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Personification
Definition of Setting
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or it can be an imagined... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the... read full definition
Part 2
Explanation and Analysis:
Set between England and France over the course of the 20th century, each part of Atonement features a different setting.
The first and third parts, as well as the epilogue, are set in England. More specifically, the first part takes place on the Tallis family's estate in Surrey, a county in southwestern England. The narrator dwells on the interior and exterior features of the family's estate, introducing a sense of peaceful, unchanging familiarity that is absent in later parts. The Surrey landscape comes to represent all that is lost after the novel's climax and the outbreak of WWII.
The second part, which is set in France, is shaped by constant movement, as Robbie walks from the interior of the French countryside in the direction of the coast. The end of the second part is set at Bray Dunes. This French commune, which is south of the Belgian border, is today known as the site of many casualties during WWII, due to the retreat that Robbie is a part of. Over the course of the second part, Robbie toggles between taking in the undeniable beauty of his surroundings and methodically tracking their positions and movements on a map. The serenity of the landscape is reminiscent of the setting of first part, but the violent circumstances of the second part makes the natural beauty feel contradictory. Robbie knows that, in other circumstances, he would take unambiguous pleasure in his surroundings.
As they approached the top through a copse of chestnut trees, the lowering sun dropped below the cloud cover and caught the scene, dazzling the three soldiers as they rose into it. How fine it might have been, to end a day’s ramble in the French countryside, walking into the setting sun. Always a hopeful act.
As the mood of the second part grows increasingly bleak, imagery like this becomes increasingly rare. McEwan uses his prose to reproduce the despair of Robbie's seemingly endless trudge towards Bray Dunes.
The third part takes place in London. Most of the action of this part takes place in the wards of the hospital where Briony works, which the reader learns is near Westminster Bridge. However, the setting also extends beyond the limits of the hospital and into the streets of London. The final portion of the third part, and the main narrative of the novel, involves a walk to Clapham Common and Balham.
Echoing both the first and third parts, the epilogue is set between London and Surrey. The Tallis estate has been converted into a hotel, where Briony celebrates her 77th birthday. As a result of this, the novel ends in the same place it started.
Related Themes:
