Throughout Atonement, I found one of the most interesting themes the expectations and even archetypes many of the characters follow. The reader and central characters in the story often do not see the full picture of the world around them, yet still assume behaviors based on a mold they think everyone should fill.
For example, Mr. Tallis fulfills the role of the cheating, absent husband too busy for his family. Emily doesn't even question why he stays overnight at work so frequently, just assumes he isn't sleeping at the office when he's away (139). Despite her lack of communication with her husband and no evidence to prove he's cheating on her, in her mind he fulfills a role expected of him. Cecilia also follows the typical "selfless nurse" path after she (also somewhat expectedly) leaves her family for good. As we discussed on Wednesday, she offers no real surprises as a character; she fulfills the readers expectations as a wronged lover and daughter, who tries to make a happy future without help from anyone else.
Even the main conflict is because in Briony's mind, Robbie fits the role of a crazed maniac (156). Based on the actions she thought she saw in the library earlier in the day, Briony truly believes Robbie capable of assaulting Lola and there is no doubt in her mind that he could commit two crimes in one day with no remorse.
While the very last page, with Briony's twist reveal on the fate of Cecilia and Robbie, is still tragic, it's not surprising to me because of these held expectations. It would have been more shocking to have Robbie survive that despairing last scene at the beach in Dunkirk (248) because his story already seemed so defeated. Surviving the war would have been a happy ending his character lost when Briony cast him in the role of the madman. Cecilia's selfless journey as a nurse and struggle to find her independent identity would have turned selfish if she really had received her happy ending with Robbie. Even Briony never steps outside her role as a writer until the last page. She talks about the many drafts she wrote of this story and only in the last one did she give Robbie and Cecilia a happy ending (350) but will never be able to truly convince herself into believing. She knows too well the expectations and roles she appointed the "characters" in her life and has to live with the consequences.
After reading this post I couldn’t help but find myself in complete agreement with the idea that the characters assume what they do not fully know. There is a definite tendency to assume characters behave certain ways, even without the exact details that they do or do not. More specifically, I find it especially easy to apply the “doctrine of expectations” to Jack Tallis because of the references to his masculine control of the house. “[Jack] had precise ideas about where and when a woman should be seen smoking…being at odds with her father about anything at all, even insignificant domestic detail, made [Cecilia] uncomfortable” (43-44). Although Mr. Tallis is a completely new character in a book I have never read before, the type of father he plays and the control he imposes on his home are entirely too familiar. He fills a role that is expected of him not only by his family, but also by readers.
ReplyDeleteWhile pondering the fulfillment of expectations throughout the novel, I also started to wonder what examples there might be that oppose the same idea. As of now, I cannot decide whether or not Paul and Lola’s marriage is an expected event. While there are hints of his interest in her when they first meet, I can’t say I was expecting anything to ever transpire between them in the future.
I thought this was an interesting observation; I really never thought of the novel in this way. It does indeed provide somewhat of a deterministic structure. It seems that none of the characters can do much to change their fate following Robbie’s conviction. Even prior to his conviction, the unfortunate coincidence in both Robbie and Cecilia’s lovemaking and Lola’s rape provided a situation which made an accusation upon Robbie possible.
ReplyDeleteHowever, what strikes me as a bit strange is how Briony’s decision is a representation of free will. Her decision to blame Robbie in order to reap redemption for her sister permanently changes the course of the other characters’ lives. Her decision to spy on and eventually accuse Robbie starkly contrasts the other characters’ lack of free will in fulfilling their ultimate destiny.
This also reminds me of a short story I read in high school, “A Sound of Thunder.” In the story, a character goes back in time, under the order to not alter anything in the past. When he returns, he finds the entire world different and in turmoil. He eventually learns that when he was in the past, he stepped on a butterfly. When reading your blog, I instantly recalled this story. Briony’s decision creates a domino effect in the plot for the remainder of the novel, and the remainder of the characters’ lives.
I think expectations and the obsession with fulfilling them plays such an important role in Atonement. As you described above, Mr. Tallis falls into his own stereotype by being the successful man who cheats on his wife and isn't attentive to his family. However, as we discussed in class, the beginning of the novel took place before the war when most people did not believe a war was imminent. Mr. Tallis was most likely working late because he was trying to deal with preparations for war. Because of the stereotype he falls into, his wife and family automatically assume he is cheating.
ReplyDeleteCecilia also falls into her own stereotype, however I believe her stereotype is not the selfless nurse who leaves her family to have her own future. Cecilia is the somewhat expected backbone-less woman who lets the events in her life control it. She doesn't do well at University, and after her family accuses Robbie of assault she runs away to be a nurse. She is bitter throughout her life with her family because of the accusation, however she does not do anything to make herself happy or to improve her life. Because she doesn't do well at University, she becomes a nurse in order to make herself useful. Cecilia becomes a nurse not because it is her passion, but because she wants to rebel against her mother. Mrs. Tallis expects Celia to become a mother and housewife, and running away to be a nurse seemed the opposite. By rebelling against her mother, Cecilia begins to help herself, but she doesn't become anything she is passionate about. In addition, Cecilia is never on her own. She has her family to support her in the beginning of the novel, despite how she dislikes them. After she runs away, Cecilia has her ties to Robbie to keep her motivated. Cecilia's character is not only unsurprising, it is slightly static; always relying on other characters.