Class In Atonement
The Confinements of Class Through the course of reality and literature, the upper class or socioeconomic elite prove to be symbols success and are perceived to have a distinct aura, one of influence and superiority. However, in Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement, this aura ceased to have a positive effect on the upper class. In lieu said social construct proved to be the grounds for a heightened sense of superiority, and gave way to an aura not of influence and superiority but one that was tainted by pretentiousness. Accordingly, said self-importance and feeling of prestige was ultimately the cause for Briony’s fatal mistake. While the debate over Briony’s atonement continues, her path to penance is one that attests to the greater themes of the
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novel. All in all, social class plays a major role in the novel Atonement as it serves as the basis for readers to learn about the thin line between realistic and imaginative realms as well as the confinements of aristocracy. The Tallis family, new members of the haut monde live a superficially lavish lifestyle.
However, this seemingly perfect life concealed the pretentiousness of the family. This is evident in the quote “Morning sunlight, or any light, could not conceal the ugliness of the Tallis home – barely forty years old, bright orange brick, squat, lead-paned baronial Gothic, to be condemned one day…as a tragedy of wasted chances” (McEwan pg. 18) Thus, attesting to the lack of high standards and artificially influential nature of the Tallis family as seen through the portion of the quote which reads “[...] as a tragedy of wasted chances.” Briony, an immature thirteen year old, was an imaginative, aspiring writer. She lived in this pretentious world in which she sought acceptance, as seen in the early point in the novel in which she sought after her mother’s appreciation of her play. Moreover, her mentality coincided with the nature of her family as she expressed her superiority in the manner in which she constantly sought to control every aspect of her world. Thus, when it came time to frame Robbie as the man who raped Lola, Briony seized the opportunity as she followed her imagination and the notion that Robbie was an evil man in her imaginative world, a world which she perceived to be reality. The role of social class can be seen in the effect that it had on the world around Briony. Her newly-rich family lacked the standards of aristocracy and, thus, followed the superficial aura of arrogance. This, combined with the fact that Briony was the youngest family seeking to be accepted and become an adult, created a world in which Briony wanted a chance to become an adult. Furthermore, the role of being a member of the elite social class created the construct for Briony to not become overwhelmed with guilt. This can be seen as Briony never truly felt guilt until she became a nurse. Additionally, in regards to the theme of a thin line between imagination and reality, the role of
social class allowed for her to assume this role as she felt as if she had to become akin to her pretentious family members. Further for the latter theme, the confinements of aristocracy can be seen in the lax regard that Briony had for Robbie. While she temporarily felt guilty when she saw Robbie find her twins prior to being arrested, Briony never truly sought to understand Robbie’s feeling. Instead, she based her views on Robbie on one incident which she viewed from a skewed perspective. Surely, the role of social class played a large role in Briony’s initial sin. Following, the hierarchy of social class is a large part of Briony’s path to atonement. This can be seen as in order to repent, Briony became a nurse who aided wounded soldiers amidst World War II. If not for her becoming akin to the members of lower classes by becoming a nurse, she would have failed to see the error of her ways. Moreover, this abnormal experience in regards to living and working as an average member of society pushed Briony outside the walls of aristocracy. No longer was she confined by the boundaries of pretentiousness and arrogance, instead she learned about empathy and matured as a person. Briony’s tangible form atonement came in the form of a novel which exposed her truth, while it did not get published during her lifetime, attested to the theme that atonement is greater than merely tangible penance. In lieu, atonement is truly found when one evolves in regards to their character. Briony’s experience when she was no longer a member of the haut monde, allowed her to mature as a person. She learned to empathize and saw that those around her deserve to be cared for, even if they are not superior due to socioeconomic status. These values allowed her to see the error of her ways and proved the thin line between the real and imaginative world. This is because the extent of her mistake, which was caused due to Briony’s failure to discern between said worlds, was essentially unforgivable in regards to a tangible form of atonement, as even her novel did not publish during Robbie’s lifetime. Instead, her penance came about through her evolution in character, and said growth was the product of exiting the tainted fences of aristocracy. Thus, Briony’s journey to penance proved that atonement only comes about when one leaves the arrogance of their world, specifically the upper class, and changes at a deeper level, in regards to their character. Clearly, social class plays a large role in this novel as it is the cause of Briony’s wrongdoing and highlights the negative attributes of a social hierarchy, specifically the upper class, and the true nature of atonement. The pretentious nature of her newly-rich family was the cause of Briony’s fatal mistake, as she was merely seeking acceptance. Moreover, while her atonement may not have come in the form of a tangible item that Robbie may have viewed, Briony ultimately achieved atonement by leaving the boundaries of the socioeconomic elite and evolving as a human. As time has passed, humanity has been defined not by mistakes by the manner in which one fixes and learns from said mistakes, Briony embodies said value through the manner in which her escape of the upperclass allowed her to grow as a person and see the error of her ways.
novel. All in all, social class plays a major role in the novel Atonement as it serves as the basis for readers to learn about the thin line between realistic and imaginative realms as well as the confinements of aristocracy. The Tallis family, new members of the haut monde live a superficially lavish lifestyle.
