Examination of Briony Homework 10/5

Is Briony credible? Could she actually be a living, breathing human being? How does McEwan make the character seem so real?
McEwan creates Briony to be a very realistic person in the sense that her actions and emotions embody many of the errors of the human way. Some of the most basic human flaws are seen in Briony, the biggest bring jealously. Her jealousy of Robbie and Cee's budding relationship turns into her own vengeful hunt to find something to accuse Robbie of, which she finds to be the rape. By developing these thoughts in a young adolescent, McEwan allows Briony to become reliable and therefore more a living, breathing human being. His ability to give Briony realistic thoughts and irrational actions, makes her seem more like a flawed human. As humans, we all do things that are unexplainable to others and Briony's actions are just that, therefore she is easily seen as more like a real person.

What, then, is McEwan’s opinion of Briony?
I didn't find that McEwan offered his opinion of Brinoy very much, but rather he explained her in a light that showed readers what he was thinking about her. Briony's actions are self-serving and careless, thus making her appear in a negative light. I think that McEwan makes Briony a selfish little girl who grows into an unsure young woman with a lack of focus towards her dreams. Thus, the end result is that McEwan doesn't literally say his opinion of Briony but the way her portrays her is in a neutral, yet leaning towards the more negative side. Although McEwan doesn't give his opinion of Briony it seems as though he is saying he doesn't agree or condone her actions.

What is your reaction to Briony? Are you sensitive to her and to her situation? Do you feel empathy toward her? Does she deserve what she “gets” in the story, or is her fate undeserved?
My reaction towards Briony varied based on the different parts of the story, but in general I was disappointed by her lack of initiative to fix things in the end. At first, I related to Briony's situation of feeling unimportant because its a cycle every young child goes through as they are growing older. Yet as she grew up I didn't understand her lack of accountability and felt regret for her family. Her actions towards Robbie and Cecelia are not justified by her feelings of jealously and unimportance as a child and they situation was worsened by her lack of remorse.

Does Briony say anything to you personally? How do you relate/respond to her? Why do you respond the way that you do?
Briony's thoughts don't intrigue me particularly, but I think there is meaning in her actions. The fact that she waited until several years after the rape incident, time in which the rape defined Cecelia's and Robbie's life, to apologize and set the record straight says a lot about waiting. A theme I gathered from this book was that an apology can loose its effectiveness and meaning if the issue is life ruining, like accusing someone of rape. The way I can respond what I've found most interesting is that I now know that time is of the essence and that childish mistakes need to be rectified. I think I respond this way because in the entirety of the book, an entire lifetime of Briony is examined and the end result is almost tragic. Brinoy may have made it to live a long life, but at a very young age she lost the family unity and all the blame of that situation lay on her lying shoulders.