10.2.2

Feminist Readings: Gender Roles & Stereotypes

Test yourself

Gender Roles & Stereotypes in Atonement

The characters in Briony's childhood stories seem to conform to conventional gender roles. Robbie is portrayed as a hero throughout Atonement. Portraying Cecilia and Briony as nurses seems to conform to conventional images of female carers.

Illustrative background for Confirming to gender rolesIllustrative background for Confirming to gender roles ?? "content

Confirming to gender roles

  • Briony’s childhood stories are centred around characters who strongly conform to the gender roles prevalent in children’s fiction of the era.
  • Her heroines tend to be princesses whose stories end happily in marriage. They also tend to be rather passive figures while the male heroes are depicted as saviours: Arabella is “bed-bound” (p3) after contracting cholera when she is brought back to health by her “medical prince” and another princess is saved from drowning by a “humble woodcutter” (p38).
Illustrative background for Briony acting out fantasies Illustrative background for Briony acting out fantasies  ?? "content

Briony acting out fantasies

  • Briony even tries to make these fantasies a reality, deliberately falling into a pool to force Robbie into the role of saviour and to allow her to adopt the role of rescued maiden who swears her “love” for her knight in shining armour.
Illustrative background for Comparing presentation of genderIllustrative background for Comparing presentation of gender ?? "content

Comparing presentation of gender

  • In Part Four, we learn that an older Briony is the ‘true’ author of the novel we have been reading. We're invited to compare younger Briony’s assumptions of how men and women should behave with older Briony’s representation of gender.
    • E.g. you could argue that even the older Briony continues to depict Robbie as a hero. We see him in the role of rescuer when he leads the twins back to the Tallis household the morning after they have run away and the Robbie of Part Two is portrayed as a leader, entrusted by Mace and Nettle to guide them safely to Dunkirk.
Illustrative background for Is Briony distorting reality?Illustrative background for Is Briony distorting reality? ?? "content

Is Briony distorting reality?

  • Readers should perhaps consider whether Briony is distorting reality by portraying Robbie as such a noble and heroic figure.
    • Can her depiction of Robbie be trusted, or is it too close to the fairy tale heroes she fantasised about as a child?
    • Has she created an idealised version of Robbie as a way of atoning for her “crime” against him?
Illustrative background for Conventional female carersIllustrative background for Conventional female carers ?? "content

Conventional female carers

  • The portrayal of Briony and Cecilia as nurses may be seen as a conventional representation of women as carers.
  • There is a clear gender divide in Briony’s hospital, with men as doctors (or soldiers) and women as nurses. At various times, Briony adopts the role of mother (“she cradled their filthy heads against her apron”) or sweetheart (playing along with Luc Cornet’s notion that she is a girl from his village in order to provide comfort in his final moments).
Illustrative background for Strength of female nurses Illustrative background for Strength of female nurses  ?? "content

Strength of female nurses

  • However, the role of nurse is shown to be physically demanding and emotionally gruelling, requiring great reserves of inner strength.
  • Briony is described as developing an “impersonal tenderness” which means that she could “do her work efficiently” (p304), demonstrating the ability to detach herself emotionally from her patients.

Jump to other topics

1Introduction to Atonement

2Chapter Summaries & Analysis: Part One

3Chapter Summaries & Analysis: Part Two

4Chapter Summaries & Analysis: Part Three

5Chapter Summaries & Analysis: Part Four

5.1Epilogue: London, 1999 - Pages 353-371

6Key Character Profiles

7Key Themes

8Writing Techniques

9Context

10Critical Debates

Go student ad image

Unlock your full potential with GoStudent tutoring

  • Affordable 1:1 tutoring from the comfort of your home

  • Tutors are matched to your specific learning needs

  • 30+ school subjects covered

Book a free trial lesson