Rogers, Amber Romantic-Modern Eng.302-01 April 19, 2010 Dr.

McCann

Atonement Handout #2 1. When Mr.Tallis calls to say he is working late and will stay in town one can assume that the marriage between Mr. Tallis and Emily are not one of the happiest, and each of them are living separate lives that have become like a routine for their family. Cecilia takes on the role of being a host at their family dinner because, Leon had the poor gift of avoiding responsibility, and would not assume his fathers role. Nominally, it would pass to Mrs. Tallis, but ultimately the success of the evening would be in Cecilias hands (130). 2. Cecilia and her brother seem to have a good relationship and a childish connection that allows both of them to be themselves in front of each other. In the earlier chapter the reader saw how they had a playful relationship when Cecilia kept trying to get Leon to look at her when Paul Marshall was going on about himself so they could share the same laughter from being bored. Cecilia seems to be the leader because she is much more responsible and makes it her business to make sure everything runs smoothly in her family. However Cecilia did admire Leon because she states, He always floated free (131), which was something she wishes she had the courage to do for herself.

3. In dealing with marriage and Leon, I dont think he is at all ready, because he has no real sense of stability; which is not entirely a bad thing for his age but in order to choose a wife and marry a man has to have the ambition to conform to that life and Leon is not there yet. He would be a good catch for a simple woman with intelligence not someone that comes from money and has very high materialistic standards, Leon is extremely educated but is beautifully humbled because he doesnt make a big fuss about many things and takes things for face value. I think Leon would be a good father one day after he has matured and come to that mental state of accepting responsibility because now he is not willing to sit still in one spot. 4. Briony as usual has placed herself in adult business and read the letter Robbie sent with her to give to Cecilia. Briony engaged in a shrill response to her brothers suggestion, writhed in his arms and turned her face from her sister and half buried it in Leons jacket; this part showed Briony was well aware of the in appropriate act she just committed that is why she couldnt look Cecilia in the face. 5. In this citation Briony was trying to read into a situation as a child she truly did not understand. Briony becomes in this line a little girl trying to hard to be involved in the adult world that she was not comprehending and she thinks that because she has read that letter she will now be a real writer and she is growing up. Bryony questions if she can trusts all the adults that surround her even Robbie whom she is making out to be a the incarnation of evil (147). 6. Lola takes Brionys hand and advises that the police should know about him after Briony tells Lola what was in the letter Robbie wrote for Cecilia. Lola referrers to

Robbie as a maniac and Briony defiantly shows how nave and childish she still was even though she wants so desperately understand this adult situation taking place. All these years she had known him and that was what he had been,(152) these thoughts of Briony truly shows the power Lolas words have over her immature mind; she automatically goes along with what Lola is saying about Robbie. 7. Briony absolutely made a mistake by talking to Lola because you could tell just by their conversation Lola is scheming up something in her head against Robbie now that she has that information. Lola from the beginning is shown as a manipulative young girl and Briony is only looking to get into good graces with Lola. Also Lola takes things to the extreme as soon as she receives the information suggesting that they tell the police about a letter that wasnt written to either one of them; and Lola continues to put plots into Brionys mind because Briony shows some hesitation about telling the police, so Lola states we just need to show them (153). This line is showing that the power roles on mind control belong to Lola over Briony, but because Briony is so nave and live in this unrealistic world she cant see what her cousin is doing. 8. The citation is from Robbie while his mind raced during dinner about Cecilia, only about twenty minutes ago they were making love in the Talliss library and he couldnt stop thinking about getting her alone again they just discovered the love and passion they had for each other; and he was planning on sneaking away again into the night outside and making love again but he knew Mrs. Tallis

mightve known what was going on between them so he referrers to her as not being a fool. 9. In this citation Robbie is referring Briony because she interrupted him and Cecilia making love in the library. He was embarrassed but at the same time disgusted Briony because she was supposed to on the terrace with her mother, minding her own business. 10. During this part at the end of chapter eleven Robbie is walking towards the front door getting himself together to go and search for the twins that decided they were going to run off and go back home. Poor Robbie only wanted to spend more time with Cecilia and continue what they had already started which was falling in love. She gave him a look and a shrug, which said there is nothing we can do now (184). To me this was a perfect example again on how Cecilias family always interferes with her life and her personal desires.