Lola, Robbie & Cecilia as Victims

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Victims in Atonement - Lola Quincey

Lola is the first victim in the novel. She is presented as a rather lonely and insecure figure in the opening chapters.

Reasons for Lola's insecurity

Lola has been forced out of her family home because of her parents’ very public divorce.
She is now in the care of an aunt (Emily) who has little time for her.

Lola's life stage

At 15 years old, Lola is caught between childhood and adulthood: she tries to be a protective parent figure for her two younger siblings, Jackson and Pierrot, who are both deeply affected by their parents’ divorce but she is not yet on a par with Emily’s older children, Leon and Cecilia. Instead, she has to socialise with the younger children, the 13-year-old Briony and the even younger twins.
Marshall exploits Lola’s vulnerability and her desire to be treated as a grown-up, offering Lola the attention from an adult that she longs for.

Lola's trauma from the assault

Lola endures trauma during and following the sexual assault upon her.
The description of her “hugging herself and rocking” (p165) after being discovered by Briony suggests she is deeply shaken.

Briony naming Lola a criminal

However, McEwan also creates some ambiguity over her status as victim.
In Part Four, the older Briony names Lola first in a list of those who had committed a crime (“There was our crime – Lola’s, Marshalls, mine” p369) and, at the very least, Lola’s silence over the identity of her attacker condemns Robbie to prison.

Lola's almost confession

McEwan provides us with a tantalising moment when it looks like Lola may reveal the truth and perhaps admit some complicity in the act (“she may have been about to embark upon a long confession” p166) but Briony cuts her off.
At the end of the novel, Briony sees her as resembling the cartoon villain, “Cruella de Vil”.

Victims in Atonement - Robbie and Cecilia

Robbie is the victim that the novel focuses on most. Cecilia is another victim in the novel.

Robbie - victim of class divisions

Robbie can be seen as a victim of the strict class divisions and “snobbery” (p209) in English society. The Tallises and Paul Marshall are more than willing to close ranks against him.
In this reading, Robbie is punished for his use of an obscenity frowned upon in upper-middle-class society and for having sexual contact with someone above his station.
He can also be seen as the victim of Briony’s childish infatuation with him.

Robbie - victim of war

Robbie is also the victim of war. He is mortally wounded by the shrapnel in his side and he is haunted by the horrors of what he has seen.
You should consider whether Briony presents us with an idealised version of Robbie, particularly in Part Two of the novel where he is a quietly heroic figure – brave, sensitive and a leader to those around him. Is Briony’s portrayal of him an act of atonement from her, a subtle rewriting of history as a means of assuaging her feelings of guilt?

Cecilia as victim

Cecilia is another victim in the novel.
- She has to endure a forced separation from Robbie.
- She cuts off all contact with her own family.
Briony imagines the physical effects of the whole ordeal on her when she describes Cecilia’s eyes as betraying a sense of “fatigue” or “sorrow” (p322) before she provides the shattering revelation that she and Robbie died within months of each other.

