Student Question
What are your thoughts on the ending of the novel Atonement?
Quick answer:
The ending of Atonement reveals Briony Tallis as the author of the story, using her narrative control to seek redemption for past wrongs. She erases the tragic reality where Robbie is wrongfully imprisoned and Cecilia dies, offering a fictional happy ending instead. This reflects Briony's lifelong struggle for atonement, as she attempts to amend her childhood mistake through writing. Her fictional resolution provides her some peace, despite the deceit inherent in her narrative.
At the end of the novel Atonement, an elderly Briony Tallis seeks a resolution as she reflects on her shameful past. Briony was the catalyst to a disturbing chain of events that ruined multiple lives. In an attempt to atone for her actions, Briony reveals she is the author of this entire story, and as the author, she can mold the events to suit her need for redemption. This deceit, the deceit of the fiction writer, is her answer to her childhood mistakes.
Briony erases the previous narrative in which Robbie, the ill-fated son of the housekeeper, is imprisoned for a rape he never committed. She's inspired to plant this lie as a vengeful response to Robbie's affections for her older sister, Cecilia. After serving years in prison, he becomes a British soldier during WWI. Cecilia loved Robbie and wanted nothing more than to reunite with him after the war. However, she is killed in an attack on a civilian underground station.
The unique manner in which Briony authors her own story is a critically acclaimed component of the novel. Briony had previously attempted to atone through her work as a nurse during the war. Her life after the childhood lie can easily be perceived as her true repentance. However, Briony is still compelled to write an alternative ending for Cecilia and Robbie. The fantasy of them living happily ever after gives Briony some peace at the end of her life.
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