Ian Mcewan's Atonement Analysis

The 1930s was a time of tremendous change within the lives of women. The strife declaration of war against Germany was the imperative and fundamental adversity that encouraged the inclusion of women in the workforce, and the idea that women have more abilities than the stereotypical housewife. The responsibilities and reliability of a woman are increased during this time, changing not only the way men view women, but the way they view themselves. Atonement by Ian McEwan is a story about an upper class, English family living in the year 1935. The novel mainly focuses on the ever passing life of Briony Tallis, age 13, who indicts her older sister Cecilia’s lover, Robbie, of sexual assault. This consequential mistake made in her developmental years brings woe and tribulation to the future lives of …show more content…
Later in their lives, Briony and Cecilia become nurses to treat wounded soldiers from the exacerbating war while Robbie spends his time in prison and later fighting in the war himself. In the final moments of her life, Briony has written a book that is comprised of her guilt and wishes for the atonement of her mistakes made towards those she loves, giving her a sense of closure and forgiveness for the wrongs she has committed. In the novel Atonement by Ian McEwan, the enthralling and intriguing lives of Briony and her family provide a strong development of feminism and the fracture of patriarchy during the 1930s and 1940s.
Most members of our progressive and modern society no longer fear the concept of women having occupations and having the ability to become independent from their male counterparts. This fear, however, is quite prevalent at the time of Briony and her family. The early 1900s consisted of a male-dominated workforce while a woman’s place was taking care of the house and children. This normality of society became an immense dilemma for Cecilia