Miss

The rigidity of the English class system is the root of tragedy in both novels. Discuss how far and in what ways do you agree or disagree with this? In both novels the rigidity of the social class system is the main cause of the tragedy although

there are other aspects in each novel that add to the tragedy such as forbidden love, childhood

innocence and jealousy. All these factors lead to Robbie Turner being falsely accused and

later imprisoned for the rape of Lola due to Briony’s jealousy of the love that Robbie has for

her sister Cecilia, in ‘Atonement’. They also contribute to Ted Burgess suicide as a result of

his shame due to his social class and also Leo’s jealousy and childhood innocence, all this

played a role in Marian Trimingham and Ted Burgess being caught and the subsequent

tragedy that occurred such as Leo Colston’s physiological trauma in ‘The go between’.

The social divide in ‘Atonement’ was very obvious; Robbie was accepted into the Tallis

family but was never equal to them. Cecilia almost feared the relationship she had with

Robbie because of his class and the repercussions it could have for her and her family within

the upper class sociality “Why don't you talk to Robbie anymore?” “I do. We just move in

different circles, that's all.” The social divide is also obvious after Lola’s rape in the way that

it is only the men of a lower class that are questioned throwing aside the reputations that

Robbie Turner and Danny Hardman had with the family and honest, hardworking men. The

final thing that shows the class divide is when Cecilia finally confesses her love for Robbie

her family disown her and she is force to live a lower class life because the Tallis family are

scared of how their reputation would be affected if they gave their blessing for their

daughter to marry not only a lower class but one that had been convicted of rape

The social divide in ‘The go