Examples Of Injustice In Atonement

The word justice can mean many things for many people. It is up to the people to deem it a minor or serious issue.How justice and injustice are displayed affects how a person will understand it. This all depends on the type of person, criminal or hero. In Ian McEwan's Atonement, Briony's understanding of justice changes over the course of the novel and she does not stop trying to achieve it.
First, Briony's first encounter with injustice shows her partial understanding of it. Briony finds Lola one night sexually assaulted, and sees the attacker running away in the dark. The fact that Briony understands that what was done to Lola was wrong and someone needs punishment shows her understanding of getting justice. This also shows that Briony put aside her and Lola's differences by helping her, which means she does understand that someone's physical, mental, emotional, and moral safety is more important. Also, in the same situation, Briony goes to the police and accuses …show more content…
The reader finds out that the novel is being told from Briony's point of view as though she is the "author" and revealing the truth about Paul is her goal. This proves that Briony understands that no matter how long ago a crime occurred, the truth is important no matter what. This also shows how justice is extremely important to her seeing as she wrote an entire novel about it. Also, Brian he still wants it published even though it might not happen in her lifetime, meaning she will not outlive Lola and Paul. This proves how important this situation is to her and how much of an impact the justice system has taken on her emotions. She knows she cannot change what she did to Robbie, but she still believes that society should know the truth of what she did wrong in an accident and what Paul did wrong on purpose. this is how Briony proves her complete understanding of justice and injustice as a mature