Themes, Motifs & Symbols
Themes
Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.
Atonement/Forgiveness – To what degree is atonement (reparation) possible, and to what degree is forgiveness justified? The rest of the themes are, in part, subsets of this larger theme. Only “in part” because they are important in their own right, and have ramifications that reach far beyond this single question. These themes are subsets, however, in that a fair and complete answer to the question, in the context of Atonement, cannot be reached without first examining these themes’ individual natures and consequences.
Consciousness as Individual – This is an idea very clearly introduced and developed on page 34: “Was being Cecilia just as vivid an affair as being Briony?”. The critical thing here is that this question will never be truly answerable. The two consciousnesses, Briony’s and Cecilia’s, though connected in many ways, exist at their core as independent worlds. They’re divided by a gap that can only be spanned in relatively superficial, shallow, incomplete ways. Even the exact same stimuli will be interpreted and internalized in very different ways, the different events of their lives resulting in different lenses through which the world is seen and interpreted. The thing, distilled: it is impossible to fully and accurately understand and experience the mind of another human being. The implications of this are difficult to understate. All of the other major themes of Atonement are influenced and impacted by this consciousness gap. The inability to fully experience the existence of another person necessarily leads to misperceptions regarding that existence. Innocence relies in part on accurate knowledge; the consciousness gap impedes accurate knowledge. And one of the central powers of an author is the ability to attempt to bridge that gap, to enter the consciousness of another through writing. Of course, this will only ever be an attempt, the result necessarily being an incomplete picture filtered through the life of the author.
Misperception/Misinterpretation– Tied intimately to the concept of consciousness as individual. Most importantly: willful misinterpretation, and the consequences. Misinterpretation of events and actions is the vital plot-driver of Atonement. A series of misinterpretations on the part of Robbie and Cecilia leads to the scene by the fountain. Briony’s misinterpretation of the scene by the fountain, and later Robbie’s letter, leads to his misplaced accusal, which in turn drives the plot of the rest of the novel. These misinterpretations occurred due to the events being filtered through already established biases, opinion and personality structures. This is not something that can be escaped entirely; rather, it can only be mediated, and this to the degree with which one is aware of these biases, and proactive in attempting to negate them. It is important to note that, with Atonement, the guilt of misperception is not limited to the characters. Throughout the novel, and particularly in part two, McEwan writes in such a way that lends itself to the reader misinterpreting events in order to better fit their own biases, effectively implicating the reader in the same psychological act that led Briony to commit her crime. Most prominent among these events is the death of Robbie at Bray Dunes. The evidence of his death was great, yet still just subtle enough so as to not be overt. That is, subtle enough for the reader to willfully misinterpret it without being aware of doing so. Though on a different scale and with different ramifications, this is exactly what Briony did: her inherent biases, borne from the compounding events and circumstances of her life, led her to willfully misinterpret events between Robbie and Cecilia without being aware of their status as misinterpretations. This greatly complicates the reader’s ability to soundly and justly refuse her at least some forgiveness and atonement for her actions.
Innocence/Naivety – Does an action taken in the context of incomplete knowledge hold the same amount of responsibility as the same action taken in the context of complete knowledge? This idea, of the interplay between knowledge and responsibility, is central to the plot-tension of Atonement: To what degree is Briony responsible for her fatal action? The response to this question, of course, is highly individualistic. There is no objective answer. However, there are some underlying currents of objectivity that can guide the thought process. Briony, at the time of the incident, was ignorant of two critical things. First, of the nature and motives belonging to sexually charged adult interaction. And second, of her own desires and biased opinion structures, and the unconscious (but not unchangeably so) factors that led to the development of those desires and structures (that is, the things which compelled her to feel the need to protect Cecilia and condemn Robbie). This ignorance, in both cases, can be attributed almost wholly to Briony’s status as a child. Children, after all, can hardly be expected to understand the nature of sexual interaction – a thing not well understood even by most adults, and indeed, not well understood even by Robbie and Cecilia. And, similarly, children cannot be expected to undergo the intense, rigorous, psychoanalytical introspection that would lead to the surfacing of deeply engrained unconscious biases. This lack of knowledge (ignorance), of course, does not excuse Briony from her actions; after all, she still made the decision to condemn a man without tangible proof, and this was a fact that she was not ignorant of. However, it does complicate matters, and must be taken into account in any fair analysis of Briony’s guilt.
Power of the Author – The world of a fiction novel is ultimately like that of consciousness: individual, isolated, and final. What happens in the world of the novel is all that happens in the world of the novel. The author has complete and final control over this world. This control is what draws Briony so strongly to fiction writing. And, through this connection, what caused the chain of misperceptions that led her to falsely accuse Robbie of Lola’s rape. That is, drawn to the control offered by fictional worlds, Briony had lived so long and so intimately within the constructs of those worlds that they bled over into her perception of the non-fictional world. Everything was narrative, dramatic and plot driven, divided into good and evil, a story. And so when her confident control of her personal world was shattered, Briony wove a narrative, with her at the center. Robbie was the scapegoat, the evil character solely responsible for the threat to the security of her already established life. A single source, a single solution. Neat and easy. This was part of the unconscious web of thought contained within Briony when she made the decision to accuse Robbie. And it worked; the perceived threat was removed. But Briony had misjudged her sister’s role in that threat, and thus her life was radically changed anyway.
Now, interestingly, Briony’s response to her mistake, her attempt to make right the wrong she committed, was to write a novel, to escape into the very world that fostered the mental conditions under which the act was committed in the first place. What better place to fix an unfixable wrong than in a world in which you have absolute control? Than in a world in which you can attempt the impossible, can attempt to enter the mind of another human, to see the world through their eyes, to lend them a sort of life after death? And this is exactly what she did. She created a novel, a world, in which Robbie and Cecilia lived happily ever after, united, their love surviving and flourishing, together. Now, here’s the integral thing: To what extent does the creation of this new world undo the damage created by Briony’s crime? Obviously, it does not physically change what happened; Robbie was still convicted, still died at Bray Dunes. The lovers still never truly united. However, there is a very interesting mental component here. At some point, all of those who could attest to the true events depicted in Briony’s novel will be dead. At this point, the novel would presumably still be in existence. And, through the act of reading and internalizing the novel, memories would be created. That is, memories of Cecilia and Robbie. And these memories, however small, would factor in and influence the life of those who have them. And because these are the only memories of Robbie and Cecilia still in existence, the lovers’ entire presence and influence in the world is dictated by a life in which they reunited, survived and flourished. This is touched upon by Briony in page 350. The validity of such thinking is certainly up for debate, but it is, Briony argues, not something that should be easily dismissed.
- These are super great. The only thing I would suggest is to simplify the language a little bit (kind of the best criticism to get), so it's nicely linear for a less-studious audience. And your first theme needs to be developed a bit more. Otherwise, perfect.
Motifs
Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text's major themes.
Secrets - Part One talks about how Briony aches for secrets, she even stretches as far as to creating "secret" areas to keep different trinkets and doodads that have no real significance. She admits that she has no real secrets (pg. 5), which makes her want a real secret. Lola keeps her own secret from the rest of the family with the first rape from Paul, the scratches and burns Lola blames the twins for. Part two mentions how Turner keeps his chest wound a secret from his traveling companions. Turner, after addressing his wound, keeps his trembling hands out of Nettle and Mace's line of sight. Part three seems to have drop the "secrets" motif because Briony comes forward and writes "Two Figures at the Fountain" and tries to reconnect with her sister. Another big development without secrets is the audience learns that Lola was rapped by Paul Marshall.
"Come back." - Cecilia uses this phrase throughout the novel. In part one, she uses it to comfort Briony with her frustration with the twins and the play not going the way the girl wants. Part two uses it in a more physical sense since Turner is in France and Cecilia is in England. She wants him to come home. Part three is the psychological again, Cecilia uses it to help Robbie with his painful flashbacks of Dunkirk, to have him not think about the horrors anymore.
The idea of revising - The Trials of Arabella are a symbol for revision because Briony only writes one draft that she wants the cousins to perform. It didn't turn out well because the views of all four children were not coinciding. She doesn't come up with a back up plan. In part two, Turner keeps mulling over the idea of doing over his life so he could be with Cecilia. He runs different scenarios in his mind as to what will happen or what could have happened if he had not been in prison or in the army. Part three, Briony receives her short story back from the Horizon magazine with corrections and comments. Briony also tries to take a metaphorical eraser to her sister's anger by visiting her in her home, to talk to her after five years.
