Settings in Atonement

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Settings in Part One & Two of Atonement

The country house is the setting of Part One. Northern France is the setting of Part Two.

Part One: Country house

The country house setting of Part One is a typical English crime fiction setting. Authors like Agatha Christie used this kind of setting a lot.
It provides crime writers with a sealed-off world of wealth and privilege and a cast of characters who remain in situ throughout the story. It also provides readers with the thrill of watching the dark secrets of the upper classes being brought into the light.

Treatment of the police

Emily Tallis clearly sees herself as rather superior to the police inspectors assigned to the case:
- She is initially unwilling to even call them;
- When they arrive, she treats them as “menials”.
Her and Paul Marshall seem to have a degree of influence over the inspectors and so are able to strengthen the case against the lower-class Robbie Turner.

Part Two: Northern France

The setting in Part Two is northern France during the British retreat to the beaches of Dunkirk.
This may at first be considered an unusual setting for a crime text, but through Robbie’s perspective, we are encouraged to reflect on war as a crime against humanity.

Dehumanising effect of war

We see how modern industrialised warfare can destroy innocent civilian lives in an instant and how war dehumanises all involved.
The scene in the bar demonstrates how even someone as fair-minded as Robbie can feel the “exhilaration” of being part of the mob who vent their frustrations on the RAF man, the trauma of war removing “any remaining sense of individual responsibility” (p252) from the men involved.

Settings in Parts Three and Four of Atonement

Part Three is set in Briony's hospital. Part Four returns to the Tallis home, now Tilney's Hotel.

Part Three: Hospital

The hospital setting of Part Three further explores the horrors of war.
The lengthy description of Briony’s first 24 hours tending to the critically wounded arriving from Dunkirk is one of the most intense and moving passages in the novel. The setting provides moments of tenderness (e.g. Briony’s comforting of Luc Cornet in his final moments) but also of horror.

Marshall's crime & Briony's nursing

The reference to the “sodden crumbs of Amo bars” (p304) in the hospital serves to remind us of Marshall’s crimes: his probable rape of Lola by the island temple and his exploitation of war.
Briony’s choosing to become a nurse can also be seen as a reaction to her crime, her first step in atoning for the false accusation against Robbie.

Part Four: Tilney's Hotel

The final part of the novel returns us, and Briony, to the Tallis house, now Tilney’s Hotel, 64 years after the crimes of that summer evening in 1935. This represents a whole lifetime of guilt for Briony, who is now 77 years old.
Briony speaks to us directly in the first person and reveals that the whole novel has been written by her as an attempt to atone for the sins of her past and to bring “the lovers” back to life.

Briony's deception as narrator

For some critics, this acts as yet another revelation of a crime: a crime against the reader.
We learn that Briony largely pieced together Robbie’s experiences in Dunkirk through the records at the Imperial War Museum and that the meeting between Briony, Cecilia and Robbie, with its promise of future reconciliation, did not happen. Instead, both Robbie and Cecilia died in 1940, both as victims of the war.

Briony's justification

The older Briony justifies her decision to rewrite the past as “a stand against oblivion and despair” (p372).
Briony never makes the comparison directly, but we should perhaps consider that her decision to lie to the reader is similar to her decision to lie to the dying Luc Cornet and play the role of his sweetheart – an act of comfort and kindness and a testament to the power of love. However, readers may react negatively to being manipulated and begin to question other aspects of Briony’s narrative.

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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