Probably the most major secret in the entire novel is that of Briony's. Towards the end not only does she admit that she was uncertain that it was Robbie who assaulted her cousin, but that she had a stronger feeling, and soon realized, that it was quite possible that it is now Lola's husband, Paul Marshall. This scene can be found half way down page 237.
This can be compared to Briony's assumption of Robbie attacking Cecilia in the library five years earlier. Because of this situation, she assumes that Robbie had taken advantage of Lola as well, which wasn't the case. Robbie loved Cecilia and "neither Briony nore the ware had destroyed it" 330). Because of this, Briony is inspired to write a new draft of her novella.
Not only understanding these secrets, but understanding the mindset of a pre-teen girl is crucial for the novel. Children around that age have not only an imagination, but a tendency to stretch the truth, to lie, and are extremely creative. Given this and the nature of Briony's character, it is a recipe for disaster for everything that Briony had witnessed. Briony later admits that growing up is what had made her confess her secret, that it wasn't Robbie and it was really Paul who raped Lola.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment