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Atonement

October 14th, 2008
Vickie de Laplante
Journal Entry #2
Atonement
As I continue on reading, I’m finding myself enjoying this novel more then I did before.   Robbie is off at war now, because of Briony’s accusation, he had to choose between jail time and serving for his country. It is very hard for Cecilia and Robbie to be apart from each other because they are deeply in love.
We read about a flashback that Briony has of her and Robbie back when they were younger.   She pretended to drown and he jumped in the pond to save her.   After Robbie saves Briony, she says “I am eternally grateful”.   To me is sort of ironic because is she really was grateful for him saving her life, why would she want to send Robbie to jail for something he didn’t do?   Some things in the text lead me to believe that Briony used to be in love with Robbie.   The way she described him jumping in the pond, and the emotions she felt for him “saving her life” to me sound like Briony used to be in love with Robbie.   If that were true, it would explain why she would want to send him to jail. She was jealous of her sister and Robbie’s relations, and couldn’t handle seeing them together.   Even after Robbie had done something like saving Briony’s life, she still was left in the shadow of her big sister. I believe this is why Ian McEwen added that flashback in, to show viewers perhaps a little more of Briony’s side, and to let us know why she did the things she did.
The whole time reading this book, I never thought to look up what the word Atonement really means; “Satisfaction or reparation of a wrong or injury; amends”. It’s funny that this is the title of the novel, because in the whole book, not once does Briony atone for her actions.   We read that she really does understand fully what her actions have done, but it makes me think that she really doesn’t regret anything that she did.   She never once pays a visit to her older sister who stays near by the hospital she is working at to even talk or...