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Dramatic Irony
Part 1, Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—Come Back:
On the surface, Cecilia appears free-spirited, stubborn, and selfish. However, as the novel progresses, the reader comes to see her as the emotional, caretaking core of the Tallis family. This can be traced through the motif of the phrase "come back," a formulation that Cecilia uses in various moments and flashbacks to protect, reassure, and support the people she loves. For Briony, the words represent the coveted yet long-lost comfort of her older sister's care.
McEwan first introduces the "come back" formulation in the fourth chapter. Witnessing Briony's frustration, Cecilia feels the desire to "comfort her sister." This sparks a brief flashback:
When she was small and prone to nightmares—those terrible screams in the night—Cecilia used to go to her room and wake her. Come back, she used to whisper. It’s only a dream. Come back.
This scene gives the reader insight into the relationship between the two sisters. Until this point, they have seemed too different—too stuck in their own separate worlds—to be close. In this flashback, however, the narrator underlines that their relationship is built on intimacy and care.
In the seventh chapter, the reader sees this flashback from Briony's perspective. Reflecting on her propensity to get stuck in daydreams, she thinks about how it is "difficult to come back." This invokes the following flashback: "Come back, her sister used to whisper when she woke her from a bad dream." When Briony was little, Cecilia's care softened the return from reverie, which today feels harsh and lonely. By way of these interconnected flashbacks, the narrator suggests that Briony longs for the comfort she used to receive as a child. Throughout the first part, Briony feels caught between this longing and the desire to assert her maturity and independence.
As the novel proceeds, the reader discovers that the "come back" formulation is not limited to Cecilia's relationship with her younger sister. In the second part, Robbie recalls Cecilia's parting words, just before the police took him away. As he feels dragged down by the trauma of war, his main source of hope is his memory of the promise and request that Cecilia gave him in this final moment: "I’ll wait for you. Come back. There was a chance, just a chance, of getting back."
Later in the same chapter, he thinks about one of her letters, in which she repeats the powerful formulation:
"I’ll wait for you. Come back." She was quoting herself. She knew he would remember. From that time on, this was how she ended every one of her letters to Robbie in France.
This marks the beginning of a sort of ritual for Cecilia and Robbie—she never bids him farewell without telling him to come back. Having found a new object of loyalty and love, Cecilia gives "come back" a new meaning. She no longer uses the formulation to bring about a metaphysical return for her sister, but to encourage a concrete return for Robbie.
In the third part, Cecilia uses the "come back" formulation in yet a new situation. Seeking to calm Robbie down in the confrontation between him and Briony, she pulls him close, kisses him, and "with a tenderness that Briony remembered from years ago," tells him “Come back … Robbie, come back.” Once again, Cecilia seeks to bring about a more metaphysical return, coaxing Robbie out of his memories and trauma. When witnessing the appropriation of her childhood's utmost comfort, Briony understands that Cecilia has entered a new form of intimacy that she will never be a part of.
Related Themes:
Part 2
Explanation and Analysis—Come Back:
On the surface, Cecilia appears free-spirited, stubborn, and selfish. However, as the novel progresses, the reader comes to see her as the emotional, caretaking core of the Tallis family. This can be traced through the motif of the phrase "come back," a formulation that Cecilia uses in various moments and flashbacks to protect, reassure, and support the people she loves. For Briony, the words represent the coveted yet long-lost comfort of her older sister's care.
McEwan first introduces the "come back" formulation in the fourth chapter. Witnessing Briony's frustration, Cecilia feels the desire to "comfort her sister." This sparks a brief flashback:
When she was small and prone to nightmares—those terrible screams in the night—Cecilia used to go to her room and wake her. Come back, she used to whisper. It’s only a dream. Come back.
This scene gives the reader insight into the relationship between the two sisters. Until this point, they have seemed too different—too stuck in their own separate worlds—to be close. In this flashback, however, the narrator underlines that their relationship is built on intimacy and care.
In the seventh chapter, the reader sees this flashback from Briony's perspective. Reflecting on her propensity to get stuck in daydreams, she thinks about how it is "difficult to come back." This invokes the following flashback: "Come back, her sister used to whisper when she woke her from a bad dream." When Briony was little, Cecilia's care softened the return from reverie, which today feels harsh and lonely. By way of these interconnected flashbacks, the narrator suggests that Briony longs for the comfort she used to receive as a child. Throughout the first part, Briony feels caught between this longing and the desire to assert her maturity and independence.
As the novel proceeds, the reader discovers that the "come back" formulation is not limited to Cecilia's relationship with her younger sister. In the second part, Robbie recalls Cecilia's parting words, just before the police took him away. As he feels dragged down by the trauma of war, his main source of hope is his memory of the promise and request that Cecilia gave him in this final moment: "I’ll wait for you. Come back. There was a chance, just a chance, of getting back."
Later in the same chapter, he thinks about one of her letters, in which she repeats the powerful formulation:
"I’ll wait for you. Come back." She was quoting herself. She knew he would remember. From that time on, this was how she ended every one of her letters to Robbie in France.
This marks the beginning of a sort of ritual for Cecilia and Robbie—she never bids him farewell without telling him to come back. Having found a new object of loyalty and love, Cecilia gives "come back" a new meaning. She no longer uses the formulation to bring about a metaphysical return for her sister, but to encourage a concrete return for Robbie.
In the third part, Cecilia uses the "come back" formulation in yet a new situation. Seeking to calm Robbie down in the confrontation between him and Briony, she pulls him close, kisses him, and "with a tenderness that Briony remembered from years ago," tells him “Come back … Robbie, come back.” Once again, Cecilia seeks to bring about a more metaphysical return, coaxing Robbie out of his memories and trauma. When witnessing the appropriation of her childhood's utmost comfort, Briony understands that Cecilia has entered a new form of intimacy that she will never be a part of.
Related Themes:
