Chapter 18
Summary
Turner, Nettle, and Mace are continuing their trek to Dunkirk. Turner begins to weigh his situation into two parts, the physical pain and challenges of where he is and where he is going and in the other hand, the fantasy of returning to the girl he loves, the memories of their love, and life before the war and prison. He begins to fantasize about his transformation into his old self when Cecilia and he can be together, "the story could resume." Turner gets jolted back into reality by the smell of rotting corpses and questioning himself about who would remember the dead soldiers. Turner then monolouges about how he conjured up Briony and Danny Hardman and stabbed them with his bayonet.
After a short time, Turner begins to ponder about why Briony could do this to him, her childhood friend and neighbor. He hadn't done anything to her. The memory of Robbie teaching Briony to swim seven years earlier drifts into his vision. In addition, how she had risked her life to see how he would react. He jumped in to save her and all she said was, "Thank you. Thank you. You saved me." Robbie gets angry with her and begins to yell at her about her stupid idea. She finally tells him the motive for jumping in the river, to test him of his loyalty, his love. "Because I love you. I will always be enternally grateful." Turner had forgotten about this insident but he realizes, "Did Briony?"
With this memory in mind, Turner begins to retrace Briony's steps of that day in 1935. How she receives the letter. She opens and reads the letter. Her internal realization that he doesn't love her, but her sister. The motive behind the false claim that night. Turner confesses that Briony will need courage to change her statement and "Yes, she was a child at that time, and he did not forgive her. He would never forgive her. That was lasting damage." (220)
Analysis
This chapter gives the audience insight into Turner's personal reasoning as for why Briony would send him to jail for something he had nothing to do with. In the beginning of this chapter, the trio is walking out of the forest and into a clearing. This is symbolic because Turner will soon have clarity about why he was sent to prison and is making this journey in the first place. Throughout the chapter, Turner repeats the fact that Briony was a child when this event happened. In this case, Turner is forgiving Briony because of who she is but not what she has done.
The chapter also shows Turner's inner struggle with his hopes of the future and Cecilia, but also his physical struggle, not only with his wound, but with the journey overall. While Turner is reminising about his love and their time through letter, he comments on how the letters in his vest make the old story real, not just an illusion. He calls it a "genuflection" which in short terms is kneeling to the ground in worship (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/genuflection?s=t). This may also be a connection to the fact that Turner wants to marry Cecilia and in the proposal process, the men kneel on the ground and offer the woman a ring.
- Nice work on both the summary and the analysis.
Turner, Nettle, and Mace are continuing their trek to Dunkirk. Turner begins to weigh his situation into two parts, the physical pain and challenges of where he is and where he is going and in the other hand, the fantasy of returning to the girl he loves, the memories of their love, and life before the war and prison. He begins to fantasize about his transformation into his old self when Cecilia and he can be together, "the story could resume." Turner gets jolted back into reality by the smell of rotting corpses and questioning himself about who would remember the dead soldiers. Turner then monolouges about how he conjured up Briony and Danny Hardman and stabbed them with his bayonet.
After a short time, Turner begins to ponder about why Briony could do this to him, her childhood friend and neighbor. He hadn't done anything to her. The memory of Robbie teaching Briony to swim seven years earlier drifts into his vision. In addition, how she had risked her life to see how he would react. He jumped in to save her and all she said was, "Thank you. Thank you. You saved me." Robbie gets angry with her and begins to yell at her about her stupid idea. She finally tells him the motive for jumping in the river, to test him of his loyalty, his love. "Because I love you. I will always be enternally grateful." Turner had forgotten about this insident but he realizes, "Did Briony?"
With this memory in mind, Turner begins to retrace Briony's steps of that day in 1935. How she receives the letter. She opens and reads the letter. Her internal realization that he doesn't love her, but her sister. The motive behind the false claim that night. Turner confesses that Briony will need courage to change her statement and "Yes, she was a child at that time, and he did not forgive her. He would never forgive her. That was lasting damage." (220)
Analysis
This chapter gives the audience insight into Turner's personal reasoning as for why Briony would send him to jail for something he had nothing to do with. In the beginning of this chapter, the trio is walking out of the forest and into a clearing. This is symbolic because Turner will soon have clarity about why he was sent to prison and is making this journey in the first place. Throughout the chapter, Turner repeats the fact that Briony was a child when this event happened. In this case, Turner is forgiving Briony because of who she is but not what she has done.
The chapter also shows Turner's inner struggle with his hopes of the future and Cecilia, but also his physical struggle, not only with his wound, but with the journey overall. While Turner is reminising about his love and their time through letter, he comments on how the letters in his vest make the old story real, not just an illusion. He calls it a "genuflection" which in short terms is kneeling to the ground in worship (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/genuflection?s=t). This may also be a connection to the fact that Turner wants to marry Cecilia and in the proposal process, the men kneel on the ground and offer the woman a ring.
- Nice work on both the summary and the analysis.