Shifting the point of view, Ian McEwan is able to achieve a high level of understanding in his novel Atonement; McEwan changes the point of view throughout Atonement to reveal and develop Briony’s character.
Ian McEwan uses point of view to provide further insight into the character of Briony. The first part of Atonement switches points of view multiple times. Each time a story, or scene, is told from a new perspective or understanding of what is going on. The scene when Robbie and Cecilia are at the fountain is told by both Cecilia and Briony. Cecilia knows exactly what is going on because the scene is about her relationship with Robbie. Cecilia “kick[s] off her sandals, unbutton[s] her blouse…[and] emerges” (McEwan 28-29). Cecilia understands
…show more content…
the reason she jumped into the fountain and got undressed was to receive a piece of pottery that Robbie broke off of Uncle Clem’s vase. However, when the same scene is told by Briony, things are a tad different because Briony does not know the situation at hand. She sees Cecilia “out of her blouse” and Robbie “look[ing] on impatiently, hands on hips” (McEwan 36). Briony’s perception of the event is not that Cecilia is going to get a piece of a vase, but instead, something entirely different: blackmail or a threat. She has the idea that Robbie is threatening Cecilia to undress as he is watching, which is in direct contrast to what is actually happening. Briony never really knows what is going on in Cecilia’s life but inserts herself into that situation. The misunderstandings divulge into Briony’s character. Since Briony never knows the full truth of a situation and only her thoughts, Briony’s character is seen as naïve and all knowing. She acts as though she knows everything and anything about a certain point in time. She is young and thinks that there is only one side to every circumstance. The conflicting points of view in part one reveal a young Briony that does not know any better. Drifting points of view to Robbie, McEwan adds depth to the story and flashbacks to situations that the reader never knew about.
His flashback of Briony when they were children, when he explains how she exclaimed “Because I love you” (McEwan 218), adds to the confusion of Cecilia and Robbie’s relationship. It provides detail that makes Briony seem to act upon jealousy for the affection of Robbie. This gives the reader another angle to look at. Moreover, Robbie’s point of view at war parallels the entire story. He is on the defense against everyone else because “they chose to believe the evidence of a silly, hysterical little girl” (McEwan 196). Through this parallel, the reader can view Briony as being overly trustworthy. Her character has an aspect that makes everyone trust her over someone older who would know the situation better. As well as being seen as being overly trustworthy, Briony’s character is in direct contrast to Robbie’s. Robbie thinks about multiple things that he has no control over but wants to fix. Briony has control over sewing back together Robbie and Cecilia’s life but chooses not to. Unlike Robbie, she does not want to fix her mistakes. Robbie’s point of view reveals parts of Briony that only Robbie knows
about. Solely from Briony’s point of view, the reader is exposed to aspects of the truth. She is older and following in the footsteps of Cecilia. Her becoming a nurse like Cecilia is telling of how she wants to feel closer to her sister even though she cannot because of their broken relationship. McEwan uses Briony’s point of view to look back on her mistakes and try to find closure. Towards the end, Briony talks about how the only thing she misses from home is “her sister with Robbie” (McEwan 330). She has been able to look back and see that the very thing she destroyed is the thing that she misses the most. She has realized that she made a mistake and that it was a mistake; however, she is still selfish. Briony never speaks the full truth. She skews the reader’s understanding because she provides the story that she wants for herself and her closure. Furthermore, part four is told from Briony once again, but Briony provides the reader with aspects of the truth. She has received news that she has vascular dementia and says that there is some “comfort to be had” (McEwan 334). Her selfish nature is still apparent because she can find comfort in a disease that will cause her to lose her memory. She will find closure by forgetting the mistake she made and moving on. Unlike her selfish nature, she informs the reader that Cecilia was “killed…by [a] bomb” and Robbie “died of septicemia” (McEwan 350). In essence, they both died before the opportunity arose for them to see each other again. However, through the truth, she also reveals that she made them live and get the opportunity to see each other again in her atonement. This revelation brings back her selfish nature because this is the one thing that she missed and regretted not being able to see, so she wrote them in the way that she wanted them to be in her atonement. Parts three and four uncover Briony’s full character while furthering her selfish nature. Briony’s selfish and naïve nature can be disseminated through McEwan’s use of point of view. Her thoughts and sights exploit the reader’s misunderstandings of aspects in her atonement.
