The issue of innocence touches many characters' lives in this story. When Lola is attacked, Briony confirms the accusation that Robbie is the one who raped her. Part of Briony's willingness to do this comes from her witnessing Robbie and Cecilia being intimate earlier that same evening; but she is also annoyed at Robbie because she has an adolescent crush on him, and he yelled at her when she forced him to rescue her from the waterfall. Briony's temporary anger at Robbie fuels her resolve to implicate him in Lola's assault, even though he has done nothing wrong, and Lola is well aware of who raped her.
Robbie is put in prison as punishment for the crime; despite knowing of his innocence, Lola does not speak up about Robbie's innocence, and she marries her rapist, thereby making it impossible for her to give testimony against him. Robbie's only recourse is...
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to agree to fight in the war, and he is so desperate to get out of prison that he agrees to do it. Robbie's innocence is never in question in the reader's mind; and yet he is further punished by dying of his wounds on the battlefield. Briony tries to assuage her guilt by imagining an alternate ending to the story.
Atonement is a novel written by Ian McEwan in 2001. This book is divided into two distinct parts. In very broad terms, the first part describes a young girl's loss of innocence after she witnesses a traumatic event. The second half goes into detail about how the actions of Briony, the young girl, affect her family and friends.
In regards to your question, the answer is yes. The theme of innocence plays a large role in both the events that unfold and the development of characters in the story. Let's take the character of Briony as an example. When she is first introduced to the reader, we are given a glimpse of her maturity, especially when compared to the characters of Jackson and Pierrot. Despite this, we are soon reminded of her innocence and young age when she reads the letter written by Robbie intended for Cecilia. Having read the sexually charged letter, Briony concludes that Robbie is a lustful and aggressive monster. This thought is only confirmed when she stumbles upon Cecilia and Robbie in the library later.
Clearly, Briony's innocence and lack of experience play a significant role in her reactions to Robbie and his letter. Had she known the context of his and Cecilia's situation, it is doubtful that she would have blamed Robbie for the heinous act that occurs later in the book. Briony's false judgement about this act, brought in part due to her innocence, is what ultimately sets the later events of the novel in motion, including Robbie's involvement in the war.