8.3.1
Symbolism of the Vase & Amo Bar
Symbolism of the Vase in Atonement
Symbolism of the Vase in Atonement
Partly because of the awkwardness between Cecilia and Robbie, they end up breaking the priceless Meissen porcelain vase which Cecilia has taken to the fountain to fill with water.
Quotation: breaking vase
Quotation: breaking vase
- “With a sound like a dry twig snapping, a section of the lip of the vase came away in his hand, and split into two triangular pieces which dropped into the water…” (p29).
Symbolises fragile relationship
Symbolises fragile relationship
- This can be seen as symbolic on several levels.
- The broken vase could symbolise the fragility of Robbie’s and Cecilia’s love affair with the two lovers forced apart by Briony’s witness statement.
Symbolises wealth
Symbolises wealth
- The vase can also be seen as symbolic of the Tallis family’s fortunes: the family will be torn apart in the weeks and months following Robbie’s arrest and they will eventually lose their grand country house.
Symbol of war
Symbol of war
- The vase can also be seen as a symbol of war.
- The vase was given to Uncle Clem, Jack Tallis’ brother, to recognise his role in the liberation of a village in France during the First World War.
- Two decades later, the scene by the fountain will begin a chain of events which will lead to Robbie’s death in northern France during the Second World War.
Frank Kermode on the vase
Frank Kermode on the vase
- In a review of Atonement which appeared in the London Review of Books in October, 2001, the critic Frank Kermode suggested that the damage to the vase “echoes what happens to other fragile objects highly valued but easily ruined, such as Cecilia’s virginity, and indeed life itself.”
Symbolism of the Amo Bar & 'Steeple' Gesture in Atonement
Symbolism of the Amo Bar & 'Steeple' Gesture in Atonement
The Amo bars manufactured by Paul Marshall are a recurring motif in the play.
Symbolism of exploitation
Symbolism of exploitation
- Their appearance in Part Three of the novel confirms that Marshall’s “vision” of the chocolate bar becoming standard issue for every British soldier has come true.
- The Amo bars can be seen as a symbol of exploitation. Marshall exploits the coming of a new war as a marketing opportunity for his product, deliberately giving it a name with military associations (‘ammo’ - ammunition), a connotation underlined by McEwan using the term “shell” to describe its hard outer coating.
Tool of seduction
Tool of seduction
- Marshall also uses the chocolate bar as a tool of seduction with which he exploits Lola’s vulnerability.
- Marshall’s language to her is inappropriately sexualised and the pleasure he takes from watching her eat it is disturbing.
Marshall's "steeple" gesture
Marshall's "steeple" gesture
- When Lola first tastes the Amo bar at the end of Chapter 5, Paul Marshall is described as “watching her closely over the steeple he made with his hands in front of his face” (p62).
- Commentators have suggested that this “steeple” shape can be seen as a foreshadowing of Marshall’s sexual assault of Lola which takes place by the island temple.
Cecilia's 'steeple' hand gesture
Cecilia's 'steeple' hand gesture
- Interestingly, the same gesture is made by Cecilia in Chapter 11 as she draws Robbie “deeper into the gloom” of the library before they make love.
- This time, the sexual act is consensual, but Briony will misinterpret it as Robbie acting like a “maniac”.
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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