6.4.1
Overview of Lola Quincey
Lola Quincey in Atonement
Lola Quincey in Atonement
Lola, at 15-years-old, is the eldest of the Quincey children.
Lola's living situation & character
Lola's living situation & character
- Lola and her younger twin brothers, Jackson and Pierrot, have been temporarily put in the care of their aunt, Emily Tallis, and their cousins, while their parents go through a rather public and scandalous divorce.
- Lola is an enigmatic character in the novel. We are never entirely sure to what extent she is a victim or a villain. This in turn affects the reader’s response to her.
Lola's family situation
Lola's family situation
- Lola's difficult family circumstances creates sympathy.
- Paul Marshall lets slip that he has read about her parents’ divorce in the press, suggesting it is a source of national gossip. The subject clearly upsets her, seen with how she reprimands Marshall (p59) and the fury with which she reacts to Jackson’s use of the forbidden word, “divorce” (p57). Lola has no-one to relate to or confide in: her parents are absent; Cecilia is too old; Briony and the twins too young.
Emily Tallis' view of Lola
Emily Tallis' view of Lola
- Emily Tallis has little time for her young niece, seeing her as “the incarnation” (p65) of her sister (and Lola’s mother), Hermione.
- However, considering Emily’s distance from her family and her misjudging the character of Paul Marshall, we should perhaps not take her opinion too seriously.
Lola's attempts to act maturely
Lola's attempts to act maturely
- Like Briony, Lola is caught between childhood and adulthood.
- She mimics the part of the protective parent when she reprimands Marshall for mentioning her parents’ divorce (“Then I’ll thank you not to talk about them in front of the children” p59) and then later tries to impress him with her sophistication in telling him of her going to the London Palladium to see Hamlet.
Lola's spilling of the drink
Lola's spilling of the drink
- However, Lola's innocent mention of how she spilled a “strawberry drink” on her “frock” reminds us that she is not yet an adult.
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
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