Atonement Character Analysis - Briony Tallis - Character analysis in A Level and IB English Language & Literature

Created by: katiebrienx
Created on: 10-05-16 12:43


	Personality	Role
	Melodramatic and prone to overreact. Often gets involved in situations that do not concern her. Oblivious to the effect her actions have upon other people. Perfectionist and lover of cleanliness. Likes to have control over all situations. Not fond of people and their thoughts. She's selfish and stubborn. Extremely naive but likes to think she is an adult. Has a need to keep/have secrets.	She is the catalyst within the novel. She is Cecilia Tallis' younger sister. The novels protagonist. She fakes a bit of the novel where Robbie and Cecilia see eachother at times during the war. In the end we learn that she is actually writing the novel herself (post modernism).
	Development	Important quotes
	At the start of the novel she is very naive, childish and selfish. Once she reaches eighteen she gives up her dreams of university in order to become a nurse in the war, a futile attempt to atone for her sins by helping people in the same position as Robbie. She starts to realise that her actions brought consequences that she was oblivious too. Not only affecting Robbie but also his mother and Cecilia. At the end, she comes clean and admits that Robbie and Cecilia never got to meet and make plans about how they would live after the war. She finally understands how big a mess she created through her childish antics and naivety.	'She was not playing Arabella because she wrote the play, she was taking the part because no other possibility had crossed her mind, because that was how Leon was to see her, because she was Arabella.' - shows her selfishness and need for control. 'The play—for which Briony had designed the posters, programs and tickets, constructed the sales booth out of a folding screen tipped on its side, and lined the collection box in red crepe paper—was written by her in a two-day tempest of composition, causing her to miss breakfast and lunch.' - shows her perfectionism and control over the situation. But this first clumsy attempt showed her that the imagination itself was a source of secrets: once she had begun a story, no one could be told. - shows about her yearning to have secrets.

Personality

Role

Melodramatic and prone to overreact.
Often gets involved in situations that do not concern her.
Oblivious to the effect her actions have upon other people.
Perfectionist and lover of cleanliness.
Likes to have control over all situations.
Not fond of people and their thoughts.
She's selfish and stubborn.
Extremely naive but likes to think she is an adult.
Has a need to keep/have secrets.

She is the catalyst within the novel.
She is Cecilia Tallis' younger sister.
The novels protagonist.
She fakes a bit of the novel where Robbie and Cecilia see eachother at times during the war.
In the end we learn that she is actually writing the novel herself (post modernism).

Development

Important quotes

At the start of the novel she is very naive, childish and selfish.
Once she reaches eighteen she gives up her dreams of university in order to become a nurse in the war, a futile attempt to atone for her sins by helping people in the same position as Robbie.
She starts to realise that her actions brought consequences that she was oblivious too. Not only affecting Robbie but also his mother and Cecilia.
At the end, she comes clean and admits that Robbie and Cecilia never got to meet and make plans about how they would live after the war.
She finally understands how big a mess she created through her childish antics and naivety.

'She was not playing Arabella because she wrote the play, she was taking the part because no other possibility had crossed her mind, because that was how Leon was to see her, because she was Arabella.' - shows her selfishness and need for control.
'The play—for which Briony had designed the posters, programs and tickets, constructed the sales booth out of a folding screen tipped on its side, and lined the collection box in red crepe paper—was written by her in a two-day tempest of composition, causing her to miss breakfast and lunch.' - shows her perfectionism and control over the situation.
But this first clumsy attempt showed her that the imagination itself was a source of secrets: once she had begun a story, no one could be told. - shows about her yearning to have secrets.

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Atonement Character Analysis - Briony Tallis

Personality

Role

Development

Important quotes

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