Pages 277-286: Key Themes
English Lit: AQA A Level Atonement - Specification B, topic 4.2.2
Key Themes in Pages 277-286: Briony as Writer
Briony is presented as more mature than her fellow trainees who are rather “theatrical” in their expressions of homesickness.
Briony's distance from family
- By contrast, Briony’s letters home are “concise” and “conveyed little more than that she was not ill, not unhappy…” (p277).
- Briony is more distant from her home and family than the others and she values her “independence” (p278).
Briony's shock at the marriage
- The news of the marriage of Marshall and Quincey has a profound “shock” on Briony. We see, perhaps for the first time, her intense feelings of “guilt” and her fear that what she did in Part One was “unforgivable” (p285).
Events from Part One-Three
- We learn a little of the time between the events in Part One and the ‘present’ in Part Three - such as Briony living with her relatives in London, apart from either of her parents.
- We can also infer a romantic relationship between Marshall and Lola.
Symbolism: damaged statue
- The damage to the statue in the Triton fountain at home is symbolic of how the life of privilege enjoyed by families such as the Tallises will soon be disrupted by the social changes stemming from World War 2.
Test yourself on Pages 277-286: Key Themes
Where is Briony living in Part Three?