Atonement presents a meta approach to literature, highlighting the importance of writers and raising questions about their role. Readers are left questioning almost everything they’ve read, as Briony finally reveals that he wrote the story. Briony/McEwan juxtapose Robbie with Briony and paint Briony’s character as manipulative and motivated by class differences. Briony/McEwan also portray Briony trying to atone. Although the writer’s role is vital, there are fundamental differences that must be addressed. This theme is best illustrated by Robbie’s and Briony’s parallel lives and the shared symbols.
Robbie Turner has a unique character. He is constantly in prison for many reasons: He must serve his family as a child, he is enslaved by Cecilia’s love, and he is then released because he could – and will – sacrifice his life to his country. Briony’s grave is the sole cause of his damnation. In the end, while he was a soldier, shrapnel became a part his body. Briony removes pieces from soldiers in need of shrapnel during her section. Briony is trying to make a comeback, and she mentions briefly how Robbie was one of the soldiers she would be caring for. She indirectly saved Robbie by putting her in the line of fire. She is trying to remove the shrapnel pieces from Robbie’s bodies, knowing that they are bits of war she has essentially placed in his body. While it could be an allusion to the author’s role in the story, this ultimately speaks to Briony’s and Robbie’s class differences. Briony is unable to see beyond differences in class, which makes her character irredeemable. This is an example of the control that the upper classes have over lives of the poor. Paul Marshall uses Robbie to escape his own guilt and consequences. It is much easier for Paul and Briony to control the roles that Robbie plays because they are upper-class members. Robbie had no say in Robbie’s fate. That was clear because he did not face a trial. Instead, he was made to choose between Briony and Paul. Briony saves people like him while Paul feeds them reinforces the belief that elites are in control of the lives of soldiers and other lowly citizens. They have the option to feed, starve, save lives, or kill. A life’s value is not an abstract, inspirational thing. It is a unit that can be assigned a dollar sign and a sentence in prison. Robbie was not saved by Briony, despite her efforts. Briony was influenced by the Frenchman’s actions and whether or not she learnt anything. Robbie is also significant in his death. Robbie was already dead by this time. Robbie was never able to be fully helped. Briony recognized this even in the fake story she wrote “for Cee and him”. It was not fair to her lying that Robbie would receive justice for his actions. Robbie wouldn’t be entitled to any compensation. The Frenchman is also unable and unwilling to help her. Briony could leave him to find other patients and save the world. But she is not allowed to. He was not able to make her idealize herself or leave a legacy. It was a waste and a waste of her time. Robbie is with her for his final moments. But, this does not reflect the harsh realities of her interactions and life. Robbie is a terrible person.
He is still there, and she thinks about him. She sits and listens as the Frenchman needs her most. She might have saved Robbie if she had sat down and listened to him when he needed it most. She writes a story to create a peaceful end for Robbie’s life.
Briony’s and Robbie’s parallel experiences are intended to reinforce the main motif of class differences. They are both very different characters, yet they complete their journeys in the same way using similar symbols. Briony, Robbie and their similar experiences with hardships draw a level of understanding. We get to know Cecilia while Robbie is there, and Briony. This makes them a couple and allows us to compare and contrast their lives. Robbie struggles with the idea that humans can cause so much damage and destruction to one another, as they both suffer from blisters and thirst. He confronts the casual and harsh approach to war. Briony sees the same through her nursing experiences. Both come to realize that war can affect anyone. Their enduring pain is also something they are compared to. Robbie often, but quietly, comments on Robbie’s bullet wound pain. Briony’s hospital sees a steady stream of wounded soldiers. Briony describes how it feels to be in one the stretchers. The instances take significantly less time, both for readers and characters. But it does contrast with the endurance of these characters. Briony felt that her left wrist was failing and her fingers were slipping …[, which made it seem like she was losing control (274-275). Although she portrays herself as someone who worked hard to bring the soldier home, it is clear that her actions were not sufficient. (275). Robbie, however, is not one to be defeated. He knows that he walked from one end of the country to the other, and that he has reached the sea. He’s too hungry for food and too painful to walk. He continued his journey with his “wound throbbing uncomfortably. Each beat was precise and tight.” Ironically, their struggles reveal their inner strengths. Robbie is clearly more vulnerable than Briony. She is unable to save all the wounded soldiers and suffers from exhaustion and thirst throughout her journey. She finds it almost impossible to carry on her work after just a few minutes at the beginning. Robbie, contrary, is able last several days traversing land without a shrapnel injury to his stomach. Although he is stronger physically, he finds himself putting others’ lives before his own.
Briony and Robbie are worth a lot more to the world than Robbie. Robbie is an educated man who can save soldiers, keep his cool and persevere through the long war. Briony is immature and cannot help every soldier she meets. Ironically, Briony is the one who survives all this. Robbie’s value is greatly diminished by his social standing. This idea is reinforced throughout Robbie’s story, including the chapters about his education and his imprisonment. He would have been an asset to the country, his family and the community if he was allowed the chance. Briony gets the opportunity to repeatedly prove her worth. All she proves is her ability to choose the right keys for a typewriter in order to write a good sentence. Robbie was raised in a better home than Briony, so her life is more valuable than Robbie’s. Their interactions proved that, regardless of Robbie’s efforts, it was the quantity of dollars and not the quality of their personhood that were important.
