摘 要

《赎罪》是伊恩·麦克尤恩的代表作。主人公布里奥妮是一个年仅13岁的小女孩，她想象力丰富而且极富文学天赋。她误会了姐姐塞西莉亚和仆人罗比之间的爱情，而且胡乱指证罗比为庄园强奸案的施暴者。她的错误判断导致罗比误入监狱并且葬送了俩人的爱情。在她的成长过程中渐渐意识到当年她犯下的大错，心理上有了负罪感。并开始采取行动为自己的过失赎罪。本文主要从三个空间分别是第二次世界大战前的英国，第二次世界大战的英国和法国，20世纪后期的英国并且结合时间顺序论证布里奥妮是怎样完成了赎罪，从而使人们对社会态度在青少年成长过程中起的影响进行反思。

关键词：布里奥妮；赎罪；成长；《赎罪》

Abstract

Atonement was Ian McEwan’s masterpiece. The protagonist, Briony，who is only 13 years old, but imaginative and full of highly literary talent. She misunderstands her sister Cecelia and servant’s son Robbie. They love each other deeply. However, Briony doesn’t think so and makes a false judgment against Robbie. She believes Robbie is the perpetrator of the rape case in Manor. Her stupid indication ruins Cecelia’s love and leads to innocent Robbie sent into prison. When she grows up, she realizes it is her fault resulting in the love tragedy. This thesis aims to demonstrate that Briony has completed atonement to her sister Cecelia, Robbie and herself from three different spaces—pre-World War ⅡEngland, wartime France and England and later twentieth-century England. It also combines with the time order. This essay leads people to rethink about social attitudes to the teenagers’ growth.

Key words: Briony, growth, atonement, Atonement.

Contents

1.Introduction...............................................................................................................1

2.Demonstration...........................................................................................................2

2.1. The reasons for Briony's atonements in pre-World WarⅡEngland......................2

2.1.1 The personal character defects..............................................................................3

2.1.2 The lack of the family members’ guidance...........................................................4

2.2. Briony’s atonements in wartime France and England.............................................4

2.2.1 Physical salvation—a nurse’s work.......................................................................5

2.2.2 Spiritual sufferings—a writer’s work....................................................................6

2.3 Briony’s atonements in later twentieth-century England.........................................7

2.3.1 Metal liberation—a novel’s publication..............................................................8

2.3.2 Public confession—a truth exposure...................................................................8

3. Conclusion................................................................................................................9

Work Cited................................................................................................................10

Bibliography................................................................................................................11

A Study of Briony’s Growth Experience in Atonement

1. Introduction

Ian McEwan is one of the most excellent and influential writers of modern Britain in the 20th century. His creation of field is extremely extended and works are nominated by many times of the Booker Prize, Britain top award for fiction.

Atonement which is published in 2001 is won all praise of the critics. This novel describes a miserable love story and a 13-year-old girl Briony is the chief culprit. She misunderstands the love between her sister Cecilia and the son of servant Bobbie, hence she made a stupid decision and testified Robbie is the perpetrator of rape case. When she grew up and was realized the fault she made, she was fallen in deep guilty and self-blame.

Elke D’Hoker considers that this secular sense of atonement, a combination of authority and acceptance, might provide an answer to the problems besetting literary confessions. Being created in the slow process of writing, the truth of confession seems to involve an authoritative acknowledgement of this truth. Anne Roonye’s book, York notes on Atonement, gives a comprehensive introduction to the novel, which analyzes its characters, style, structure themes and narrative techniques. Hu Xiuling interprets the theme of growth in Atonement with Henri Lefebvre’s spatial theory and analyzes Briony’s lonely growth in enclosed physical spaces, isolated social spaces and mental spaces. Pan Min uses the feminist criticism theory with text to analyze the female images. She explores the feminist spirit by expressed of the female figure. This essay demonstrates the idea that Briony has become mature from ignorance and accomplished her atonements. The essay is divided into three parts according to the space order.(Hu 35-39)

2.1 The reasons for Bryony's atonements in pre-World WarⅡEngland

The first story is set in a typical British confidential ancient house in pre-World WarⅡEngland. There still shows on rich gentlemen’s lifestyle in British Society. There has commodious houses, beautiful lawn, French windows opened onto the colorful garden and a pool with fountain. All these things made an elegant and gracious scene.