Class Post (section G) 3/18/2010

Chapters 9 through 14 in Atonement (2001 Ian McEwan ) rise up to the climax, ending part 1 of the novel. It is the part that reveals what the issue is and how the title may fit. Lola's face is scratched and her arms are bruised up to her elbow, she claims that Jackson and Pierrot did those harms because they wanted to return home. Cecilia and Robbie finally encounter at the dinner party after their pond incident and made love in the library, where Brinoy walked in halfway, and believing it to be "an attack" on her sister as she sees how grotesquely Robbie looked, like a beast, and called him "a maniac." As everyone was gathered around the table, Brinoy exclaimed as she sees a letter in Jackson's seat that is written in broken grammar of a supposed escape from the terrible treatment from Lola and Betty. People went on search for the Jackson and Pierrot and Robbie found them. But he returns finding policemen waiting to handcuff him. Brinoy reported him for being the offender of harassment toward Lola after finding Lola shaken when they were looking for the twins.

It may be because I watched the movie before, even though it was a while back and I don't remember the ending or too much of it, I could only imagine Cecilia from Kiera Knightly's role, thus, I can't completely form "Cecilia" as how I read her in the story, and the same goes for Robbie's character. One thing that stood out about Brinoy is when she is described as never having any secrets or wrongdoing. That, I feel definitely gives a point in something big happening later on in the story. And her character, in the novel, gives off a feel of an odd, intricate, delicate, protected, but a genius-like child who is strong-willed. My psychological interpretation of her is she thinks much ahead and worries many things and don't want to do anything or anyone wrong, yet she makes the biggest mistake from an avoidable misunderstanding. So she shouldn't have opened the letter and read it, but having read it, she shouldn't have felt a need to "protect" Cecilia like she many times states, and she could have openly talked to Cecilia or Robbie about it. But maybe, because how the author sets up Cecilia's character, it might have been hard for Brinoy to approach Cecilia. And since Brinoy is at the time of "changing," she couldn't have confronted Robbie either although Robbie seems like a decent and understanding guy. The ironic thing is that when Brinoy was trying to interpret Robbie's gestures and expressions, she tries hard to give a descripition of what she thinks Robbie should be saying or feeling with what she sees, and justifying why he would, making her thoughts seem a little unnatural and forced, so to make the readers think that in her deep conscious mind, she does not believe that he truly is guilty. So why does she do this? Does she really think that Robbie is a harasser? Could it be jealousy and what triggered it? From seeing that romantic vision from her window? I felt upset at how Brinoy did what she did and could not figure out if the author wants to present her character as someone who should be sympathesized because she is young and immature still, and is transitioning, or someone who has this underlying evil mindset of purposely doing what she is doing. But I also do not like Cecilia's character too much, I feel she could be a better sister and not be so explosive or "out there" as she is. I feel the meaning of "atonemnt" up to here can be seen in Robbie's character, as how he is taken to be guilty, when he is innocent. He is taking the fall for a bad deed someone else had done, which brings up one last interesting point. Who is the person? Paul Marshall? One big giveaway is when the story was told from Emily's perspective, and how she heard laughing from Lola and Marshall, and she thought that "he was good with kids." As well, it gives a clue when there was a sudden more-than-just-friendly interest toward Lola from Marshall, complimenting her good taste in clothes when she tried to be mature and put on an adult-like cover. This makes me wonder if the letter could have been part of Marshall's scheme in making the lie that Lola is injured because of her brothers' homesickness more believable.