Atonement Essay

Atonement by Ian McEwan is a complex work that presents the journey of a young girl as she tries to atone for the deliberate mistakes she made as a child by blaming an innocent man of rape. This essay focuses on how McEwan displays the character and identity of Briony Tallis, the main character, by asking: How do the roles of writing, social class, and guilt effect Briony's character and identity? This essay examines how Briony was influenced by the roles of writing, social class and guilt in the novel. The scope of this essay is not limited to the novel as some aspects of social life during the 1920s and McEwan's thoughts were taken into consideration. Throughout this essay, I want to investigate if Briony ever achieves atonement. In
writing, Briony's active imagination will be looked into and the effect this plays on her development. Social class issues will also be examined to see if they affect Briony's development in any way. Also, the concept of guilt will be examined to determine the cause of her accusation. This essay concludes that these three concepts play a large role in Briony's development. It examines these three concepts and how they are present throughout the novel, from the beginning to the epilogue. From there, it analyzes the role writing, social class and guilt have on Briony's identity and how she uses these concepts to atone for her mistakes. In addition, it examines the external factors that affect Briony and thus, explores the different ways that Briony's identity develops. The three concepts researched are based on the main themes of the novel including literature and forgiveness. This essay shows the fundamental aspect of how individuals can develop and change throughout various stages of their lives.