Essays on Atonement

Atonement is a novel by British author Ian McEwan. Published in 2001, it won the 2002 Booker Prize. The novel is set in three time periods, 1935 England, the Second World War, and 1999 England.The novel’s protagonist is 13-year-old Briony Tallis. On a hot summer day in 1935, Briony witnesses a moment of sexual tension between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, the son of their household servant. Briony misinterpreted what she saw, thinking Robbie was attacking Cecilia. Robbie is tried and convicted of a crime he did not commit. He is sent to prison, while Cecilia and Briony both go to London. The novel follows their lives over the next several years as they each struggle with the events of that day.The novel ends with Briony’s realization that she can never atone for her actions, but she hopes that her novel will serve as a atonement” of sorts.”