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Definition of Motif
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of... read full definition
Key Examples in Atonement
Motifs
Explanation and Analysis—Growing Up:
Throughout the novel, the narrator suggests that Briony occupies an uncomfortable and lonely position between childhood and adolescence. Briony herself, as well as the other characters, are aware of this transition, which comes with big expectations surrounding selfhood, maturity, and insight. In Atonement, growing up is often depicted as a sort of limbo, and becomes a central motif in the characters' understanding of each other's behavior. The many mentions of Briony's age in the early chapters foreshadow the far-reaching consequences of her rushed pursuit of being admitted into what she sees as an "adult cabal."
Related Themes:
Motifs
Explanation and Analysis—Words and Writing:
In the third part, Briony describes writing as her life's "thread of continuity." Through this character—who represents McEwan, not just by virtue of being an author but also because she claims to be the author of the novel—McEwan explores the adequacy of writing for the representation of life and subjectivity. Rather than delivering a stable verdict on the matter, he oscillates between different outlooks as Briony and other characters grapple with their ambivalence about language and truth. The centrality of this motif gives the novel a metafictional edge.
Related Themes:
Motifs
Explanation and Analysis—Windows:
Throughout Atonement, the motif of windows sheds light on the role of the observer as well as the tension between seeing and knowing. Windows are associated both with characters' desire for knowledge and desire for escape.
Related Themes:
Motifs
Explanation and Analysis—The Word:
Throughout Atonement, characters put substantial stock into the use and meaning of individual words. This motif is especially associated with Briony, who fixates on the power that specific words can have on the people who read and hear them. Throughout the first part, the narrator alludes to certain words by actively avoiding using them. Combining the motif of forbidden words with personification and metaphor, McEwan reproduces children's view of language.
Related Themes:
Motifs
Explanation and Analysis—Letters:
Over the course of the novel, characters use letters to express difficult feelings and to sustain relationships from afar. Through the motif, McEwan shows that written correspondence can bring anything from disaster to redemption. Moreover, the novel's most consequential letter shows that sending letters requires relinquishing control of one's words.
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Part 1, Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Order and Disorder:
Early in the first part, McEwan develops Briony and Cecilia as foils for one another, which foreshadows their impending rift. The differences between the Tallis sisters—cemented through imagery, metaphors, and similes—fuel the motif of order versus disorder. Whereas Briony loves tidiness and regularity, Cecilia feels at home in the very opposite. McEwan connects Cecilia's cluttered room to her distaste for familiarity and her desire to break free from her family.
McEwan uses descriptions of the sisters' bedrooms to emphasize their differences. In the first chapter, the reader gets an impression of Briony through her personal space.
Unlock with LitCharts A+Whereas her big sister’s room was a stew of unclosed books, unfolded clothes, unmade bed, unemptied ashtrays, Briony’s was a shrine to her controlling demon: the model farm spread across a deep window ledge consisted of the usual animals, but all facing one way—toward their owner—as if about to break into song, and even the farmyard hens were neatly corralled.
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Explanation and Analysis—Freckles and Ears:
By way of the Quincey children, McEwan explores how outward appearances can trigger judgment and aversion. Over the course of the first part, Briony's dislike for Lola becomes wrapped up in her cousin's red hair and freckles. Additionally, the various members of the Tallis family struggle to distinguish the Quincey twins from one another. The interconnected motifs of freckles and ears shed light on the challenge of reading people's identities from their exteriors.
Related Themes:
Part 1, Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Fountain:
In the novel's first part, the Triton fountain—an allusion to Bernini's Fontana del Tritone in Rome—consistently exists in the background. McEwan uses personification and simile to develop the fountain motif, imbuing it with an ambiguous presence.
Related Themes:
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:
Unlock with LitCharts A+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.
Related Themes:
Part 1, Chapter 6
Explanation and Analysis—Freckles and Ears:
By way of the Quincey children, McEwan explores how outward appearances can trigger judgment and aversion. Over the course of the first part, Briony's dislike for Lola becomes wrapped up in her cousin's red hair and freckles. Additionally, the various members of the Tallis family struggle to distinguish the Quincey twins from one another. The interconnected motifs of freckles and ears shed light on the challenge of reading people's identities from their exteriors.
Related Themes:
Part 1, Chapter 8
Explanation and Analysis—Absent Fathers:
Despite serving as fairly important characters in Atonement, neither Ernest Turner nor Jack Tallis makes an actual appearance in the narrative. As a result, fathers come to function as absent characters—remote and inaccessible to both the other characters and to the reader. Although neither Ernest nor Jack is absent because they have been killed in action, the motif nevertheless sheds light on how the wars of the 20th century ruptured families.
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:
Unlock with LitCharts A+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.
Related Themes:
Part 3
Explanation and Analysis—Fountain:
In the novel's first part, the Triton fountain—an allusion to Bernini's Fontana del Tritone in Rome—consistently exists in the background. McEwan uses personification and simile to develop the fountain motif, imbuing it with an ambiguous presence.
Related Themes:
