Essay
Atonement Key Quotes with Inferences
A comprehensive list of key quotes with brief inferences from Atonement, carefully selected according to the requirements of the AQA A Level English Literature B Crime exam.
[Show more]
Connected book
Book Title:
Author(s):
- Edition:
- ISBN:
- Edition:
4 reviews
By: hmphhmph • 2 year ago
By: tobylee14 • 2 year ago
By: elle_jeffery • 1 year ago
By: sarahibrahim • 3 year ago
Content preview
Atonement key quotesPart One
‘her controlling demon…passion for secrets…love of order’ – traits of a fiction writer,
compose Briony’s motive for narrative neatness
‘relative isolation of the Tallis household’ – Golden age trope, perhaps a mitigating
circumstance for Briony’s crime
‘she wanted to lie alone, face-down on her bed and savour the vile piquancy of the moment’
– Briony is clearly still a child; her reaction to Lola taking over is melodramatic
‘obliviousness to anything beyond her own business’ – unsympathetic portrayal of Lola by
the older Briony, possibly unreliable given that we don’t get her voice directly
‘talk of medical college (was) presumptuous…since it was her father who would have to pay’
– conveys Cecilia’s snobbery, believes that class is the barrier between them
‘the pressure was so feeble, and water fell back over his head’ – theme of impotence is
symbolised by the Triton fountain
‘parallelograms of morning sunlight’ – motif of geometric shapes (especially in Cecilia’s
centre of consciousness), links to claustrophobia as even light is trapped
‘No one was holding Cecilia back, no one would care particularly if she left’ – yet Cecilia has
an exaggerated view of her importance in the household
‘drowning herself would be his punishment’ – Cecilia’s tendency for melodrama leads
inadvertently to Briony’s misunderstanding, and later her crime
‘morning’s colossal heat (was) oppressive’ – the heat has a claustrophobic impact under
which all characters suffer
‘What strange power did he have over her? Blackmail? Threats?’ – Briony’s
misunderstanding of the fountain scene, first link in the chain of events before her crime
‘only chance had brought her to the window’ – fate and determinism often play a part in
leading to a crime, McEwan’s one moment
‘A few thick black hairs curled free of his eyebrow, and from his earholes there sprouted the
same black growth, comically kinked like pubic hair’ – grotesque appearance of Paul
Marshall, he is nearly handsome but contains several unpleasant features
‘as she passed she felt him touch her lightly on the forearm. Or it may have been a leaf’ –
subtle sign from the older Briony of Paul’s guilt (due to perverse nature), but no evidence
that this actually happened
‘(Paul’s suitcase) reminded her vaguely of her father’ – some sympathy for Lola here as she
is drawn to Paul as a replacement to her lost father, theme of absent parents
‘the girl was almost a young woman, poised and imperious, quite the little pre-Raphaelite
princess with her bangles and tresses, her printed nails and velvet choker’ – Paul’s view of
Lola suggests she is clearly trying to draw sexual attention to herself, being on the brink of
adulthood perversely arouses Paul
‘It bore her no malice, this animal, it was indifferent to her misery’ – through the metaphor
Briony attempts to dramatize her mother’s suffering in order to make herself more culpable
‘(Cecilia) had a husband to find and motherhood to confront’ – evidence of Emily’s
traditional views, feels considerable disdain towards her daughter
‘that Lola, the incarnation of Emily’s younger sister who had been just as precocious and
scheming at that age’ – somewhat unfair given that Lola has not seemed scheming at all and
generally keeps quiet, Emily should be there for her niece instead
‘tentacular awareness…she lay in the dark and knew everything’ – extremely ironic given
that Emily gets almost everything wrong and is an ineffectual parent
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller thomasbaines0. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £3.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
53340 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now