How does McEwan capture a sense of desperation in Part 2 of 'Atonement'?

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How does McEwan capture a sense of desperation in Part 2 of ‘Atonement’?

The title ‘Atonement’ hints at a dark secret, a need for retribution and weighty themes, which McEwan duly delivers. The desperation in the narrative format of Robbie the soldier is paralleled by Briony’s increasing desperation to obtain penance for her crime. It is a desire further complicated by her omnipotent narrative role; McEwan steps in and out of his characters' minds with unfettered confidence and in Part 2 he provides Briony with the same gift so that she might assume the mind of Robbie. This can therefore provide her with only a fabricated atonement, of which she is subconsciously aware will never fully purge her of her sin. Briony says that "it isn't weakness or evasion, but a final act of kindness, a stand against oblivion and despair, to let my lovers live and to unite them at the end."

The second half of the story opens as Robbie, is released from jail only to land himself in the British Army retreating toward Dunkirk. Along with Robbie's terror and his desperation to return to the woman he loves Briony, now a nurse, has realised the true nature of her error, and she greatly wishes to reverse her actions and Part 2 follows her crime's repercussions through the chaos and carnage of World War II. The emotional trauma of the war and the wounded is developed in a manner that allows us to feel the anguish and despair of those fighting for their country. We feel the futility of war and the assault on the physical and emotional fronts of Robbie, Cecilia and even Briony. The gory intricacies of war which Robbie is experiencing are emphasised by his constant flashbacks to a golden past; where on that oppressively sweltering night, in the library, he and Cecilia awakened their sexual awareness and the vagaries of maturity.

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McEwan pretends to change the narrator to Robbie in his account of the war in Part 2, but on a second reading it becomes evident that Briony is still the narrator and the creator of such an account. This does not devalue Robbie’s desperation to be removed from the war and be reunited with Cecilia, sentiments which he would undoubtedly have felt, but significantly it displays (in her all too poetic manner) Briony’s desperation for retribution. The tone in which ‘Robbie’ gives his account of the horrors which “would not let him go” is one of desperation and exclamation ...

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This essay has an okay structure. The introduction is strong, looking closely at how McEwan creates a sense of desperation whilst looking carefully at its significance. I'm not always a big fan of using a quote in the introduction, and the inclusion of one here seems out of place. They have bolded despair, yet the quote seems more fitting in an essay discussing metafiction and the manipulation of Briony's younger narrative. Sometimes the paragraphs don't start sharply, with the signposts not always being relevant. "Robbie’s sole reason for living is Cecilia" adds nothing to the exploration of desperation. The style here could easily be improved with phrases such as "this then shows" or "therefore" to present to the examiner a progression of the argument. I feel as if points aren't connected, and a lack of conclusion supports this. A conclusion can be used to weave ideas together, maintaing a critical voice to give a final insight. Not having one will often be penalised as examiners nearly always have an assessment objective looking at the quality of essay structure. Spelling, punctuation and grammar are fine.

The analysis here is good, but there is room for improvement. I don't feel as if the essay explains techniques fluently. For example "McEwan pretends to change the narrator to Robbie" seems very colloquial and doesn't come across as sophisticated. I would like to point out that the narrative position is that of Robbie's, but it is clear that older Briony is behind this construction. It is very easy to get confused with Atonement, as it has a number of levels. Comments such as "it is not just the war which haunts him but his arrest" are valid, but there needs to be a discussion of how the reader respond. How does this make the reader feel the desperation, and why does McEwan do this? Those are the questions I'd have if I were an examiner. The paragraph talking about the combat lexis is good, as this looks at the technique as a whole, rather than some essays which simply feature spot language. I do feel as if the inclusion of long quotes doesn't benefit this essay. Sometimes quotes could be cut down and then particular words and meanings could be analysed, then going further to explore how these are significant to the desperation and pace of Part Two. It would've been nice to see some consideration of the stark contrast of Part Two to the former part, as this would allow the examiner to see some exploration of structure and its significance.

This essay responds strongly to the task, looking closely at the techniques which build the reader's perception of desperation. It was great to see a natural discussion of why this desperation is central to the novel, looking at how Briony's atonement simply becomes fabricated. Examiners will be keen to see a discussion of why the desperation shapes the narrative, and this essay does this well. The discussion of a second reading is sophisticated, but I personally feel as if these traits are revealed when the narrative is deconstructed in Part Four. It just seems quite basic to say reading it twice allows a different viewpoint, as that is the same in all literature. McEwan purposefully uses Part Four to change our gaze as a reader, and that's what I would discuss.