6.5.3

Paul Marshall's Power

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Paul Marshall's Power in Atonement

McEwan also depicts Marshall as a war profiteer, exploiting the suffering of others for his own private gain. Marshall is genuinely excited by the prospect of another catastrophic war in Europe.

Illustrative background for Marshall's desire for warIllustrative background for Marshall's desire for war ?? "content

Marshall's desire for war

  • Marshall is genuinely excited because he sees a war as the perfect marketing opportunity for his chocolate Amo bars to “become part of the standard-issue ration pack” used by the British Armed Forces (p50).
  • Marshall’s strategy is clearly successful, with Amo bars mentioned in the Dunkirk section of the novel. But the fact that Marshall becomes richer as a result of the atrocities of war (which will eventually claim the life of Robbie) will be deeply offensive to most readers.
Illustrative background for Does Marshall atone for his sins?Illustrative background for Does Marshall atone for his sins? ?? "content

Does Marshall atone for his sins?

  • Marshall evades punishment for his crimes and allows the innocent to suffer.
  • The charitable work that the Marshall Foundation does may be a form of atonement for the sins of his past. But this is little consolation to readers who have followed Robbie’s struggle to survive the war. Briony wonders if Marshall has “spent a lifetime making amends” (p357). This may suggest that his marriage to Lola, arising from convenience rather than love, may have been a form of punishment. McEwan leaves this unresolved.
Illustrative background for Marshall's power in Part FourIllustrative background for Marshall's power in Part Four ?? "content

Marshall's power in Part Four

  • We learn in Part Four that Marshall has been made a Lord and is therefore the picture of respectability.
  • His wealth and power also make it impossible for Briony to publish her novel as it is obvious Marshall would sue for libel.
  • McEwan may be asking us to reflect on contemporary British society, and how the wealthy and powerful can evade justice or punishment for the crimes they have committed.

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

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