Point of view is a literary device that can be often overlooked, and yet, it has a huge impact on the novel Bone Gap, as it changes how the reader imagines the story. This is due to the unique way that each character is seeing and living the moments that are written on the pages. The literary device of point of view is very important, as when it changes, so does perception, giving the reader a fuller or lesser understanding of what is truly going
Rolph is introduced as an innocent young boy early on in the story. He “doesn’t speak up all that often” (1) and is “too young to notice” (1) the extremely sexual relationship between Mindy and Lou. The generalization Mindy brings forward for Rolph is “structural affection” (5) in which Rolph “will embrace and accept his father’s new girlfriend because he hasn’t yet learned to separate his father’s loves and desires from his own” (8). Rolph’s fragile depiction foreshadows the importance of nurturing vulnerable children. If a child is already susceptible to emotional confusion or damage in their youth, it is important to provide them with an extremely positive upbringing to give them confidence to make their own decisions as they mature. In the case of Rolph, however, he does not receive the support he needs to make a healthy transition from childhood to
The writer’s descriptive writing style to create an imagery of the novel’s setting and the emotions of how each character is going through in their POV is an artistic masterpiece. The miniseries adapts from that novel, and while there are many similarities, the film offers some new scenes that were originally not from the book and vice versa. Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge directly focuses on the key negative themes such as depression, suicide, familial and romantic relationships and their conflicts, and aging in time. The film adapted from the novel and combined some of the chapters together to create a new episode that separate itself from the book completely.
Daisy lacks self confidence which made it harder to raise her fifteen year-old son Donny. There were many instances where Daisy pondered on what she can do better to help Donny in school, but as she put forth an effort, she always resisted. “She remembered when Amanda was born. Donny had acted lost and bewildered. Daisy had been alert to that of course, but still, a new baby keeps you busy of course….”(570) When Daisy saw this happening, she never stopped to reassure Donny that even though he had a sister, it was not going to change their relationship. Daisy should have reassured her son by correcting the problem as soon as it surfaced, then Donny should have understood. When Donny started to have problems in school, Daisy gave up without trying, and let a tutor dictate her son’s activities especially when the teacher questions Daisy about Donny’s actions, Daisy replied, “Oh I’m sorry, Miss Evans, but Donny’s tutor handles these things now…” (572) In school Donny’s behavior changed soo drastically that he started to stay out late and Daisy just sat back and let this happen. “The tutor had sat down so many rules![She] were not allowed any questions at all about school, nor were to speak with his teachers…,Only one teacher disobeyed…”(572) Because Daisy didn’t believe in herself or her word, she let others control and therefore his behavior worsened.
Point of view is one of the single greatest assets an author can use. It helps to move the plot along and show what is happening from a character’s perspective. An author can make the plot more complex by introducing several characters that the reader has to view events through. The events can then be seen through different eyes and mindsets forcing the reader to view the character in a different light. From one perspective a character can seem cruel, yet, from another, the same character can seem like a hero. These vastly contrasting views can be influenced based on the point of view, a character’s background, and the emotions towards them. The novel Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich showcases some examples of events seen from different points
As it can be seen, Jonathan Franzen’s use of characters’ perspectives reveals that everyone’s objectives can be met in spite of their obstacles. Point of view is one of the best ways to express a character’s difficulties as readers can gain insight to his/her thoughts and feelings. At the same time, it is also possible to show a barrier that one faces through another person’s point of view. Whether it is a mother who has little control over her family, a son that takes advantage of his father’s paten, or a man who has lack of vision about life, everyone has common aims. There are many barriers that distance people from their dreams, but difficulties will always be part of the journey to reach one’s goal
In "Owl Creek Bridge," the protagonist's narrative is realistic and reasonable and with the author’s creative imagination, the narration shifted to enable the readers to see inside Farquhar's mind. The way the mind perceived how an emotional conflict changes the way t...