- These are great. I would love to see a little more about how these matter (for instance, what the idea of secrets exactly has to do with the book and its themes), but you establish the "what" of each of these really nicely.
Symbols
Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
Uncle Clem’s Vase - Uncle Clem is Mr. Tallis’s brother and was awarded the vase after initiating a last-minute evacuation to save a small village from an attack (21). After Clem died in battle, the vase was sent to the Tallis home and became a family heirloom. In Chapter 2, the family will be welcoming Leon and his friend Paul Marshall home from London. In preparation for their return, Cecilia goes to the fountain to fill it with water. Robbie is also at the fountain and tries to help her, but instead, the vase falls into the fountain and breaks. Cecilia swims into the fountain to get the broken pieces. She tries her best to fix the vase but cannot. The vase is a symbol of the fragile and cherished things that will break in the Tallis household and it symbolizes the overall plot of the book. For example, Briony, who is observing Robbie and Cecilia from an upstairs window, makes inferences that eventually destroy people’s lives. Symbolism can be shown by Cecilia’s actions with the vase. She plans to put the flowers from her vase into her room, taking them out of their original place. This relates to the vase because it begins as an inheritance and after its breakage, is nearly impossible to repair.
Heat - The setting at which Atonement begins is on the hot summer of 1935. We see that the characters are engaging activities to distract themselves from the blazing heat. Briony writes and carries out a play, Emily Tallis rests in her room, and the twins and Lola swim in the pool. The characters lose their patience with the presence of heat. It has the potential to impair the characters’ judgment and provoke intense actions. For instance, Cecilia and Robbie’s relationship becomes even tenser with the pressure of the heat. Also Briony’s imagination expands due to the heat as well. The heat is a symbol of the power of human action.
Writing - Briony uses writing not only as an escape from reality, but also to give her life meaning and purpose. At the beginning of Atonement, Briony writes the play, The Trials of Arabella, for her brother but also for herself to feel important. Her play is a symbol of her imagination and her tendency to create a world that makes sense to her. It demonstrates her desire to have a proper ending to everything. Older Briony then writes Two Figures by a Fountain in order to find atonement from Robbie and Cecilia. Briony’s writing is a symbol of her efforts to make up how she incorrectly accused Robbie of raping Lola.
Steeple hand gesture - When Robbie meets Cecilia to apologize for his inappropriate letter, she leads him into the library where they face each other and Cecilia makes a symbolic gesture. “She turned aside and made a steeple of her hands to enclose her nose and mouth and pressed her fingers into the corners of her eyes” (125). This action foreshadows the rape incident next to the temple. The hands at her face emphasize Cecilia’s unawareness of what is about to happen next (they will be intimate in the library). Also, this gesture has a darker meaning behind it. Paul Marshall had performed this same exact gesture at the end of chapter 5. He had just woken up from an erotic dream by the loudness of the Quincey boys. Later he holds a conversation with Lola but his intentions toward her were based on the dream. Again this gesture is foreshadowing to the rape incident.
Vascular dementia - Vascular dementia is a brain condition that affects memory, language, judgment, and behavior. At the end of the novel, we discover that Briony is suffering from this illness. Briony’s doctor explains it as “loss of memory, short- and long-term., the disappearance of single words…language itself, along with balance, and soon after, all motor control, and finally the autonomous nervous system” (335). Losing pieces of memory is symbolic to the flashbacks that Briony refers to tell her story. It is symbolic to the pieces of memory Briony remembers and the ideas she pieces onto her story. Briony’s memory loss affects the way she decides to communicate her story and thus, the illness symbolizes the style she writes the novel.
The leg in the tree - Robbie spots the leg while in the Army. The detachment of body parts symbolizes the horrors of war and also symbolizes a loss of innocence for not only Robbie, but Briony as well. Observing the intimacy of her sister and Robbie together leads to her loss of innocence and causes her to view the world in a new light.
- Great work on the symbols.
Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.
Atonement/Forgiveness – To what degree is atonement (reparation) possible, and to what degree is forgiveness justified? The rest of the themes are, in part, subsets of this larger theme. Only “in part” because they are important in their own right, and have ramifications that reach far beyond this single question. These themes are subsets, however, in that a fair and complete answer to the question, in the context of Atonement, cannot be reached without first examining these themes’ individual natures and consequences.
Consciousness as Individual – This is an idea very clearly introduced and developed on page 34: “Was being Cecilia just as vivid an affair as being Briony?”. The critical thing here is that this question will never be truly answerable. The two consciousnesses, Briony’s and Cecilia’s, though connected in many ways, exist at their core as independent worlds. They’re divided by a gap that can only be spanned in relatively superficial, shallow, incomplete ways. Even the exact same stimuli will be interpreted and internalized in very different ways, the different events of their lives resulting in different lenses through which the world is seen and interpreted. The thing, distilled: it is impossible to fully and accurately understand and experience the mind of another human being. The implications of this are difficult to understate. All of the other major themes of Atonement are influenced and impacted by this consciousness gap. The inability to fully experience the existence of another person necessarily leads to misperceptions regarding that existence. Innocence relies in part on accurate knowledge; the consciousness gap impedes accurate knowledge. And one of the central powers of an author is the ability to attempt to bridge that gap, to enter the consciousness of another through writing. Of course, this will only ever be an attempt, the result necessarily being an incomplete picture filtered through the life of the author.
Misperception/Misinterpretation– Tied intimately to the concept of consciousness as individual. Most importantly: willful misinterpretation, and the consequences. Misinterpretation of events and actions is the vital plot-driver of Atonement. A series of misinterpretations on the part of Robbie and Cecilia leads to the scene by the fountain. Briony’s misinterpretation of the scene by the fountain, and later Robbie’s letter, leads to his misplaced accusal, which in turn drives the plot of the rest of the novel. These misinterpretations occurred due to the events being filtered through already established biases, opinion and personality structures. This is not something that can be escaped entirely; rather, it can only be mediated, and this to the degree with which one is aware of these biases, and proactive in attempting to negate them. It is important to note that, with Atonement, the guilt of misperception is not limited to the characters. Throughout the novel, and particularly in part two, McEwan writes in such a way that lends itself to the reader misinterpreting events in order to better fit their own biases, effectively implicating the reader in the same psychological act that led Briony to commit her crime. Most prominent among these events is the death of Robbie at Bray Dunes. The evidence of his death was great, yet still just subtle enough so as to not be overt. That is, subtle enough for the reader to willfully misinterpret it without being aware of doing so. Though on a different scale and with different ramifications, this is exactly what Briony did: her inherent biases, borne from the compounding events and circumstances of her life, led her to willfully misinterpret events between Robbie and Cecilia without being aware of their status as misinterpretations. This greatly complicates the reader’s ability to soundly and justly refuse her at least some forgiveness and atonement for her actions.
Innocence/Naivety – Does an action taken in the context of incomplete knowledge hold the same amount of responsibility as the same action taken in the context of complete knowledge? This idea, of the interplay between knowledge and responsibility, is central to the plot-tension of Atonement: To what degree is Briony responsible for her fatal action? The response to this question, of course, is highly individualistic. There is no objective answer. However, there are some underlying currents of objectivity that can guide the thought process. Briony, at the time of the incident, was ignorant of two critical things. First, of the nature and motives belonging to sexually charged adult interaction. And second, of her own desires and biased opinion structures, and the unconscious (but not unchangeably so) factors that led to the development of those desires and structures (that is, the things which compelled her to feel the need to protect Cecilia and condemn Robbie). This ignorance, in both cases, can be attributed almost wholly to Briony’s status as a child. Children, after all, can hardly be expected to understand the nature of sexual interaction – a thing not well understood even by most adults, and indeed, not well understood even by Robbie and Cecilia. And, similarly, children cannot be expected to undergo the intense, rigorous, psychoanalytical introspection that would lead to the surfacing of deeply engrained unconscious biases. This lack of knowledge (ignorance), of course, does not excuse Briony from her actions; after all, she still made the decision to condemn a man without tangible proof, and this was a fact that she was not ignorant of. However, it does complicate matters, and must be taken into account in any fair analysis of Briony’s guilt.