1Introduction to Atonement

1.1Introduction & Background to Atonement

1.1.1Background to the Author - Ian McEwan

1.1.2Settings & Historical Context of Atonement

1.1.3Social Issues Raised in Atonement

1.2Focus of Your Exam: Crime Texts

1.2.1Atonement as a Crime Text

2Chapter Summaries & Analysis: Part One

2.1Chapter 1

2.1.1Chapter 1: Key Events

2.1.2Chapter 1: Key Themes

2.2Chapter 2

2.2.1Chapter 2: Key Events

2.2.2Chapter 2: Key Themes

2.3Chapter 3

2.3.1Chapter 3: Key Events

2.3.2Chapter 3: Key Themes

2.4Chapter 4

2.4.1Chapter 4: Key Events

2.4.2Chapter 4: Key Themes

2.5Chapter 5

2.5.1Chapter 5: Key Events

2.5.2Chapter 5: Key Themes

2.6Chapter 6

2.6.1Chapter 6: Key Events & Themes

2.7Chapter 7

2.7.1Chapter 7: Key Events

2.7.2Chapter 7: Key Themes

2.8Chapter 8

2.8.1Chapter 8: Key Events

2.8.2Chapter 8: Key Themes

2.9Chapter 9

2.9.1Chapter 9: Key Events

2.9.2Chapter 9: Key Themes

2.10Chapter 10

2.10.1Chapter 10: Key Events

2.10.2Chapter 10: Key Themes

2.11Chapter 11

2.11.1Chapter 11: Key Events

2.11.2Chapter 11: Key Themes

2.12Chapter 12

2.12.1Chapter 12: Key Events

2.12.2Chapter 12: Key Themes

2.13Chapter 13

2.13.1Chapter 13: Key Events

2.13.2Chapter 13: Key Themes

2.14Chapter 14

2.14.1Chapter 14: Key Events

2.14.2Chapter 14: Key Themes

3Chapter Summaries & Analysis: Part Two

3.1Pages 191-201: To the Farmhouse

3.1.1Pages 191-201: Key Events

3.1.2Pages 191-201: Key Themes

3.2Pages 202-213: The Night in the Barn

3.2.1Pages 202-213: Key Events

3.2.2Pages 202-213: Key Themes

3.3Pages 214-226: The Attack

3.3.1Pages 214-226: Key Events

3.3.2Pages 214-226: Key Themes

3.4Pages 226-234: Robbie's Reflections

3.4.1Pages 226-234: Key Events

3.4.2Pages 226-234: Key Themes

3.5Pages 234-246: To the Bridge over the Canal

3.5.1Pages 234-246: Key Events

3.5.2Pages 234-246: Key Themes

3.6Pages 246-254: Arrival at Dunkirk

3.6.1Pages 246-254: Key Events

3.6.2Pages 246-254: Key Themes

3.7Pages 254-265: To the Cellar

3.7.1Pages 254-265: Key Events

3.7.2Pages 254-265: Key Themes

4Chapter Summaries & Analysis: Part Three

4.1Pages 269-277: London, 1940

4.1.1Pages 269-277: Key Events

4.1.2Pages 269-277: Key Themes

4.2Pages 277-286: Briony as Writer

4.2.1Pages 277-286: Key Events

4.2.2Pages 277-286: Key Themes

4.3Pages 287-315: Victims of War

4.3.1Pages 287-315: Key Events

4.3.2Pages 287-315: Key Themes

4.4Pages 315-327: Lola & Paul Marshall’s Wedding

4.4.1Pages 315-327: Key Events

4.4.2Pages 315-327: Key Themes

4.5Pages 328-349: The Visit

4.5.1Pages 328-349: Key Events

4.5.2Pages 328-349: Key Themes

5Chapter Summaries & Analysis: Part Four

5.1Epilogue: London, 1999 - Pages 353-371

5.1.1Pages 353-371: Key Events

5.1.2Pages 353-371: Key Themes

6Key Character Profiles

6.1Briony Tallis

6.1.1Overview of Briony's Character

6.1.2Briony in Part One

6.1.3Briony in Part Three & Four

6.2Robbie Turner

6.2.1Overview of Robbie's Character

6.2.2Robbie in Part One

6.2.3Robbie in Part Two & Three

6.3Cecilia Tallis

6.3.1Cecilia in Part One

6.3.2Cecilia in Part Three

6.4Lola Quincey

6.4.1Overview of Lola Quincey

6.4.2Lola Relationship with Marshall

6.5Paul Marshall

6.5.1Overview of Paul Marshall

6.5.2Paul Marshall's Relationship with Lola

6.5.3Paul Marshall's Power

6.6Emily Tallis

6.6.1Overview of Emily Tallis

6.6.2Emily Tallis' Character

7Key Themes

7.1Introduction to Crime Texts

7.1.1Common Themes in Crime Texts

7.2Crimes in Atonement

7.2.1Crimes in Atonement

7.2.2Structural Patterning & Ambiguity in Crime Texts

7.3Criminals in Atonement

7.3.1Paul Marshall & Lola as Criminals

7.3.2Narrative Point of View in Crime Texts

7.4Victims in Atonement

7.4.1Lola, Robbie & Cecilia as Victims

7.4.2Females Victims & Social Class in Crime Texts

7.5Detection in Atonement

7.5.1Detection in Atonement

7.5.2Detection in Crime Texts

7.6Settings in Atonement

7.6.1Settings in Atonement

7.6.2Symbolism of Settings in Crime Texts

7.7Guilt & Punishment in Atonement

7.7.1Marshall & Briony Escaping Punishment

7.7.2Guilt & Punishment in Crime Texts

8Writing Techniques

8.1Structure

8.1.1Overview of Structure

8.1.2Metanarrative, Circular Structure & Ending

8.1.3Manipulation of Time

8.2Form

8.2.1Narrative Perspective

8.2.2Genre

8.3Symbols & Motifs

8.3.1Symbolism of the Vase & Amo Bar

8.4Language

8.4.1Focalising Through Briony & Robbie

9Context

9.1Historical Context

9.1.1The Summer of 1935

9.1.2Dunkirk, 1940

9.1.3London, 1940

9.2Social Context

9.2.1Social Class

9.2.2The Role of Women in the 1930/40s

9.3Literary Context

9.3.1Literary Genres & Atonement

10Critical Debates

10.1Marxist Literary Criticism

10.1.1Introduction to Marxist Literary Criticism

10.1.2Marxist Readings: Importance of Social Class

10.1.3Marxist Reading: Capitalist Exploitation & War

10.2Feminist Literary Criticism

10.2.1Introduction to Feminist Literary Criticism

10.2.2Feminist Readings: Gender Roles & Stereotypes

10.2.3Feminist Readings: Marriage & Family

10.2.4Feminist Readings: Male & Female Sexuality

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