Representation of Gender Stereotypes in In the Novel Atonement by Ian McEwan

In the novel Atonement by Ian McEwan, Briony and additional female characters are presumed to make decisions based off of emotion as most women are often gender stereotyped on how go about their problems. The three female characters Briony Tallis, Cecilia Tallis, and Lola Quincey are the characters targeted for a gender stereotype which can be later argued against with our male character Robbie Turner who quickly contradicts the anti-feministic perspective the novel make it to be. Many believe women can’t do as they please without having their emotions be involved and are emotionally attached to making such decisions.

Briony had first had love for Robbie and was very grateful for him until his actions and way of being around her sister Cecilia. She truly did have good feelings about Robbie and appreciated what he would do for her and she was “eternally grateful” (218) for Robbie. But it wasn’t too long before her mind changed about Robbie. Briony was handed a note from Robbie to give to Cecilia and Briony was being noisy and decided to read the note to her. She was disgusted with what she read on how he felt about her and Briony “could never forgive Robbie his disgusting mind.” (108) she felt a rush of resentment towards Robbie. After this incident she felt something needed to be done against Robbie to protect her sister Cecilia.

After finding out that Robbie had such disturbing feelings for Cecilia she felt the urgency to protect her sister from him. Briony felt she needed to tell her cousin Lola about what she had just discovered about Robbie’s feelings toward Cecilia and soon enough both felt disgusted and that something needed to be done. Lola expressed to Briony that Robbie was “a maniac” (112) and that “the police should know about him.” (112) which made Briony feel the need to protect her sister even more from him. Later in the night the twins had gone missing and their was a search party out for the two and what was brought to light by Briony is that Lola was being raped in the . Lola and Briony both knew who the real rapist was and as Lola was about to admit who it was “Briony was about to cut her off and the opportunity would be lost” (156) the opportunity to protect her sister from “the maniac” (156) which was Robbie in her eyes and heart. Her strong emotions of resentment towards Robbie caused her to lie about who truly did the crime and put the blame on an innocent man.

Once Robbie was being investigated for the crime that Briony was accusing him Cecilia was very upset. She could never forgive her sister for lying on her true love and accusing him of something so horrible and Cecilia kept her word to this and never did forgive Briony for her accusation she not only hurt Robbie but Cecilia. Cecilia felt betrayed by her family for invading her privacy by reading the note Robbie had given to her and for believing her sisters accusation which this feeling of betrayal resulted her to “cut herself off from her family.” (192) and never speak to them again. Even after years have passed since the incident Cecilia still would never be able to forgive Briony for her actions in the past but would only let her try to repent for her actions. Briony made a surprise visit to at least try and clear up the incident and told Cecilia she did not expect forgiveness but Cecilia was never unclear of her feelings to Briony telling her “I won’t ever forgive you” (318) Cecilia didn’t want to rekindle their relationship she just wanted her trueloves name to be cleared. Cecilia feelings of anger resulted to her no longer having a family nor wanting to forgive her sister for a mistake she made when she was young.

Lola another female character who had fallen into the gender stereotype plays a small role but a big part in the assumption of women letting their emotions play a role in decisions.

In the time Lola was being raped by who we the audience know as Paul Marshall she was feeling “numbness toward something that resembled both terror and joy”(156) and feeling overwhelmed she was unable to make the decision to tell the truth when Briony was falsely accusing someone else of the crime she was a victim to. Lola feeling shocked she wasn’t able to configure her thoughts or speak up against Briony’s assumptions and plan to rid of Robbie and she knew “it was her story, the one that was writing itself around her.” (156) she couldn’t overpower Briony’s wrath. Lola who was feeling vulnerable but only forced to fall in love was going to marry Paul Marshall, Briony feelings of guilt came to arise again inside for sending “an innocent man to jail”(306) and letting her cousin “Lola —barley more than a child, prized open and taken—-to marry her rapist.”(306) Briony felt weak and her legs and did not interrupt the wedding. Lola’s only option was to “save herself from humiliation by falling in love, or persuading herself she had, and who could not believe her luck when Briony insisted on doing the talking and blaming.”(306) she was feeling falling in love was her only rational answer to save herself. Lola’s fear in being humiliated resulted to having to marry someone who had taken advantage of her.

Briony feeling this heavy weight of guilt on her shoulders made her feel she needed to come clean once and for all even if it didn’t result in being forgiven. As soon as Briony told the lie about Robbie she instantly knew she was wrong and made a mistake but failed to admit her lie because at the time she felt it was the right thing to do. Briony had to falsely accuse Robbie to protect her sister, as she was being interrogated “she wanted the inspector to embrace her and comfort her and forgive her, however guiltless she was.”(163) she felt she had to do what was best. By the time Briony let her feelings control her feelings it was too late, years had passed and the name of Robbie Turner had been marked forever as a rapist and he would never be the same again. The start of Briony’s deep guilt began as she started to have more time to think to herself, also couldn’t keep her mind off of things anymore and having things in the nurse room remind her of Robbie and the life she made for him. Briony could no longer withstand the guilt she was feeling for the accusation she made against Robbie and the pain she had put Cecilia through she visited Cecilia and told her that she will “tell them everything”(318) but only admitted that she was young and didn’t know how detrimental her actions were at the time. When Robbie stepped out and confronted Briony of her actions she started to feel “numb”(322) he just wanted her to feel and understand the suffering he went through.

Robbie also had his moment of letting his emotions control the decisions he would be making. The moment he noticed that Briony was in his home attempting to get Cecilia and him to understand why she did what she did, he became very upset. He wanted her to understand what he felt being an adult sent off to war “there are soldiers dying in the field at eighteen. Old enough to be left to die on the roads. Did you know that?”(323) he knew she was fully aware of what she was putting him though at the time of the accusation but he just wanted her to take full responsibility and feel her guilt. Robbie was so angry having to explain to Briony it started “pushing him beyond anger into an extremity of bewilderment and disgust.”(324) his negative feelings on war made him want to strike fear in Briony. But Robbie only wanted his name to be cleared and the truth to be told to feel the weight lifted off his shoulders. He asked Briony to go to her parents and let them know the truth so that him and Cecilia can start their life together with no judgement and for Briony to “go to a solicitor, a commissioner for oaths, and make a statement that will be signed and witnessed. In it you’ll say what you did wrong and how your retracting your evidence.”(326) it wasn’t much they were asking but it meant the world to them.

Atonement is assumed to be written in an anti-feminist point of view because it clearly depicts the gender stereotype that only woman act upon their decisions with the imput of their emotions. This gender stereotype can be debunked and argued against being our male character Robbie Turner also uses his emotions to control his decisions, let alone be the reason he does certain things. Many believe a woman can never do a careless act and that a woman’s feelings overpower our decisions, causing women to work by emotion rather than apathetic decisions.