Essay(: - Atonement
Atonement had its ups and downs. There were points that make someone ask questions, or you fall in love with a character. When I read it, I was completely thrown off by Briony. She had this thing about her that said “I want to be the center of attention”. But the character that deserves the most credit in this incredible story is Robbie. Robbie didn’t physically show it, but he had this drive that kept him going. I believe the wrong things that happened helped him grow as a person especially finding his way back to Cecilia.
Robbie and Cecilia must have had this fatal attraction ever since they were young and when they attended school together. So when he was deciding to write the letter, he wanted to show his affection for her but he didn’t want to be straightforward. That’s understandable in their case because when her mom found out about what was going on, it was frowned upon. McEwan truly showed the love between Robbie and Cecilia by writing of their times apart. When they weren’t together, you knew they were instantly thinking of each other. Honestly, it’s the most epic romance I have ever read. They each live on by knowing the other person is waiting for them. It’s like when Cecilia said, ”Come back to me.” you knew that everything was going to be alright.
Ian McEwan wrote Robbie as this guy who had confessed his love only to have it taken away by someone who got the wrong impression of him. Briony was a young incompenent girl who thought that everything was right in her eyes, until she caught Robbie and Cecilia making love in the library. After Robbie was wrongly accused of the rape of her cousin, his luck just seemed to go in the trash. But him being in the army was his way of finding the right time to deal with the incident in the past. Yes, when Briony apologized so many years later, it was upsetting, but he was that strong of a person to forget about everthing and focus on his life with his one and only. Even Cecilia, she lost her true love to someone else’s crime, but it made her a better person. She knew she would always have Robbie in her life, in anyway she could possibly think of.
They had every right to be angry at Briony for basically ruining their lives when she came to them to apologize. Robbie showed extreme power as he casted his anger towards Briony. He was completely done with the girl, and wanted her to tell him the truth to his face. The only thing I was doing at the point in reading was saying to myself, “Why on Earth would you wait until after the culprit covered his tracks and married his victim to come clean with who REALLY committed this absurd crime.” Anyway, the point that I believe was made is Robbie realized that all hope was lost of him ever getting unconvicted, but it didn’t stop him from coming to terms with his love life and still fighting in the army. And to me, that is a power all of its own. That is how I believe McEwan wanted Robbie’s character to be, strong and bold.
