Ian McEwan

Nevertheless we are encouraged in Atonement to take sides, partly because the narrator turns out to have been part of the story, and is therefore partial. What is the significance that the ‘atonement,’—the nearest Briony, as a non-believer, can get to ‘atonement’—may be inaccurate? Ian McEwan: May I ask you a question? What makes you think the “atonement” Briony Tallis seeks may be inaccurate? Interviewer: Well after reading the epilogue we learn that Briony never actually saw Robbie and Cecelia that day in 1940. Briony never had the chance to make things right with them. The atonement Briony achieved is nothing more than a constructed dialogue. Would you not say that makes her…

Ian McEwan’s Saturday: Politics and generations The attack of 9/11 was probably one of the most shocking scenario the world had ever faced. Its repercussions were seen later when United States started to talk about invasion of Iraq and end Saddam Hussein’s regime. Saturday by Ian McEwan is based in the time period after the 9/11 attacks and midst the talks of war against Iraq. The narrative is constructed around a mid-age neurosurgeon, Henry Perowne, who is based in London. His narration is…

To what extent are the protagonists of ‘Atonement’ and ‘The Girl Who Would Speak for The Dead’ similar and different? Often, in times of struggle, people can be put in different situations and come to similar conclusions. Authors, Ian McEwan and Paul Elwork, push their protagonists to extremes within their stories and come to the same conclusion, that to move on in their lives they need to find reparation. Briony Tallis from Ian McEwan’s novel ‘Atonement’ leads her family through a long period…

The title of my British novel is "On Chesil Beach." Ian McEwan is the author of this novel. Nan A. Talese is the publisher of this novel. The copyright date of this novel is 2007. This novel has 203 pages. Edward is 22 and graduated from college with a history major. He got his history degree from University College, London. Edward plays the role of Florence's future husband. Edward has dark brown eyes, oval face, high forehead, and he is strong. He is very particular, honest, kind, sensitive,…

Ian McEwan is one of the most outstanding modern English writers. His novel Atonement was published in 2001 and it became a real event in the cultural life of the whole world. This novel remarkably differs in style and content from the earlier books of Ian McEwan. It has no abnormalities, descriptions of atrocities or sex. The book consists of four parts and the actions take place in three time layers. This is the novel researching such complex issues as guilt, forgiveness and atonement. The…

In what ways does Ian McEwan’s use of setting reinforce the central ideas of Atonement? Ian McEwan spends a great deal of time describing the setting his characters inhabit. The descriptions are so in depth and thoughtful that the houses and buildings almost become characters in their own rights. This attention to detail comes from McEwan’s use of setting in reinforcing the central themes of Atonement, such as love, pretence and order and chaos. Although he used many techniques, descriptive…

In his novel Atonement, Ian McEwan effectively presents the theme of people’s perception; he presents the concept that a person’s perception of a situation will change the way they adjudge reality. Perception impacts the Tallis family throughout Atonement when each individual Tallis family member interprets the rape of their cousin, Lola. Depending on each family members idea of the servant son Robbie, they create their own perception of what really happened the night of the incident. When…

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…

Compare and contrast the ways that McEwan, Shakespeare and Chaucer present central female characters in Atonement, The Taming of the Shrew and The Miller’s Prologue and Tale. Miller’s Tale The Miller’s tale is one of 24 selected stories from Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. The Tales are primarily written in verse, with the author telling tales through observation in which he creates an image of what English society was at the time. This is done through description of stock characters,…

Critical Lens Essay Harper Lee, in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird wrote, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” In other words, to fully understand someone’s point of view, you must put yourself into their situation. This statement holds true in most literary settings, as to make sense of a character’s actions and thought process; you must consider their situation and their past…