Flashcards in Atonement Deck (7)
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1
Robbie - victim of
. Briony
. War
. Class (linked to exploitation in war and Briony)
2
Robbie in part one
. associated with family but class outsider
. he does jobs for Tallis's - not an employee or friend, always on periphery
. Briony's class prejudice makes her incriminate him: stereotype working class son of single mother
. finds the twins: they survive and he doesn't
. chapter 8: Robbie's dreams - don't come true
3
Robbie in part two
. hero: saves Briony in flashback, tries to save family
. B forces R into roles he doesn't want: reluctant hero
. army was only escape from prison
. chaotic structure: no chapters, B can't impose order
- also deterioration of R as he dies, delirium
. prison time skipped, B doesn't look at what she's responsible for
4
Robbie in part three
. encounter w R + C - self flagellation for B
. makes R aggressive, angry - stereotype, makes her seem better bc she's calm and collected
. imagines healing R + him forgiving her, makes his death reveal worse
. making him a threat vindicates her earlier perception of him as a maniac
5
Robbie in epilogue
. dead, sections 2 and 3 revealed to be fiction
. romance winning - saves R + C in Briony's mind
. traps herself in narrative whole life, can't move on
. worse than if she'd just said he was dead
. reader betrayal
6
Robbie - part 3 quotes
. "If Cecelia and Robbie were never together... Her secret torment"
. "her relief that Robbie was alive was supported by her dread of confronting him"
. "In the confined space he was desperate in his movements, as though suffocating"
. "he was angry, very angry"
. "I'm torn between breaking your stupid neck here and taking you outside and throwing you down the stairs"
7
