Briony Character Development

289 Words2 Pages
Atonement, A love story between Robbie and Cecilia, takes place during the 1930’s. Robbie, an ordinary helper of the Tallis family is taken away from his one true love, Cecilia, as the story depicts the driving forces of love bringing them back to each other in a twisted tale of Briony’s imagination. In Ian McEwan's novel, published in 2001, the book uses rhetorical and literary techniques to develop its story. The highlight of the novel, being the use of different perspectives including from the point of view of Briony, Robbie, Cecilia, and Emily Tallis. While the book focuses on multiple different perspectives, the movie adaption released by director Joe Wright in 2007, depicts the three major points of view of the novel. As the novel focuses primarily on the thoughts of each character, the film, in contrast utilizes symbols and body language to show the character development of Briony. In this twisted tale of love, Briony takes advantage of the people around her without realizing the consequences of her actions. This twisted tale begins on a warm summer day in 1935. Briony, the main character of the novel is introduced as she is followed closely throughout the novel and film adaptation. Both McEwan and Wright distinctly make it clear that Briony loves to write stories. In the words of her sister, Cecilia, “What had seemed a passing fad was now an enveloping obsession” (McEwan, 21). As McEwan describes it as an obsession, Wright portrays Briony’s love for writing through her body language as she anxiously waits for her mother's approval of her newest piece”The Trials of Arabella”. Stalking her mom as if she was prey, Briony looks over her mother's shoulder in distress waiting for her
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