Chapter 1
Summary
The first chapter introduces the reader to the main character and protagonist, Briony Tallis, who is an imaginative 13 year old writer. The first chapter is in Briony’s perspective, but the whole book is not in only her point of view though. Briony has written a play called The Trials of Arabella for her older brother Leon when he arrives home from London, where he studies at the University. Leon is supposed to be arriving home with his friend Paul Marshall. Briony has been writing since she was 11 (she is now 13), mostly fairy tales with happy endings, although this play is something new for her, as she has never attempted drama before and it is extremely important to her to impress her brother. Her cousins, Lola, Jackson, and Pierrot, are also visiting for the summer while their parents settle their divorce and Briony is planning to use them as actors in her play.
Briony shows her mother, Emily Tallis, her play and Emily tells Briony that the play is wonderful. She also shows her older sister, Cecilia Tallis, but Cecilia's tone was condescending and her enthusiasm was overdone. She talks about her first attempt at writing a story when she was 11 years old and how it was a “foolish affair” because she did not know the ways of the world. She also talks about the vulnerability of the play and that because this is something new to her it could go horribly wrong (spoiler alert!). Once Briony’s cousins arrive, she assigns each of them a role in her play. During the rehearsal Lola convinces/manipulates Briony into letting her have the lead part of Arabella in the play, although Briony had wanted that part for herself. Lola further mocks Briony’s play which causes more distance between the girls. Briony is worried about the lack of time she has for rehearsal and the twin’s poor performance. During the duration of the rehearsal, Briony realizes that her play is crumbling because of her cousins, so when her sister Cecilia comes and gets the twins for their bath, she is extremely relieved, but also devastated, since nothing turned out the way she planned.
Analysis
Much is revealed in this chapter about Briony’s character, especially when she is describing her room. The reader gets to see Briony’s desire for order and structure and also her wish to have secrets, although she is aware that she has none, or none that anyone cares to know about.
Also Briony’s controlling nature really comes through during the play, when Pierrot claims that plays are just “showing off” (11). In response to that Briony thinks: “This was precisely why she loved plays, or hers at least; everyone would adore her.” For Briony things are only good if they are under her control (as the director of the play she can make all the decisions), so when the rehearsal goes wrong, Briony is crushed that her authority was undermined. It is apparent from the first meeting of Lola and Briony, that Briony is intimidated by her older cousin. Briony is very upset, when she has to give the role of Arabella to Lola, because she can feel the play slipping away from her and therefore being not truly her own anymore.
One of the themes of Atonement is the idea of innocence and naiveté. This first chapter shows how Briony is still innocent but wishes not to be. When she is talking about her room and the supposed “secrets”, which is first mention of many, it makes the reader think that she really wants to have some secrets, but secrets are a very mature thing. Little kids do not have secrets because their little minds cannot wrap around them and Briony does not want to be known as a little kid. Also her play, The Trials of Arabella, is an example of her innocence because she has the play end with a happy ending. Later on in the book, Briony talks about her play being childish because she had it end with a happy ending. Even when she talks about her first attempt at writing, she says that she didn’t know the ways of the world then. This makes the reader assume that she now thinks she does know the ways of world, when in reality she is still a child and does not know the way the world works.
- Great tie-in with the theme of innocence and naivete. You might mention more of the key moments, here, especially the description of her room and the issue of her "secrets." Perception is an issue here, as well, especially as she frames her earliest stories. In addition, the summary is quite good.
The first chapter introduces the reader to the main character and protagonist, Briony Tallis, who is an imaginative 13 year old writer. The first chapter is in Briony’s perspective, but the whole book is not in only her point of view though. Briony has written a play called The Trials of Arabella for her older brother Leon when he arrives home from London, where he studies at the University. Leon is supposed to be arriving home with his friend Paul Marshall. Briony has been writing since she was 11 (she is now 13), mostly fairy tales with happy endings, although this play is something new for her, as she has never attempted drama before and it is extremely important to her to impress her brother. Her cousins, Lola, Jackson, and Pierrot, are also visiting for the summer while their parents settle their divorce and Briony is planning to use them as actors in her play.
Briony shows her mother, Emily Tallis, her play and Emily tells Briony that the play is wonderful. She also shows her older sister, Cecilia Tallis, but Cecilia's tone was condescending and her enthusiasm was overdone. She talks about her first attempt at writing a story when she was 11 years old and how it was a “foolish affair” because she did not know the ways of the world. She also talks about the vulnerability of the play and that because this is something new to her it could go horribly wrong (spoiler alert!). Once Briony’s cousins arrive, she assigns each of them a role in her play. During the rehearsal Lola convinces/manipulates Briony into letting her have the lead part of Arabella in the play, although Briony had wanted that part for herself. Lola further mocks Briony’s play which causes more distance between the girls. Briony is worried about the lack of time she has for rehearsal and the twin’s poor performance. During the duration of the rehearsal, Briony realizes that her play is crumbling because of her cousins, so when her sister Cecilia comes and gets the twins for their bath, she is extremely relieved, but also devastated, since nothing turned out the way she planned.
Analysis
Much is revealed in this chapter about Briony’s character, especially when she is describing her room. The reader gets to see Briony’s desire for order and structure and also her wish to have secrets, although she is aware that she has none, or none that anyone cares to know about.
Also Briony’s controlling nature really comes through during the play, when Pierrot claims that plays are just “showing off” (11). In response to that Briony thinks: “This was precisely why she loved plays, or hers at least; everyone would adore her.” For Briony things are only good if they are under her control (as the director of the play she can make all the decisions), so when the rehearsal goes wrong, Briony is crushed that her authority was undermined. It is apparent from the first meeting of Lola and Briony, that Briony is intimidated by her older cousin. Briony is very upset, when she has to give the role of Arabella to Lola, because she can feel the play slipping away from her and therefore being not truly her own anymore.
One of the themes of Atonement is the idea of innocence and naiveté. This first chapter shows how Briony is still innocent but wishes not to be. When she is talking about her room and the supposed “secrets”, which is first mention of many, it makes the reader think that she really wants to have some secrets, but secrets are a very mature thing. Little kids do not have secrets because their little minds cannot wrap around them and Briony does not want to be known as a little kid. Also her play, The Trials of Arabella, is an example of her innocence because she has the play end with a happy ending. Later on in the book, Briony talks about her play being childish because she had it end with a happy ending. Even when she talks about her first attempt at writing, she says that she didn’t know the ways of the world then. This makes the reader assume that she now thinks she does know the ways of world, when in reality she is still a child and does not know the way the world works.
- Great tie-in with the theme of innocence and naivete. You might mention more of the key moments, here, especially the description of her room and the issue of her "secrets." Perception is an issue here, as well, especially as she frames her earliest stories. In addition, the summary is quite good.