Theme Of Atonement

516 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Critical analytical essay on atonement

Paige Perry
Mr. Larsen
AP Lit and Comp
May 3, 2014
“But what was guilt these days,” Robbie asks at one point. “It was cheap. Everyone was guilty, and no one.” There is no disguise about the main theme of Atonement, it can be seen in the title. This novel looks at what creates the context for guilt and how one atones for it. Connections between the beginning and the ending of Atonement contribute to the theme by providing
In the beginning of Atonement, it is assumed that the narrator is an anonymous, objective third person, but the trick of the novel is that it is always Briony’s reflection on what happened. At the end of the first part of the novel, the reader has come to judge her harshly. Briony labels her twelve year old self “the busy, priggish, conceited little girl,” at the end of the book. In an attempt to reach atonement, she portrays herself in a negative light throughout the novel, only to reveal that it was her narrating the story. It’s here, at the end of the novel, when the narration switches to first person, that the reader realizes that it is Briony who is the narrator. ...

Show More
Related

  • Red Kayak Analysis

    293 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings, guilt is shown in almost every character in the story, but it is through Brady that we see the most guilt.

    Read More

  • The Study of Guild in Fifth Business by Robertson Davies

    794 Words  | 2 Pages

    Guilt can take on many forms. It is a powerful force to overcome, and a majority of people collapse because of it. In “Fifth Business”, by Robertson Davies, guilt is the intended study that is portrayed throughout the novel and impacts a number of lives. Davies demonstrates this by having one character feeling guilt and tries to confront it, a second character ignoring it and a third who tries to run away from it. Davies introduces the reader with Dunstan Ramsay and Percy Boyd Staunton who are parallels in competition with each other. Percy throws a snowball containing a small rock at Ramsay. Who jumps aside, causing it to miss him and strike Mary Dempster, which then we are met with the premature birth of Paul Dempster. In this novel the study of guilt is shown through experiences of the characters as Dunny felt guilty for the premature birth of Paul, Boy appearing not as to be affected by the incident but later on feels guilt for the death of Leola, and Paul Dempster feeling guilt for his mother, Mary, which later made him run away from home. Guilt essentially is what drives the characters of Fifth Business and in the end determines the final conclusion. Lastly, although Boy and Dunstan are parallels of each other Davies uses their awkward relationship to create a major element in Fifth Business which is what makes it an interesting story. Thus, the story revolves around the idea of competition and guilt.

    Read More

  • Robertson Guilt In Robertson Davies's 'Fifth Business'

    1161 Words  | 3 Pages

    Guilt is a powerful emotion that can affect the path of a person’s life. Dunstan’s character in Robertson Davies’s “Fifth Business” experienced guilt at an early age and stayed with Dunstan throughout his life, and continually affected his relationships with Mrs.Dempster, Boy and Paul into an unhealthy one. Dunstan took the blame for the snow ball entirely without acknowledging boy was at fault. “I was contrite and guilty, for I knew that the snowball had been meant for me” (Davies, 11). From that point in his life, his guilt had the dynamo effect. He took blame for every tragedy that happened to the Dempster family since. Dunstan’s battled guilt ultimately controlled his action and relationships.

    Read More

  • The Assault by Harry Mulisch

    1203 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Harry Mulisch’s novel The Assault, the author not only informs society of the variance in perception of good and evil, but also provides evidence on how important it is for an innocent person experiencing guilt to come to terms with their personal past. First, Mulisch uses the characters Takes, Coster, and Ploeg to express the differences in perspective on the night of the assault. Then he uses Anton to express how one cannot hide from the past because of their guilt. Both of these lessons are important to Mulisch and worth sharing with his readers.

    Read More

  • Concealed and Confessed Guilt in The Scarlet Letter and Macbeth

    542 Words  | 2 Pages

    Two classical themes in literature are concealed guilt and confessed guilt and in many instances the reader sees the affects of these on individuals. In the examination and exploration of The Scarlet Letter and Macbeth the necessary comparison for both is provided. The guilt in The Scarlet Letter is seen in the minds and outward appearance of each main character, Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. In Macbeth the readers sees an obvious guilt in the main character, Macbeth.

    Read More

  • What Is The Ultimate Justice System In Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None?

    1351 Words  | 3 Pages

    With the typical mystery novel falling between the common outline of victims and an unknown criminal that is painted in a dull and consistent palette of predictability, every single character in this storyline is a criminal but also a victim of their own guilt. Rather than exploring the mere surface of leveled justice, a deeper meaning of the concept is reached as death is doled out in an order of increasing guilt; those who are less guilty die towards the beginning of the purge to evade the anxiety and panic that haunts one as they continue their trek and witness their fate. Evading the governmental justice system before, the characters are emotionally tortured as they succumb to their thoughts and

    Read More

  • Guilt In The Sweet Hereafter By Russell Banks

    1262 Words  | 3 Pages

    Guilt is a powerful emotion and is the theme for many different works of art. It is the basis for many decisions made by people in their everyday lives. Guilty people avoid their demons by distracting themselves but that seldom absolves their guilt. The Sweet Hereafter is a novel by Russell Banks that shows different characters dealing with their guilt in different ways. Dolores feels survivors guilt and uses the community as a jury, Nicole feels guilty for how she and her family react to the accident, and Mitchell feels guilty for the way his daughter turns out and buries himself into his work to avoid dealing with his dysfunctional family. This novel is a powerful tribute to grief and the guilt associated with

