ATONEMENT

I. Introduction

• Title: Atonement
• Author: Ian McEwan
• Type of Book: Fiction, however, some facts stated in the story are real

II. Characters

• Main Character:

• Briony Tallis- a thirteen year old girl; innocent child who aspires to be a writer and started making plays for her cousins; she is confused with what’s reality in comparison to what is she imagining
• I can relate to the character in a way that I have also dreams of becoming a writer someday and when you have the desire to write, you tend to lose the ability to distinguish what is real and what is just made by your imagination. Aside from that, I am imperfect like anybody else and like the character in the story, I made my own stand to eradicate the error I have made by appropriating the correct actions.

• Supporting Characters:

• Robbie Turner – son of Mrs. Turner, who grew up with Leon, Briony and Cecilia. He also goes to Cambridge University with Ceciliaending up falling in love with each other.
• Cecilia Tallis – has fallen in love with her childhood friend, Robbie Turner. She is the middle child of the Tallis family. She has almost never kept contact with her family again after becoming upset with what happened between her and Robbie. III. Setting

• The story happened before and after the World War II up to year 1999 which involves the England’s countryside, Tallis’ Estate at the Surrey Hills in England.
• The setting gives me a preview of how life goes years back, especially in the time of World War. I am able to appreciate the simplicity of life yet the complexity of the emotions involved- for short, what children undergo as they face maturity are still being experienced by the people now. I also felt like I have been to England too.

IV. Plot:

• Briony wrote a play to be played by her cousins.
• When her two little twin cousins were lost, her cousin Lola got raped and sister Cecile and Robbie made love- everything goes out of control for Briony.
• Because of Briony’s misinterpretation, she accused Robbie of raping Lola.
• Robbie was then sent to prison for three years and when he was released he was still to join the British army.
• He had last meetings with Cecilia for half an hour before he departed.
• Cecilia became a nurse, Robbie suffered a bad wound from the war and wanted to meet her again.
• Briony then, understand the past mistake she made.
• At age 77 Briony finished her novel, but changing the ending to Robbie and Cecilia living together happily which is in contrast with what’s real,

V Theme

• What is the author trying to say in this story? Is there a moral to this story?
• I think what the author is trying to tell me as I am reading the story is that not all mistakes can put our life to misery for infinity. Mistakes always bring corrections, and these corrections provide moral lessons that in the future, when you face the same situation, you won’t be mistaken anymore.
• What I learned from this story?
• Since I can also see myself in the story, being a person who also committed a number of iniquities, I learned to grow up from those mistakes and do something. I also learned the importance of social relationships or my relationship with the people around me, specially those people I love and care for. I also found out the true value of forgiveness, that it is not just merely saying it, but feeling it by heart.
• State a problem in the story. How was it solved?
• One main problem in the story is Briony’s battling thoughts. I can tell that her immaturity leads her to make the wrong decisions as well as act something out of what she feels she must do at the moment and not as to what should be done. This problem, however, was solved when she herself realized the mistake she has made although it took her a span of time to meditate on her error. Briony was also able to stand up from her mistake of the past and do something true for herself too.

VI Evaluation of the Book

· The story involved real stories and scenarios. First, the confusing emotions which teenagers undergo were present and the characters in the story are of no exemption to this change. Second, the inborn imperfection of human. We give decisions which we consciously or subconsciously know that are wrong, only we still continue doing it. Third, the gift of forgiveness. Sometimes, what we thought is for us is not really for us. We may dream our own prince charmings, but we don’t know who will end up having our hand. Not all stories have happy endings, but it would be better to know that the conflict is resolved by the end of the story and that love has maintained its position, after all.