Atonement is not a book that is meant to please the reader, and when it does give the reader some sort of satisfaction, it doesn’t forget to completely reverse this effect by the end of the book. Not only this, but all of the unfortunate events that occur throughout the novel are credited to one source: Briony. This makes it extremely easy to hate her from the very start of the novel, and this may be an irreversible feeling for some people. However, part of me feels as though we’re a little too harsh on her. When you take all of the circumstances into consideration, it’s easier to understand where she’s coming from. Briony made one mistake, when she was extremely young, and although it had detrimental effects on two people she cares about, she still tried to make up for it for the rest of her life.
For starters, she was only a simple child when she made the biggest mistake of her life. I think this fact, in conjunction with her good intentions, is something that is often overlooked by the reader. Kids do stupid things all the time, and there is no denying it. Their imaginations are wild, and sometimes it’s difficult for them to tell when they’re being irrational. This doesn’t necessarily justify what she did, but it is the first step towards explaining and understanding what happened. When Robbie asks Briony what caused her to realized that what she did was wrong, Briony replied by saying “Growing up” (McEwan, 323). Although Briony wrote this section of the book, and it didn’t “really happen”, she’s writing it honestly and it is what she would hypothetically say to Robbie if that situation were to occur.
Secondly, Briony was literally stuck in the past throughout her entire life because she couldn’t get over the terrible thing she had done. She made a mistake, but what magnified the effect of this mistake was the terrible impact it had on someone she looked up to and loved: Cecilia. The way Briony feels about Cecilia is heartwarming and saddening at the same time. Throughout the novel, she envies Cecilia, wants to protect her, and only speaks good of her. During the third section of the book, Briony describes Cecilia as having a “noldly sensual [face], with an accentuated bow of the full purplish lips. The eyes were dark and enlarged) (McEwan, 314). Briony also describes Cecilia and being “more beautiful than Briony remembered her” (McEwan, 314). This shows how highly Briony thinks of her sister.
It is evident that Briony only wants what is best for her sister and Lola, and it proves that her intentions were always pure when it came to those around her. She was only a 13 year old girl who was trying to protect her family. Good intentions, bad execution. This reminds me of a freaky Japanese horror film that I watched a long time ago. I don't remember the name, however the general plot-line was that a girl was trying to protect her twin sister from their mother because she thought the mother was trying to kill her. Turns out the girl is insane and hallucinated all of the bad things she thought her mother had done. She also hallucinated her sister’s existence because, in reality, the girl killed her sister a few years back. The girl cared a lot for her twin sister, just like Briony cares a lot for Cecilia. However, both the girl and Briony end up hurting the person that they care about.
The fact that Briony tried so hard to reach forgiveness is very admirable. It may not have been the best idea to practically spoil her entire life because she refuses to forgive herself, but nonetheless, it shows how much she cared about the mistake made. She also cares a lot for her sister and the rest of her family. The novel doesn't mention anything else that went terribly wrong in her life, so it seems as though Briony learned from her mistake, and lived a moderately humble life.
My reply to Louwyn’s response:
I completely agree with Louwyn, and especially with her introduction. I do also believe that we, as readers, are quick to nit-pick the faults of each character. This point is even more evident when it comes to characters that are shown in a bad light, as Briony tends to be. Her actions truly are far more understandable when one takes into account all of the circumstances. Louwyn also brought up the point that Briony was very young and innocent when she made the accusation, as I did in my post. Louwyn also examined the entire situation in a way that I believe every student should. If you go into the second half of the book already hating Briony, then your mindset will stop you from seeing the good qualities that she does possess. Briony is clearly not a despicable person, and she’s not evil because her intentions are good. Louwyn brought up a good point that I hadn’t thought of, and this was the fact that Briony is very passionate about her writing, and that in itself is admirable. She seeks atonement through her writing, which is sad and leaves the reader feeling sympathetic towards her. If Briony truly was a terrible person, it’d be impossible to feel sympathy for her.
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