7.7.1
Marshall & Briony Escaping Punishment
Paul Marshall Escaping Punishment in Atonement
Paul Marshall Escaping Punishment in Atonement
Atonement is unusual as a crime text in that the criminals escape punishment for their crimes. Instead, it is the innocent who suffer: Robbie Turner is imprisoned for a crime he does not commit.
Going against crime conventions
Going against crime conventions
- This absence of appropriate punishment goes against the conventions of crime fiction.
- While the crime genre offers readers the thrill of experiencing transgressions against society’s moral and legal codes, it largely upholds a conservative view of morality: by the end of the story, the guilty must be punished.
- Atonement flouts this expectation.
Marshall's punishment for his guilt
Marshall's punishment for his guilt
- Briony wonders whether Marshall has been punished by guilt (“Perhaps he’s spent a lifetime making amends” p357) and his charitable foundation which promotes medical research may suggest a need to atone for his sins.
"Mausoleum" metaphor
"Mausoleum" metaphor
- Briony’s description of the Marshalls’ marriage as a “mausoleum” may also indicate a form of punishment, as if it is a kind of living death.
- However, there is no escaping the enormity of Marshall’s crimes (the rape of a minor and allowing an innocent man to go to jail) or the fact that he evades justice for them.
Briony Escaping Punishment in Atonement
Briony Escaping Punishment in Atonement
Briony also evades justice for her crime while her ‘victims’, Robbie and Cecilia, both suffer.
Briony's trauma as a nurse
Briony's trauma as a nurse
- However, you could make the case that Briony endures a form of punishment.
- ‘Her’ novel is a final act of atonement and points to her experiencing a lifetime of guilt, first indicated by her decision to follow in her sister’s footsteps and train as a nurse. The trauma she undergoes when caring for the critically wounded can be seen as a form of penance, although readers may well judge that her suffering at no point matches up to Robbie’s.
Briony's apology scene
Briony's apology scene
- Briony writes a scene in which she is able to apologise to Robbie and Cecilia for her actions: “I’m very very sorry. I’ve caused you such terrible distress” (p348).
- But this scene, tragically, never happens, as both Robbie and Cecilia die before Briony has the courage to apologise.
Barrier to the truth: Lola
Barrier to the truth: Lola
- Her novel won't offer her the satisfaction of finally revealing the truth in her lifetime: she is well aware that Lola will outlive her and will prevent publication in her lifetime. The final word of the novel is “sleep” but readers will question how peaceful Briony’s rest will be.
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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