Chapter 9: Key Events
English Lit: AQA A Level Atonement - Specification B, topic 2.9.1
Key Events in Chapter 9: Cecilia Reads Robbie's Letter
Cecilia dresses for dinner, helps the twins find a new pair of socks and then acts as mediator between her mother and Betty, the cook, as they argue over what to serve their guests.
Cecilia reads Robbie's letter
- Briony gives Cecilia Robbie’s letter.
- Cecilia reads it. Cecilia hides her shock at the contents of the letter, aware that her mother is watching her, but her inner monologue reveals her true reaction.
- Cecilia also realises that, as there is no envelope, Briony must have already opened and read it.
Quotation: Cecilia's realisation
- “Of course. Of course. How had she not seen it? Everything was explained. The whole day, the weeks before, her childhood. A lifetime. It was clear to her now.” (p111).
- This is a moment of epiphany for Cecilia as the reasons for the awkwardness Robbie and Cecilia have around each other become clear.
- The repetition and use of a rhetorical question convey her surprise that she had not figured this out for herself.
Test yourself on Chapter 9: Key Events
How does Cecilia know Briony has read Robbie's note?