The Real versus Constructed and Perception
and Mis-interpretations
Other Characters Misunderstandings
At one point she has a shout in the distance and sees a torch flash on and off we might
wonder if this is perhaps part of the incident between Paul and Lola or just an innocent
part of the search and this contributes to a sense of both willfull and accidental
misinterpretations of events.
Emily Tallis hearing the noises from the twins bedroom thinking it is fine.
Cecilia thinking Danny Hardman may be interested in Lola.
Every-time a character misinterprets a situation it proves to have a consequence in the future.
Briony states "it wasn't only wickedness and scheming that made people unhappy it was
confusion and misunderstanding... the failure to grasp the simple truth that people are as real
as you". This is clearly older Briony reflecting as younger Briony does not heed this advice at all.
Briony Constructing her own world based on literature
She ruthlessly subordinates everything the world throws on her to make it serve to meet the
demands of her own world of fiction. She is too young to understand the dangers of basing her
life on an artificial world. As can be seen by her mother Emily Tallis's inability to act she was
neglected as a child and therefore resorted to a world of fiction. When her confusion between
real life and the life of fiction heightens she uses fiction to correct any errors even referring to
real life as being "illogical" in sequence.
Briony beginning to view people's lives in the form of a narrative during the fountain scene
"illogical"
Her misinterpretation of the adult symbolic world is due to her childhood reading habits.
Her first crucial misunderstanding is while watching the fountain scene where from viewing
Robbie's formal position he believes he is proposing marriage to her sister. She reflects "she
herself had written a tale in a humble woodcutter saved a princess from drowning and ended by
marrying her". When Cecilia jumps into the water Briony is perplexed by the disordered
narrative so decides to make it her own by sabotaging the relationship unintentionally.
Hinting that the reader will misinterpret the novel
The succession of misinterpretations in Part I can arguably be said to be aimed at McEwan's
implied reader. Discouraging us from participating in the misinterpretations of events although
we still do. We should instead question the veracity of the older narrators account in Part I.
Forcing life to conform to the orderliness of art has tragic consequences.
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