Atonement Chapter 1 Summary

Atonement Readings

Throughout the readings of Atonement written by Ian McEwan we have learned a lot about all the characters. Chapter twelve though gives us insight on Emily Tallis. The twins still missing and Emily debates calling the police. Emily sees the scratch's and bruises on Lola's face and Paul Marshall's scratch on his cheek and finds this "rather shocking, given that it was inflicted by little boys" (Ewan 137). Emily turns to think about the selfish, attention-seeking acts that her sister Hermione has made by abandoning her children, Lola, Jackson, and Pierrot; this halting her attention on Lola's scratch's and bruises. Emily has a memory of looing through Jack Tallis's file's in the den as he slept, and she found a file that implies
Mr. Tallis was part of a board preparing for war. Jack has called the house and Emily had mentioned the twins disappearance that Jack does not show much interest in. Leon takes the phone from his mother and tells his father to return home as soon as possible. The status of Jackson and Perriot is not good. The search still going on from the twins, Briony gets the sense that the twins might be at the temple in the lake.
As she walks towards the lake she sees an image she mistakes for a bush or tree, she actually had witness was two people. She hears Lola call out for her, Briony approached Lola and immediately tries calming her down. It was clear that Lola had been assaulted, this gave perfect opportunity to Briony to put the blame on Robbie. Lola had denied the accusation on Robbie because she had not seen who it was and Lola states she was attacked from behind but Briony was convicted because she knew Robbie. Explaining the sense in the Library of Robbie and Cecilia to Lola, this was how she knew it had to have been him. Briony tells Lola they should return to the house and Lola is not able to move, Leon and Cecilia appear on the bridge. Leon carries Lola back to the Tallis home without questioning what had happened. As returning to the house they find Briony telling the tale of what she "knows" happened. Leading us to chapter fourteen where the interviews
begin. Briony states what she claims to have seen at the temple. Emily try's to clean up Lola and get to her to sleep before the doctor get there. Paul Marshall returns from searching for the twins and turns very anxious to the news that he got from the inspectors. After the senior investigator spoke with him, it seemed as though he excepted them to leave and not have anything else to say. The detectives where not done thought they continued to question Briony of her statement. They wanted to know if she was completely certain. They ask "You saw him with your own eyes" she replies "Yes. I saw him. I saw him" (Ewan 169) This concluding her first testimony. At the end of chapter fourteen Robbie is arrested for the rape of Lola Quincey. Robbie spends three and a half years in a British prison. Cecilia since has moved away from her family and speaks with none of them. Cecilia lives in London and supports Robbie's innocence. It is clear that Robbie had gotten out of the British prison to fight in the war to reduce his sentence. Cecilia and Robbie make plans to spend two weeks together before Robbie has to report to the Army this is interrupted when England declares war on Germany. Robbie has tried to convince Cecilia to get in touch with her family even if it is just to mention where she lives and that she is alive. Cecilia refuses, she is disgusted that they accepted a testimony from Briony and sent an innocent man to prison based on a thirteen year olds word. Briony starts to seek to meet with her older sister and Cecilia expresses to Robbie in a letter that she believes Briony has come to realize that Cecilia needs to know that she has false accused. The novel moves to a dawn awakening with Robbie, Mace and Nettle marching towards Dunkirk through a village under attack by German artillery. The attack injury's many and kills a fifteen year old boy. Moving further towards Dunkirk Robbie has a memory three years prior to Briony's accusation. Robbie remembers attempting to teach Briony how to swim and she pretends to drown herself to test Robbie of saving her life. Robbie asks why Briony would pull such a stunt and she replies she loves her. Looking back Robbie makes a connection that Briony fell in love with Robbie and he had fallen in love with her older sister Cecilia. This transforms Briony's love for Robbie turns into "disappointment, then despair, and eventual bitterness" (Ewan 220). That explain why she would actually want to pursue with the accusations on Robbie. Robbie, Nettle, and Mace arrive at Dunkirk and await with many other soldiers for the British Navy's rescue before the German army arrives. Solider look for alcohol, food and shelter. They find a basement to sleep in of a French women, there are already other soldiers but they manage to find room. Turner has awful nightmares of war and Mace wakes him up because of his "shouting "no" and waking everyone up" (Ewan 248). Robbie drifts back to sleep and realizes Cecilia has stated the same words in their letter as she did at the Tallis house the morning of his arrest "I'll wait for you. Come Back" (Ewan 249, 250) Robbie promises not to make another sound and asks Nettle to wake him up before seven to march to the boats. Throughout this reading it amazes me that Briony had accused Robbie of attacking Lola in such a manner.
Though understand the flashback Robbie had of when he taught her to swim and she had pretended to drown because she challenged his love for her, in thinking that if he saved her he loved her as she loved him which was misunderstood in the mind of a ten year old searching for love. I believe it is looked at by Cecilia as a better situation that Robbie is serving in the Army at war rather then being in the British prison, I see Robbie also feels this way. Which would confuse me if true because prison is a safer place then war, yet again maybe it is better then being in a building with many limits. I am very curious of what happened to the twins, since the search party had returned and Robbie had been accused not much had been mentioned of Jackson and Pierrot. It stuck out to me that Paul Marshall was so nervous and anxious to the news of Robbie assaulting Lola. Which makes me think that is it possible that Paul Marshall had committed the assault on Lola considering the fact that Lola had already been covered in bruises and scratches supposedly left by the twins but Paul had a scratch upon his face a well. This observation makes me look that much closer and who Paul really is. Why did Paul enter after everyone else when the detectives where there. I understand the withdrawal of Cecilia from her family, she is hurt and angry. I am anxious myself to continue
reading.