themes in Atonement Flashcards
(12 cards)
quotes to show status and power
‘her effective status as an only child, as well as the relative isolation of the tallis household’ - golden age trope, Briony uses her status to get what she wants
how is the theme of secrets and lies important in atonement - quotes
the whole book ends up being a lie
‘I saw him. I saw him’ - This is important as this is the volta of the novel
quotes to show the power of storytelling
‘the imagination itself was a source of secrets’ - this quote is important because she can add and remove details in the book because it is from her imagination
‘she would simply wait until real events not her own fantasies… dispelled her insignificance’
‘Everything connected. It was her own discovery. It was her story, the one that was writing itself around her.’
‘I’ve always liked to make a tidy finish’
theme of guilt quotes
‘guilt… a rosary to be fingered a lifetime’
“It was for herself, for her own crime which her conscience could no longer bear.”
‘She would never be able to console herself that she was pressured or bullied. She never was.’
‘she was beginning to get the full grasp of what she did and what is has meant’
theme of innocence
‘She thought a game was being played which she did not understand’
‘in the same weak submissive voice’
‘Poor vain and vulnerable Lola’
Paul Marshall Quotes
‘she felt him touch her lightly on the forearm.’
‘It was a cruel face but the manner was pleasant’
‘he woke hot across his chest and throat, uncomfortably aroused’
‘he crossed and uncrossed his legs’
‘‘bite it’’ he said softly’
‘perhaps he’s spent a lifetime making amends’
theme of social difference/ class difference
'’they turned on you, all of them’
‘they chose to believe the evidence of a silly, hysterical girl’
‘she had persued his prosecution with a strange verocity’
Briony quotes
‘a shrine to her controlling demon’
‘I’ve always liked to make a tidy finish’ - controlling demon, she is still the same person
elements of crime in Atonement
‘Within the half hour, Briony would commit her crime’
