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Atonement - Plot Summary
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This is a detailed but brief summary of McEwan's 'Atonement'. It is colour coded to identify the narrative perspective of each of the chapters/sections.
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BrionyCecilia
Atonement Plot Summary Lola
Emily
Part 1 Robbie
Chapter 1: Briony has written The Trials of Arabella which is extremely childish. The cousins from the north arrive and
Briony is desperate to get them rehearsing for her play she has written for Leon’s homecoming. During the rehearsal,
there is a ‘power struggle’ between Lola and Briony.
Chapter 2: Cecilia arranges flowers in Uncle Clem’s vase. There is tension and awkwardness between Cecilia and
Robbie. It’s revealed that Robbie’s education was paid for by the Tallis’ whose money is new. The vase breaks over a
tussle, Cecilia strips and goes into the fountain to retrieves the pieces before storming off
Chapter 3: Jackson is punished for wetting the bed which disrupts the rehearsals. Briony has some philosophical
reflection. Briony witnesses the scene at the fountain and widely misinterprets it. Older Briony admits that her story might
not be the truth through prolepsis– it is just as she remembers it
Chapter 4: Cecilia mends the vase. Briony tears the poster for the play down and Cecilia tries to comfort her. Cecilia
takes the flowers up to Paul Marshal’s room then welcomes Paul and Leon and they move to the swimming pool where
Paul monologues and Cecilia and Leon deliberately avoid each other’s eyes – reminded of the games they used to
play as children. Leon tells her he invited Robbie to dinner that night which annoys Cecilia – he accuses her of snobbery
Chapter 5: The cousins continue rehearsing, not knowing that Briony has called it off. Lola and the twins ‘talk’ about the
divorce. Paul Marshall enters and he and Lola start flirting but Lola is completely out of her depth. The twins leave for a
bath leaving Lola alone with Paul
Chapter 6: Emily lies in bed with a migraine and reflects on life and her family. She hears the goings on of the house –
hears laughter in the nursery that is smothered – misinterpreting events
Chapter 7: Briony slashes nettles. Leon arrives but she ignores him, hoping he would come to see her. She decides to
wait for something interesting to happen to her
Chapter 8: Robbie has a bath and thinks about Cecilia. We learn more about his family and backstory. He types an
apology letter to Cecilia – editing his draft many times. He ruins the draft and instead handwrites it. Robbie gets ready to
go to dinner exited by the prospect of seeing Cecilia. He walks to the house and gives the letter to Briony to deliver, he
realised it is the wrong one but it is too late
Chapter 9: Cecilia gets ready for the evening and struggles to pick out the right dress. She goes to help the twins and
feels guilty about their neglect. She resolves an argument in the kitchen between Betty and Emily. She goes to spend
time on the terrace with Leon. Briony arrives and gives Cecilia Robbie’s letter. Everything suddenly makes sense to her
but then she realises that Briony has read the letter
Chapter 10: Briony struggles to contemplate what she’s read in the letter and her imagination runs wild and paints
Robbie to be a monster. She thinks that Cecilia is being threatened and decides that she needs her protection. She
already wants to write her version of events. Lola comes to Briony and tells her the twins had been torturing her- Briony
tries to comfort her. She tells Lola about the letter and together they decide that Robbie’s a maniac who should be
reported to the police. Briony pines the absence of her father who would have helped her understand. She goes into
the library and interrupts what she thinks is an attack and is confused when Cecilia is not grateful
Chapter 11: The dinner starts awkwardly – each person is absorbed in their own world. Briony is very hostile towards
Robbie. Leon asks if people have behaved worse than usual today because of the heat – oblivious to the danger of the
question. Robbie thinks back the evening’s events: he struggles to decide if he should talk to Cecilia after the wrong
letter was sent, Cecilia and Robbie confess to their feeling for each other in the library and then have sex – its an
amazing moment for them both before they realise that they have been interrupted by Briony. Jackson and Pierrot
leave the dinner. Cecilia and Briony have a heated exchange. Briony points to Lola’s injuries. Paul Marshall says that he
had to pull the twins off her. Briony finds a letter on the twins’ chairs saying that they have run away. The group split up
and go to search
Chapter 12: Emily stays in the house while the search party is out. She is not particularly worried and thinks it unnecessary
to call the police. We learn about her troubled relationship with her sister and family which has led her to resent Lola. We
learn about the problems in her marriage. Jack phones and they talk but Emily doesn’t mention the twins are missing –
when she eventually does Jack immediately decides to call the police. Leon, Cecilia, Briony, and Lola enter. Leon tells
his father to come home and tells Emily to sit down before he explains what has happened
Chapter 13: Briony goes to search for the twins. She is scared of the ‘maniac’ but is glad Leon is with her sister because
he can protect her. Briony reflects on the day and decides she is no longer a child. She goes down to the lake and sees
two dark masses – she realises one of them is Lola. She decides the rapist is Robbie, insisting she saw him, and
manipulates Lola to say the same. She makes excuses – saying that once she had said her story it was hard to retract it.
Leon and Cecilia arrive and Leon carries Lola indoors
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