Overview of Robbie's Character
English Lit: AQA A Level Atonement - Specification B, topic 6.2.1
Overview of Robbie Turner's Character in Atonement
Like Briony, we see Robbie in three different life stages. Briony has invented the Robbie she presents in Part Three.
Stages of Robbie's life
- We see Robbie in three different phases of his life:
- Firstly, as a young man fresh from his studies at Cambridge.
- Secondly, as a wounded soldier retreating to Dunkirk in northern France, the memories of his three and a half years in prison still fresh in his mind.
- Finally, in London later that same year, as Cecilia’s partner.
Briony's verion of Robbie
- We will eventually learn that the third depiction of Robbie is only a product of Briony’s imagination (although, strictly speaking, in the world of the novel all three versions of Robbie have been ‘written’ by Briony).
- Briony has recreated the Robbie of Part Two from her research at the Imperial War Museum and correspondence with veterans such as Corporal Nettle.
Test yourself on Overview of Robbie's Character
What life stage is Robbie at in Part One of Atonement?