Pages 191-201: Key Themes
English Lit: AQA A Level Atonement - Specification B, topic 3.1.2
Key Themes in Pages 191-201: To The Farmhouse
Events are focalized through Robbie. Almost immediately, we see signs of his exhaustion as he searches for a map which is actually in his hand.
Robbie's corporals & wound
- The two corporals who accompany him treat him as their superior even though he is not an officer. Robbie is gently teased by the corporals, Mace and Nettle, but is clearly respected and trusted by both men. He is able to read a map and can speak French, valuable skills as they struggle to survive their retreat north.
- We learn about the wound which troubles him although he keeps it hidden from the others.
Robbie as a heroic leader
- Robbie cannot get the image of the severed leg out of his mind and he is haunted by the thought that the scrap of clothing he saw “may have been a child’s pyjamas”.
- Overall, Robbie is characterised as a quietly heroic figure, able to lead and protect others while trying to manage his wound, his exhaustion and the evident signs of trauma as best he can. Robbie also carries a strong sense of moral purpose, feeling “shame” at the British army’s ignoble retreat.
Time shift: five years future
- The storyline shifts forward almost five years into the future. The opening paragraphs are disorientating for the reader as we do not know where, or with who, we are until the relevant details are gradually revealed to us.
Key Themes in Pages 191-201: To The Farmhouse
Robbie, Nettle and Mace are following the order for British troops to retreat to Dunkirk on the northern French coast where they will be shipped back to England.
Robbie's retreat route
- The journey is fraught with danger: Robbie decides to avoid the main roads which are a favourite target of the enemy’s bombing raids. The three men use a map which Robbie has retrieved from a dead officer to take country paths wherever possible.
Setting shows war "horrors"
- McEwan exploits this particular setting to drive home the “horrors” of war, the word appearing in the opening sentence of Part Two.
- The image of the leg in a tree haunts Robbie but his companions refuse to dwell on it as “in the past few days they had seen enough”.
Bonnet account of destruction
- Even when they find shelter in the farmhouse, they (and we as readers) are provided with further gruesome stories.
- The Bonnet brothers recount the destruction they have seen around the town of Arras and are clearly traumatised by the memories: “When they shut their eyes, they saw those mutilated bodies” (p199).
Test yourself on Pages 191-201: Key Themes
What sign is there that Robbie is exhausted at the start of Part Two?
Why does McEwan exploit the wartime setting in Part Two?
Describe the key features of Robbie's route to Dunkirk.