Whether a result of Emma's complex life or Agee's attachment to Emma, Agee's choice of a narrative voice only presents her life through one limited point of view. This may sometimes cause the reader to miss Agee's point. For example, after reading Emma's first person account of her own life the shortcomings of Agee's perspective are made evident.
In Nicholas Lezard's critique of McEwan's Atonement he states that, " the novel is itself the act of atonement that Briony Tallis needs to perform; yet we are very much in the land of the unreliable narrator, where evasion and mendacity both shadow and undermine the story that is told." To atone is to seek forgiveness for one's sins. The novel is Briony's attempt to be forgiven for the crime she committed as a naïve girl of 13, during the summer of 1935 heat wave. The narrator delivers the story from different points of view; she bases the other characters thoughts and reactions upon her own knowledge of their persona. While retelling the story the narrator has the tendency to lie, or rather avoid the truth, to improve her novel. After Briony admits that her atonement was not entirely truthful, the reader may question the reliability of the narrator.
The human experience is riddled with unpalatable truths that we discover as we journey through life. Influencing our values and attitudes by deliberately challenging the reader with humanity’s unpalatable truths, Ian McEwan prompts the reader to consider our own moral compass through the character of Briony Tallis. During the course of ‘Atonement’, McEwan demonstrates that actions and words inevitably have consequences on not only the individual but also those surrounding them. Throughout the three fundamental stages of Briony’s complicated life, her coming of age story has developed into the unpalatable obstacle of atoning for her mistakes. In misunderstanding, Briony appears naive; she thinks she can control aspects of her own world, acting as God and foreshadowing the ending of the novel, but the unpalatable truth is that Briony could not have atoned due to the circumstances in which she ultimately caused.
As Christopher begins his adventures in detective work he decides to chronicle the Wellington case in a novel he begins to write. Christopher is assisted in his authorship by Siobhan who is part teacher, part psychologist, part friend. Siobhan works with Christopher at his school for special needs. Christopher looks to Siobhan for a great deal of support and guidance. She is one of, if not ultimately the most, trusted figure in Christopher’s life. She assists Christopher when he has difficulties understanding the nuisances of the world around. Siobhan almost functions as an interpreter to translate Christopher’s understanding of the world into one that is more healthy and appropriate. Siobhan also serves as a positive and authoritative female figure in Christopher’s life in the absence of his mother.
At the beginning of the novel, Briony has a childish view on love and passion, derived from fairytales and her own writings. Although Briony’s mother loves her, it is a fruitless love because there is no clear benefit or care given. As an outsider in her own family, Briony does not feel normal childish emotions, only speaking of a “passion for tidiness” and “love of order” (McEwan 7). Her older sister, Cecilia, assumes the role of
Characters in different works of literature are placed in situations that bring out their true nature. Sometimes, being thrown into these scenarios, reveals a character's flaws. Two characters, Maria and Jack, become mentally unstable because of the positions that they find themselves in. Life-changing situations cause them both to lose their sanity.
...and realities hidden from the reader. If the reader had been aware of everything from the beginning, there would have been no point at all to the story. Carefully revealing pieces of Miss Brill's character through this point of view illustrated her own passage into a new reality. Keeping the point of view limited to Miss Brill and excluding the thoughts of the other characters kept the reader centered on Miss Brill so that the same realizations could come about simultaneously. The reader, through masterful use of point of view, was able to share a very meaningful experience with the character and go through the same steps that she did to reach the end.
Indeed this open interpretation leads many critics to form their own opinion of the deep meaning of the novel. Patrick Reilly is another critic that sees a different allegory in motion. Reilly argues that: