Chapter 13: Key Events
English Lit: AQA A Level Atonement - Specification B, topic 2.13.1
Key Events in Chapter 13: Briony Discovers the Assault
Briony searches the area by the island temple and, in the darkness, comes across Lola on the ground with a male figure who leaves as soon as they are discovered.
Briony's discovery & accusation
- McEwan steadily builds tension until the climactic moment of Briony’s discovery by the island temple.
- Briony determines the figure who has sexually assaulted Lola is Robbie.
- On the arrival of Leon and Cecilia, they accompany Lola back to the house.
Quotation: Briony's senses
- “The building’s indistinct pallor shimmered in the dark… it dissolved completely… It was changing its shape in a complicated way… she was witnessing some trick of darkness and perspective…” (p164).
Briony's senses in the dark
- The narrative (which we must remember has been written by Briony years later) emphasises how Briony can barely trust her senses in the darkness, with shapes dissolving and transforming themselves.
- These details help to magnify Briony’s “crime” as it seems impossible that she would be able to make out the figure of Robbie in such conditions.
Test yourself on Chapter 13: Key Events
Where does Briony find Lola and the unknown male figure in Chapter 13?