    Read More

  • Guilt in The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    Overall, the lifestyle changes brought forth by guilt are portrayed through Hawthorne’s use of Biblical allusions. When guilt shadows over an individual’s mind, they often forgot how to differentiate between what they should do and what they’re actually doing. Instead of accepting the guilt and moving on, many express their guilt through actions. When the choice of destroying guilt, or letting it destroy you, comes up, individuals tend to select the option that involves less doing, since they are already ashamed of their deeds.

    Read More

  • Guilt and Conscience in Shakespeare’s Macbeth

    1298 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the theme of guilt and conscience is one of many explored throughout the play. Macbeth, is a well respected Scottish noble who in the beginning of the play is a man everyone looks up to; however as the play progresses he makes a number of bad decisions. Eventually, as a result of his actions he suffers guilt and this plays heavily upon his character until his personality is completely destroyed. Shakespeare uses a range of techniques in order to develop this theme such as, characters, imagery.

    Read More

  • Perceptions of Human Nature in A Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe

    573 Words  | 2 Pages

    Human nature is a conglomerate perception which is the dominant liable expressed in the short story of “A Tell-Tale Heart”. Directly related, Edgar Allan Poe displays the ramifications of guilt and how it can consume oneself, as well as disclosing the nature of human defense mechanisms, all the while continuing on with displaying the labyrinth of passion and fears of humans which make a blind appearance throughout the story. A guilty conscience of one’s self is a pertinent facet of human nature that Edgar Allan Poe continually stresses throughout the story. The emotion that causes a person to choose right from wrong, good over bad is guilt, which consequently is one of the most ethically moral and methodically powerful emotion known to human nature. Throughout the story, Edgar Allan Poe displays the narrator to be rather complacent and pompous, however, the narrator establishes what one could define as apprehension and remorse after committing murder of an innocent man. It is to believe that the narrator will never confess but as his heightened senses blur the lines between real and ...

    Read More

  • Atonement Response

    868 Words  | 2 Pages

    For Briony, the possibility of atonement does not exist. She makes many attempts to achieve it, but she is caught in an endless pursuit. Briony realizes that she destroyed Robbie’s and Cecelia’s lives and she can never undo the damage. Even though she has been diagnosed with vascular dementia which will make her forget everything she ever knew, forgetting will not grant her true atonement. Through Briony’s inability to obtain atonement, McEwan asserts that atonement is an unreachable goal.

    Read More

  • The Quest for Atonement in Ian McEwan's Atonement

    1526 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ian McEwan illustrates a profound theme that builds details throughout the novel Atonement, the use of guilt and the quest for atonement are used with in the novel to convey the central dynamic aspect in the novel. McEwan constructs the emotion of guilt that is explored through the main character, Briony Tallis. The transition of child and entering the adult world, focus on the behavior and motivation of the young narrator Briony. Briony writes passages that entail her attempt to wash away her guilt as well find forgiveness for her sins. In which Briony ruined the lives and the happiness of her sister, Cecilia, and her lover Robbie. The reality of the events, attempts to achieve forgiveness for her actions. She is unable to understand the consequences of the actions as a child but grows to develop the understanding of the consequence with age. McEwan exemplifies an emotional novel that alters reality as he amplifies the creative acts of literature. In this essay I will be arguing that, the power of guilt prevents people from moving on from obstacles that hold them in the past.

    Read More

  • Point of View in Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield

    586 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...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.

    Read More

  • How Does Briony Change In Atonement

    1727 Words  | 4 Pages

    After seeing what she thought to be an attack on her sister, it completely changes her outlook on Robbie. This also shows how Briony is present in all of the scenes that affect Robbie’s life, proving that Briony is like a God and watching over his actions. The final key event in which Briony observes Robbie from above is when he is being taken away by the police for the crime Briony accused him of- raping her cousin. Looking down from her room, “She saw how his arms were forced in front of him, and from her vantage point she saw the silver glint of steel below his shirt cuff. The disgrace of it horrified her. It was further confirmation of his guilt, and the beginning of his punishment” (McEwan 173). This shows how Briony is able to witness the other key scene that sets in motion the other implications her crime has on Robbie’s life. In “The Absence of Atonement in Atonement” Charles Pastoor, who is an English professor at John Brown University, describes how “Briony is not the kind of god one wants to have governing one's universe, but on several levels, she is, unfortunately, the god who governs Robbie's” (Pastoor). This proves

    Read More

  • Confronting Guilt In Franz Kafka’s The Trial

    1287 Words  | 3 Pages

    If we are to be truly innocent and humble beings, we must recognize our own innate guilt as human and accept it. If we do not, we will constantly be obsessed by our “state of apparent acquittals”. Kafka, Franz. A. The Trial. Trans.

    Read More

More about Theme Of Atonement

Open Document