Atonement Characters

Briony is the novel’s protagonist. At the novel’s outset, she is a precocious girl with a gift for writing. However she is also a petulant child, both naïve and certain of her understanding, and her… read analysis of Briony Tallis

The bright, attractive, and ambitious son of Grace Turner, who is the Tallis family’s charlady. Robbie is studying at Cambridge to be a doctor, and his education is funded by the Tallises, who treat… read analysis of Robbie Turner

Briony’s free-spirited sister. Early in the novel she realizes, somewhat to her surprise, that she is in love with Robbie Turner. When Briony’s incrimination of Robbie alienates him from the Tallis family, Cecilia cuts… read analysis of Cecilia Tallis

Briony’s blasé cousin, two years her senior. She is raped by Paul Marshall, and is so shaken by the assault that she accepts Briony’s assertion that Robbie Turner was the culprit even though it… read analysis of Lola Quincey

Briony and Cecilia’s mother, and the wife of Jack Tallis. She is a relatively hands-free parent, in part because she suffers from debilitating migraines. She is something of a snob, and less enthusiastic than… read analysis of Emily Tallis

Briony and Cecilia’s father, and the husband of Emily Tallis. Mr. Tallis is an absent parent because his work as a high-ranking government bureaucrat consumes most of his time, particularly during the tensions leading… read analysis of Jack Tallis

Pierrot and Jackson are Lola’s twin younger brothers. At the book’s beginning, they appear as rowdy and capricious preadolescent boys, and the drama that takes place passes over their heads. Pierrot returns at the end… read analysis of Pierrot and Jackson Quincey