- Title : Atonement
- Author : Ian Mcewan
- Type of book : Fiction , and maybe biography
II. Characters
- Main Character : Briony Tallis, a talented young girl blessed with writing ability and also creating a play, she is just about to reach young teenager's age when she misinterpret the love between her sister Cecilia Tallis and their housemaid's son Robbie Turner as a sexual attack. An action which, made her regret at latter times of her life.
- I can identify with the main character when : She acts as a narrator and also as and actress in the novel, where the wrong decision she made at younger age is failed to be corrected which give her the atonement until the end of her life.
- The supporting character in this novel includes Cecilia Tallis, Robbie Turner, Lola, Paul Marshall, and Leon Tallis.
III. Setting
- The place of the story includes countryside England, the residents of the Tallis, at France, where Robbie duties as a soldier. The time of the story ranging from before until after world war II, until the year 1999.
- In the early chapter of the novel, the setting depicted is mostly of natural landscape, scenery of upper class lifestyle, gardens, ponds, and lavished house of the Tallis. During the war, the setting is based on France during the war. The creative use of setting by Ian Mcewan helps to inflict a high emotional connection to the reader. It makes me really into the real situation of the story while I read the novel.
IV. Plot
- The story starts with Briony wrote a play which was to be played by her cousins, but everything was distracted by a series of event from the lost of her two little twin cousins, her misinterpretation of her sister's and Robbie's explicit love moment, and the raping of her cousin Lola, which she presumed Robbie is the accused. Robbie is then sent to prison for three years, he is released but has to join the British army, He is enlisted for action in France. Before he depart, he have his last meetings with Cecilia for only half an hour, where they share a kiss, Cecilia during this moment is a nurse. As Robbie engaged in war, he suffer a bad wound and remember his past moment with Cecilia with a strong desire to see her again as he retreat to Dunkirk. Briony then, understand the past mistake she made, where Lola is actually raped by her brother's friend, Paul Marshall. Paul Marshall and Lola actually get married where Briony attends it, and guilt filled Briony reject an offer from Cambridge. At the last of her life at the age of 77 in the year 1999. Briony wrote / finished her novel, by diverging the reality with Cecilia and Robbie shared a happily ever after life together, where the actual thing is Cecillia and Robbie died in two different occasion long ago. She also never ask a forgiveness from her sister Cecilia. She explains that she wants to give them the happiness of being together, which they did not achieve in the reality because of Briony youth time mistake, which happens to be her atonement.
V. Theme
- The author shows about the mistake of Briony in her young teens, and failed to make amends at times she still had the chance. It also shows the love between two different social standing person in the society, and a love that is jealoused by faith.
- In this story, I learned about the misfortune of love between two person which deserve a better ending, and the importance of asking for forgiveness, it's effect unto oneself and the other person.
- The problem in this story is the accusation of Briony unto Robbie as a Rapist which took away Robbie from her Cecilia for the rest of their life. The problem however has never been solved, it is solved only on Briony's novel of imaginary Robbie and Cecilia living happily ever after.
VI. Evaluation of the book
- I like the novel in terms of the writer's psychological effects on his writing to the reader, from the use of his hard to interpret English word, to his depiction of the scenery in the novel, which for me is very keen. But as with most other reader of the novel, the ending is heartbreaking, it haunt me personally to think about it, and make me afraid to engaged in love.... very sad story Miss Marge, why do you recommend this kind of novel, It made me drew tears.