Power of the Author – The world of a fiction novel is ultimately like that of consciousness: individual, isolated, and final. What happens in the world of the novel is all that happens in the world of the novel. The author has complete and final control over this world. This control is what draws Briony so strongly to fiction writing. And, through this connection, what caused the chain of misperceptions that led her to falsely accuse Robbie of Lola’s rape. That is, drawn to the control offered by fictional worlds, Briony had lived so long and so intimately within the constructs of those worlds that they bled over into her perception of the non-fictional world. Everything was narrative, dramatic and plot driven, divided into good and evil, a story. And so when her confident control of her personal world was shattered, Briony wove a narrative, with her at the center. Robbie was the scapegoat, the evil character solely responsible for the threat to the security of her already established life. A single source, a single solution. Neat and easy. This was part of the unconscious web of thought contained within Briony when she made the decision to accuse Robbie. And it worked; the perceived threat was removed. But Briony had misjudged her sister’s role in that threat, and thus her life was radically changed anyway.
Now, interestingly, Briony’s response to her mistake, her attempt to make right the wrong she committed, was to write a novel, to escape into the very world that fostered the mental conditions under which the act was committed in the first place. What better place to fix an unfixable wrong than in a world in which you have absolute control? Than in a world in which you can attempt the impossible, can attempt to enter the mind of another human, to see the world through their eyes, to lend them a sort of life after death? And this is exactly what she did. She created a novel, a world, in which Robbie and Cecilia lived happily ever after, united, their love surviving and flourishing, together. Now, here’s the integral thing: To what extent does the creation of this new world undo the damage created by Briony’s crime? Obviously, it does not physically change what happened; Robbie was still convicted, still died at Bray Dunes. The lovers still never truly united. However, there is a very interesting mental component here. At some point, all of those who could attest to the true events depicted in Briony’s novel will be dead. At this point, the novel would presumably still be in existence. And, through the act of reading and internalizing the novel, memories would be created. That is, memories of Cecilia and Robbie. And these memories, however small, would factor in and influence the life of those who have them. And because these are the only memories of Robbie and Cecilia still in existence, the lovers’ entire presence and influence in the world is dictated by a life in which they reunited, survived and flourished. This is touched upon by Briony in page 350. The validity of such thinking is certainly up for debate, but it is, Briony argues, not something that should be easily dismissed.
- These are super great. The only thing I would suggest is to simplify the language a little bit (kind of the best criticism to get), so it's nicely linear for a less-studious audience. And your first theme needs to be developed a bit more. Otherwise, perfect.
Motifs
Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text's major themes.
Secrets - Part One talks about how Briony aches for secrets, she even stretches as far as to creating "secret" areas to keep different trinkets and doodads that have no real significance. She admits that she has no real secrets (pg. 5), which makes her want a real secret. Lola keeps her own secret from the rest of the family with the first rape from Paul, the scratches and burns Lola blames the twins for. Part two mentions how Turner keeps his chest wound a secret from his traveling companions. Turner, after addressing his wound, keeps his trembling hands out of Nettle and Mace's line of sight. Part three seems to have drop the "secrets" motif because Briony comes forward and writes "Two Figures at the Fountain" and tries to reconnect with her sister. Another big development without secrets is the audience learns that Lola was rapped by Paul Marshall.
"Come back." - Cecilia uses this phrase throughout the novel. In part one, she uses it to comfort Briony with her frustration with the twins and the play not going the way the girl wants. Part two uses it in a more physical sense since Turner is in France and Cecilia is in England. She wants him to come home. Part three is the psychological again, Cecilia uses it to help Robbie with his painful flashbacks of Dunkirk, to have him not think about the horrors anymore.
The idea of revising - The Trials of Arabella are a symbol for revision because Briony only writes one draft that she wants the cousins to perform. It didn't turn out well because the views of all four children were not coinciding. She doesn't come up with a back up plan. In part two, Turner keeps mulling over the idea of doing over his life so he could be with Cecilia. He runs different scenarios in his mind as to what will happen or what could have happened if he had not been in prison or in the army. Part three, Briony receives her short story back from the Horizon magazine with corrections and comments. Briony also tries to take a metaphorical eraser to her sister's anger by visiting her in her home, to talk to her after five years.
