Ian Mcewan Atonement Essay

Writer’s Statement

This transformative task featured a short narrative to show the events that would occur if Robbie came severely injured to the hospital in Ian McEwan’s Atonement. The themes of loss and war are evident in my piece, however, I took an approach which concentrates on the death and the medical details, while also capturing McEwan’s elaborate style of writing.

Text Type

The third part of McEwan’s Atonement explores Briony’s perspective of her life five years after Robbie was arrested, revealing evidence of her attempts to atone. This section is different from the complex style McEwan adopts throughout the first and second parts of the novel, with the characters’ thought process being less descriptive and easier to follow. My

The ambiguous ending was used to create suspense for the reader and to persuade them to read further, similar to McEwan’s use of ambiguity through the end of part three of Atonement. “Death,” represented a metaphorical entity to reveal the psychology of dying soldiers and how they may cope with the pain of death. An oxymoron (“pitifully beautiful”) was used to juxtapose how Robbie’s treasured memories seemed insignificant as he neared death. This was also supported by the simile, “his strength and sanity were crumbling like the yellowing sheets of paper in his pocket,” allowing the reader to make a visual connection and experience sympathy towards Robbie. I connected this line to McEwan’s line, “the rest of her letters were buttoned into the inside pocket of his greatcoat,” in part 2 because it elevated the motif of war within my piece. Moreover, I added Sister Drummond’s perspective to the narrative, as her character is not fully defined in Atonement. I aimed at developing her assertive character, which was implied in the novel, as she was “perfectly calm” and saying, “Show some courage worthy of your uniform,” despite the sight of an injured