Deception In Ian Mcewan's Atonement

Deception is not always carried out by a cruel villain sulking in the the alleyways. Sometimes, it is just a small girl, afraid and alone. Other times, it is a deception of necessity, destined to save someone or right a wrong. Clearly, deception is not always bad, a distinction less determined by what the deception is then why it occurred in the first place. Thirteen year old Briony discovers this when she mistakenly claims that Robbie Turner is the rapist of her young cousin, despite not seeing the attacker clearly or having any evidence besides his (wrongly assumed) attribute of being a “sex maniac.” Briony Tallis’ deception in Ian McEwan’s Atonement is driven by a youthful misunderstanding, jealousy, and the need for attention, ultimately causing the imprisonment of an innocent man and her continual life of penance. It is easy to pass instantaneous judgement on Briony after her …show more content…
When Briony had been younger, she developed a schoolgirl crush on Robbie, the boy who had cared for her and protected her since she was just a child. Thinking back on it later, she resolves that those feelings went away after her ten year old self foolishly told him she loved him. From the reader’s perspective, however, it is easy to presume that that love has not drifted completely away. Instead, as Briony watches her sister and Robbie become close again, reads his “love note,” and even watches them act upon their love, her subconscious constructs her entire web of misunderstandings to cover up her deeply hidden jealously over the love she still harbors for Robbie. She lashes out because of that jealousy in the most effective way she can think of when the moment presents itself, seeking to separate the new lovers. Her momentary flood of emotions strikes down the two people she cares for most, instead of “helping” them like her subconscious convinces her she