society. The attributes lower the dignity of the person concerned as well as distorting his or her relationship with the outside world. Atonement by Ian McEwan's ventures into the Tallis sisters' lives and reveals the complexities that selfishness and naivety can inflict different aspect of life. The perjury of Briony Tallis in her Cousin Lola's criminal rape case against Robbie Turner disrupts the dynamics of Tallis' family as well as the budding romance between Robbie and Cecelia Tallis. Notably, Briony's maturation, as well as the realization of her mistakes, implores her venture into the nursing profession during WWII. Atonement depicts a family in serious turmoil over the lies made by the young Briony during World War II. As a result, guilt mounted in the family and very was unwilling to disclose the actual truth after the lie becomes unbearable. This paper examines the Guilt and innocence in Atonement by Ian McEwan's.

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As the title of the book suggests, guilt, innocence and forgiveness are the most outstanding and evident to everyone who reads the Atonement. The entire novel's plot centers of a woman whose whole life is bestowed in repenting from the crime she committed during her early age. After Briony realizes the damage of her callous testimony, spends a lifetime full guilt and ever attempts to atone for her wrongdoings (Mellet, 2017). She chooses to be a nurse instead of going to college to help soldiers like Robbie. Her worry was whether Robbie would be one day harmed in the line of duty. She aims to understand that all the injuries which will be subjected will be her cause.

Since guilt is cast by McEwan as a universal and powerful human sentiment that may make a person vulnerable to other incidences, it is clear that wartime experiences made by Robbie as the main reasons why he could forgo feelings of guilt and focuses on self-preservation interest. This portrays that Robbie has been dehumanized as a consequence of childish misconduct of Briony (Garcia, 2016). However, because Robbie's fate has been determined explicitly by the factors which are out of his control and capacity, guilt in him has been transferred to other characters that precipitated the misfortune.

The second layer to the theme of guilt in the novel is portrayed in the history of literature. Apart from the crime incidences that Briony committed as a child, she also feels guilty for her powers as a novice writer. At the novel begins, Briony is seen innocently writing a play for the arrival of her older brother (Finney, 2014). However, in later scenes, the witnesses she made between Cecilia and Robbie led her to create a pleasant story with Robbie as the villain in her head. The reliance readers insisted on knowing "what happened" leaving her feeling very guilty about the works in her life. The guilt was subjected to the canon history of English literature with mild attribution that may alter some crucial aspects. However, on realizing her wrong perception about Robbie, her innocence was lost as was replaced with guilt because the reactions experienced as she grows made her unhappy about those who she dearly loved (Mellet, 2017). Similarly, in her attempts for atonement, she writes a book that captures her childhood life where she narrates how she falsely accused Robbie.

Moreover, another incidence of guilt is portrayed when Lola ends up marrying her rapist to escape or hide from Robbie from knowing the truth about their false testimony about the rape case. Paul, who was the actual rapist and now Lola's husband, also manages to hide from his rape case through marrying her and making her wealthy.

Innocence

Innocence is portrayed adversely in Briony when some events in the novel led her to believe that her cousin was raped by Robbie Turner as well as the consequences she went through after he was poisoned. However, several arguments can be deduced about the exact point where Briony "loses her innocence." Part one of the novel attributes several notions of innocence especially when Briony gave up on her play after reading a letter from Robbie to Cecilia. Similarly, her virginity was lost when she saw the two, Robbie and Cecilia making love in the library (Finney, 2014). As a result, Briony opted to cease from existing as a protected child deserting childhood and chooses the world of adulthood.

The illustrations in part one reveal that the life of Briony has nothing to do with the post-awareness in the reader's perception. The narrator portrays her as a young character who cannot realize the importance of time, though very vigilant in transgressing into the future. She is entangled in between worlds amidst mild confusion (Chakraborty, 2018). For instance, when the search parties took the flight to follow the twins, Briony is portrayed debating on whether she is old enough to search by herself or include other people in her life. The flagrant contradiction reveals loss of innocence and the character is focused on getting in the future stealthily without any comfort.

Moreover, a greater loss of innocence is also portrayed in war events. War tears the entire nation apart, and eventually the world. The delight is innocence that Europe enjoyed following "the war to end all wars" (WWI) which aimed at stripping all operation in a real force. Interesting, Leon Tallis actions in the novel reveals this kind of innocence. Tallis leaves to London for a weekend very confident and sure of the absence of the war. She feels that all people living in London and other places are primitively good-natured for no reason.

Furthermore, innocence and guilt are portrayed through the use of architectural descriptions to convey their impacts (Finney, 2014). For instance, McEwan constructs innocence and guilt as well as the quest that helps in following the main characters such as Briony, Robbie, and Cecilia. As a novelist, Briony uses the architectural pens to as away her sins while finding atonement for her sins which ruined her life.

Conclusion

Ian McEwan's novel Atonement captures different aspects of guilt and innocence. McEwan centers guilt as the central theme of the novel and uses it to create a chronological flow of actions throughout the novel. Briony is centered as the main character that balances the two themes while trying to find the solution for each. The love between Robbie and Cecilia is portrayed as the main cause of innocence loss in Briony. However, after realizing her wrongdoings, Briony uses an architectural pen to write her undoing while seeking for restoration and forgiveness.

References

Chakraborty, J. (2018). The Role of Guilt in Ian McEwan's Atonement. Contemporary Literary Review India, 5(3), 54-64. Retrieved from http://www.literaryjournal.in/index.php/clri/article/download/15/10

Finney, B. (2014). Briony's stand against Oblivion: the making of fiction in Ian McEwan's Atonement. Journal of Modern Literature, 27(2), 68-82. 10.1353/jml.2004.0073

Garcia, R. A. N. (2016). Individual atonement and collective guilt. Textura: revista de letras e historia. Canoas, RS. Vol. 18, n. 37 (maio/ago. 2016), p. 221-233. https://www.lume.ufrgs.br/bitstream/handle/10183/148193/001002103.pdf?sequence=1

Mellet, L. (2017). Atonement-Ian McEwan, Joe Wright: The attempt was all. Belin.