However, this seemingly perfect life concealed the pretentiousness of the family. This is evident in the quote “Morning sunlight, or any light, could not conceal the ugliness of the Tallis home – barely forty years old, bright orange brick, squat, lead-paned baronial Gothic, to be condemned one day…as a tragedy of wasted chances” (McEwan pg. 18) Thus, attesting to the lack of high standards and artificially influential nature of the Tallis family as seen through the portion of the quote which reads “[...] as a tragedy of wasted chances.” Briony, an immature thirteen year old, was an imaginative, aspiring writer. She lived in this pretentious world in which she sought acceptance, as seen in the early point in the novel in which she sought after her mother’s appreciation of her play. Moreover, her mentality coincided with the nature of her family as she expressed her superiority in the manner in which she constantly sought to control every aspect of her world. Thus, when it came time to frame Robbie as the man who raped Lola, Briony seized the opportunity as she followed her imagination and the notion that Robbie was an evil man in her imaginative world, a world which she perceived to be reality. The role of social class can be seen in the effect that it had on the world around Briony. Her newly-rich family lacked the standards of aristocracy and, thus, followed the superficial aura of arrogance. This, combined with the fact that Briony was the youngest family seeking to be accepted and become an adult, created a world in which Briony wanted a chance to become an adult. Furthermore, the role of being a member of the elite social class created the construct for Briony to not become overwhelmed with guilt. This can be seen as Briony never truly felt guilt until she became a nurse. Additionally, in regards to the theme of a thin line between imagination and reality, the role of
social class allowed for her to assume this role as she felt as if she had to become akin to her pretentious family members. Further for the latter theme, the confinements of aristocracy can be seen in the lax regard that Briony had for Robbie. While she temporarily felt guilty when she saw Robbie find her twins prior to being arrested, Briony never truly sought to understand Robbie’s feeling. Instead, she based her views on Robbie on one incident which she viewed from a skewed perspective. Surely, the role of social class played a large role in Briony’s initial sin. Following, the hierarchy of social class is a large part of Briony’s path to atonement. This can be seen as in order to repent, Briony became a nurse who aided wounded soldiers amidst World War II. If not for her becoming akin to the members of lower classes by becoming a nurse, she would have failed to see the error of her ways. Moreover, this abnormal experience in regards to living and working as an average member of society pushed Briony outside the walls of aristocracy. No longer was she confined by the boundaries of pretentiousness and arrogance, instead she learned about empathy and matured as a person. Briony’s tangible form atonement came in the form of a novel which exposed her truth, while it did not get published during her lifetime, attested to the theme that atonement is greater than merely tangible penance. In lieu, atonement is truly found when one evolves in regards to their character. Briony’s experience when she was no longer a member of the haut monde, allowed her to mature as a person. She learned to empathize and saw that those around her deserve to be cared for, even if they are not superior due to socioeconomic status. These values allowed her to see the error of her ways and proved the thin line between the real and imaginative world. This is because the extent of her mistake, which was caused due to Briony’s failure to discern between said worlds, was essentially unforgivable in regards to a tangible form of atonement, as even her novel did not publish during Robbie’s lifetime. Instead, her penance came about through her evolution in character, and said growth was the product of exiting the tainted fences of aristocracy. Thus, Briony’s journey to penance proved that atonement only comes about when one leaves the arrogance of their world, specifically the upper class, and changes at a deeper level, in regards to their character. Clearly, social class plays a large role in this novel as it is the cause of Briony’s wrongdoing and highlights the negative attributes of a social hierarchy, specifically the upper class, and the true nature of atonement. The pretentious nature of her newly-rich family was the cause of Briony’s fatal mistake, as she was merely seeking acceptance. Moreover, while her atonement may not have come in the form of a tangible item that Robbie may have viewed, Briony ultimately achieved atonement by leaving the boundaries of the socioeconomic elite and evolving as a human. As time has passed, humanity has been defined not by mistakes by the manner in which one fixes and learns from said mistakes, Briony embodies said value through the manner in which her escape of the upperclass allowed her to grow as a person and see the error of her ways.