The Narration In Ian Mcewan's Atonement

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The way in which Ian McEwan’s Atonement, was written allows the readers to become apart of the complex and intricate story. The narrative used within the story was told from the point of view of the main character, Briony. In the beginning of the story, Briony was retelling a traumatic childhood event from the perspective of a child, but as the story continues and she grows up she realizes her mistake and tries to undo the negative effects of her previous immature interpretations. In book Atonement, by Ian McEwan, the narration is used to help drive the storyline, highlight the different themes and tie in the historical context of the story’s time periods.
Throughout all of Atonement, Briony narrates the events that happen and how they affect
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Some scholars argue that the text of Atonement was an attempt to rewrite history and the overall book was her gesture of atonement (Kellman). For readers, it is reasonable to assume that McEwan main purpose for choosing Briony to narrate the story was to illustrate the growth of her maturity and the eventual realization of her childhood mistakes. The turning point of the story was when Briony was older and she came to grips with the fact that she wrongfully accused Robbie of rape. From that point on to the ending of the book Briony continually tries to make things right and to confront the true rapist. In the last few sentences of the book, Briony mentions her opinion of her personal success with atonement. “How can a novelist achieve atonement when, with her absolute power of deciding outcomes, she is also God? There is no one, no entity or higher form that she can appeal to, or be reconciled with, or that can forgive her. There is nothing outside her” (McEwan). This quote shows overall Briony had complete control over her personal success with atonement, since she was the one writing the story and she was the who one controlled what actually was told to the audience. Not only does McEwan use the need for atonement as a theme but some scholars argue that he used the concept of time was used both as another theme and as an element in narrative technique. These scholars believe that each section of Atonement, takes place in fewer than twelve hours and that this time compression helps to enhance the story’s intensity and also focuses on the several brief experiences that changes each character’s life (Ingersoll). Considering the concept of time within Atonement, Briony’s narrative can also be seperated by her age and maturity towards the things she sees. Considering the outcomes of the characters, the story would have had a completely different

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