6.2.2
Robbie in Part One
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Robbie Turner in Part One of Atonement
In Part One, Robbie has finished his studies in English Literature at Cambridge and has the blessing and financial backing of Jack Tallis to pursue medicine as a career.
Robbie's optimisim in Part One
- Robbie is full of optimism about life; on his way to the Tallis house for dinner he feels he has his whole life in front of him.
Relationship with Tallises & Cecilia
- Robbie is comfortable in his own skin, conscious of the class difference between himself and the Tallis family (his mother is their cleaning lady) but not resentful of or embarrassed by it.
- However, he is aware of a certain awkwardness between himself and Cecilia, despite their being childhood friends and studying in the same university. This new tension between them is shown in the scene by the fountain and its aftermath, where both struggle to interpret the confusion they feel.
Robbie's interactions with Cecilia
- Robbie is sexually stimulated by the memory of Cecilia’s undressing before stepping into the fountain which leads to him adding the obscene footnote to his note to her.
- The next time we see him and Cecilia together is when they are making love in the library. Briony sees this as an assault whereas, when the scene is focalized through Robbie’s perspective, the intensity of their passion for each other is described in intimate detail.
Robbie's heroic traits
- There are heroic aspects to Robbie’s character. We see glimpses of these in Part One.
- This is most notable when he returns home in the early morning with the runaway twins. Briony admits that her younger self was infatuated by him and clearly models her story of the “humble woodcutter” who saves a princess from drowning on herself and Robbie.
Briony's testing of Robbie
- Briony even tests Robbie out, deliberately falling into the pool so that Robbie is forced into the role of heroic rescuer.
- In Part Two, Robbie suspects that this incident may help explain the accusation she makes against him, although the older Briony dismisses this idea.
- However, readers may suspect that Briony is providing her readers with another idealised version of Robbie, particularly in Part Two of the novel.
1Introduction to Atonement
1.1Introduction & Background to Atonement
1.2Focus of Your Exam: Crime Texts
2Chapter Summaries & Analysis: Part One
2.6Chapter 6
2.10Chapter 10
2.11Chapter 11
2.12Chapter 12
2.13Chapter 13
2.14Chapter 14
3Chapter Summaries & Analysis: Part Two
3.1Pages 191-201: To the Farmhouse
3.2Pages 202-213: The Night in the Barn
3.3Pages 214-226: The Attack
3.4Pages 226-234: Robbie's Reflections
3.5Pages 234-246: To the Bridge over the Canal
3.6Pages 246-254: Arrival at Dunkirk
3.7Pages 254-265: To the Cellar
4Chapter Summaries & Analysis: Part Three
4.1Pages 269-277: London, 1940
4.2Pages 277-286: Briony as Writer
4.3Pages 287-315: Victims of War
4.4Pages 315-327: Lola & Paul Marshall’s Wedding
4.5Pages 328-349: The Visit
5Chapter Summaries & Analysis: Part Four
5.1Epilogue: London, 1999 - Pages 353-371
6Key Character Profiles
6.1Briony Tallis
6.2Robbie Turner
6.3Cecilia Tallis
6.5Paul Marshall
6.6Emily Tallis
7Key Themes
7.1Introduction to Crime Texts
7.2Crimes in Atonement
7.3Criminals in Atonement
7.4Victims in Atonement
7.5Detection in Atonement
7.6Settings in Atonement
7.7Guilt & Punishment in Atonement
8Writing Techniques
9Context
9.1Historical Context
9.2Social Context
9.3Literary Context
10Critical Debates
10.1Marxist Literary Criticism
Jump to other topics
1Introduction to Atonement
1.1Introduction & Background to Atonement
1.2Focus of Your Exam: Crime Texts
2Chapter Summaries & Analysis: Part One
2.6Chapter 6
2.10Chapter 10
2.11Chapter 11
2.12Chapter 12
2.13Chapter 13
2.14Chapter 14
3Chapter Summaries & Analysis: Part Two
3.1Pages 191-201: To the Farmhouse
3.2Pages 202-213: The Night in the Barn
3.3Pages 214-226: The Attack
3.4Pages 226-234: Robbie's Reflections
3.5Pages 234-246: To the Bridge over the Canal
3.6Pages 246-254: Arrival at Dunkirk
3.7Pages 254-265: To the Cellar
4Chapter Summaries & Analysis: Part Three
4.1Pages 269-277: London, 1940
4.2Pages 277-286: Briony as Writer
4.3Pages 287-315: Victims of War
4.4Pages 315-327: Lola & Paul Marshall’s Wedding
4.5Pages 328-349: The Visit
5Chapter Summaries & Analysis: Part Four
5.1Epilogue: London, 1999 - Pages 353-371
6Key Character Profiles
6.1Briony Tallis
6.2Robbie Turner
6.3Cecilia Tallis
6.5Paul Marshall
6.6Emily Tallis
7Key Themes
7.1Introduction to Crime Texts
7.2Crimes in Atonement
7.3Criminals in Atonement
7.4Victims in Atonement
7.5Detection in Atonement
7.6Settings in Atonement
7.7Guilt & Punishment in Atonement
8Writing Techniques
9Context
9.1Historical Context
9.2Social Context
9.3Literary Context
10Critical Debates
10.1Marxist Literary Criticism
Practice questions on Robbie in Part One
Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
- 1Which of these are true of Robbie in Part One?True / false
- 2What does Robbie do after the fountain scene? Multiple choice
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