- These are great. I would love to see a little more about how these matter (for instance, what the idea of secrets exactly has to do with the book and its themes), but you establish the "what" of each of these really nicely.
Symbols
Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
Uncle Clem’s Vase - Uncle Clem is Mr. Tallis’s brother and was awarded the vase after initiating a last-minute evacuation to save a small village from an attack (21). After Clem died in battle, the vase was sent to the Tallis home and became a family heirloom. In Chapter 2, the family will be welcoming Leon and his friend Paul Marshall home from London. In preparation for their return, Cecilia goes to the fountain to fill it with water. Robbie is also at the fountain and tries to help her, but instead, the vase falls into the fountain and breaks. Cecilia swims into the fountain to get the broken pieces. She tries her best to fix the vase but cannot. The vase is a symbol of the fragile and cherished things that will break in the Tallis household and it symbolizes the overall plot of the book. For example, Briony, who is observing Robbie and Cecilia from an upstairs window, makes inferences that eventually destroy people’s lives. Symbolism can be shown by Cecilia’s actions with the vase. She plans to put the flowers from her vase into her room, taking them out of their original place. This relates to the vase because it begins as an inheritance and after its breakage, is nearly impossible to repair.
Heat - The setting at which Atonement begins is on the hot summer of 1935. We see that the characters are engaging activities to distract themselves from the blazing heat. Briony writes and carries out a play, Emily Tallis rests in her room, and the twins and Lola swim in the pool. The characters lose their patience with the presence of heat. It has the potential to impair the characters’ judgment and provoke intense actions. For instance, Cecilia and Robbie’s relationship becomes even tenser with the pressure of the heat. Also Briony’s imagination expands due to the heat as well. The heat is a symbol of the power of human action.
Writing - Briony uses writing not only as an escape from reality, but also to give her life meaning and purpose. At the beginning of Atonement, Briony writes the play, The Trials of Arabella, for her brother but also for herself to feel important. Her play is a symbol of her imagination and her tendency to create a world that makes sense to her. It demonstrates her desire to have a proper ending to everything. Older Briony then writes Two Figures by a Fountain in order to find atonement from Robbie and Cecilia. Briony’s writing is a symbol of her efforts to make up how she incorrectly accused Robbie of raping Lola.
Steeple hand gesture - When Robbie meets Cecilia to apologize for his inappropriate letter, she leads him into the library where they face each other and Cecilia makes a symbolic gesture. “She turned aside and made a steeple of her hands to enclose her nose and mouth and pressed her fingers into the corners of her eyes” (125). This action foreshadows the rape incident next to the temple. The hands at her face emphasize Cecilia’s unawareness of what is about to happen next (they will be intimate in the library). Also, this gesture has a darker meaning behind it. Paul Marshall had performed this same exact gesture at the end of chapter 5. He had just woken up from an erotic dream by the loudness of the Quincey boys. Later he holds a conversation with Lola but his intentions toward her were based on the dream. Again this gesture is foreshadowing to the rape incident.
Vascular dementia - Vascular dementia is a brain condition that affects memory, language, judgment, and behavior. At the end of the novel, we discover that Briony is suffering from this illness. Briony’s doctor explains it as “loss of memory, short- and long-term., the disappearance of single words…language itself, along with balance, and soon after, all motor control, and finally the autonomous nervous system” (335). Losing pieces of memory is symbolic to the flashbacks that Briony refers to tell her story. It is symbolic to the pieces of memory Briony remembers and the ideas she pieces onto her story. Briony’s memory loss affects the way she decides to communicate her story and thus, the illness symbolizes the style she writes the novel.
The leg in the tree - Robbie spots the leg while in the Army. The detachment of body parts symbolizes the horrors of war and also symbolizes a loss of innocence for not only Robbie, but Briony as well. Observing the intimacy of her sister and Robbie together leads to her loss of innocence and causes her to view the world in a new light.
- Great work on the symbols.