Pages 254-265: Key Themes
English Lit: AQA A Level Atonement - Specification B, topic 3.7.2
Key Themes in Pages 254-265: To the Cellar
As Robbie’s wound leads to fever and delirium, the narrative begins to resemble a stream of consciousness.
Reliving the boy's burial
- The stream of consciousness captures Robbie’s fragmented thought process as he flits between his wartime experiences and his memories of the past in England.
- Robbie feels the need to “go back and get the boy from the tree” (p262) and relives the burial of the other dead boy, suggesting he is deeply traumatised from his recent experiences.
"Metallic" water
- The reference to the “metallic” taste of the water is a reminder of Robbie’s physical state and a probable suggestion of internal bleeding.
- As we approach the end of Part Two, Robbie imagines the next day and the return of “order” to the world before his final thoughts which revolve around Cecilia and the repeated mantra, “Come back” (p265).
Ambiguity over Robbie's fate
- McEwan creates ambiguity at the end of Part Two by not revealing Robbie’s fate.
- His final words (“… you won’t hear another word from me”**) can be read as suggesting Robbie’s death.
Guilt & responsibility
- Robbie comes to realise that his ‘crime’ pales into insignificance when compared to the crimes committed in war: “But what was guilt these days? Everyone was guilty., and no one was… All day we’ve witnessed each other’s crimes” (p261). All of humanity is guilty.
- Robbie is still troubled by the thought that he could have done more to help and wants to ask the dead “if they held them accountable for their deaths” (p263).
Peace: Robbie & Briony?
- The trauma and guilt experienced by Robbie contrasts with Briony’s lack of responsibility.
- Robbie imagines he and Briony hiding or suppressing their respective feelings of guilt (“We’ll sleep it off, Briony”) suggesting Robbie making some sort of peace with her. However, we must remember that an older Briony is the ‘true’ narrator of Part Two and, again, may be manipulating our response to her crime.
Test yourself on Pages 254-265: Key Themes
What evidence is there that Robbie is traumatised on p262?
What are Robbie's final words in Part Two?