Commanding the Truth: A Narrative Reading of Ian McEwan's "Atonement"

Abstract

The tension between truth and fiction is central in Ian McEwan's "Atonement", since the main character, Briony, turns out to be both the narrating I and the experiencing I. The aim of this essay is to find out how it is possible for Briony to be both author ad character. I use the theory of narratology as described by Manfred Jahn to look at some of the devices Briony uses to tell her own story. I also compare the difference between the first and the second reading, because I argue that once you know that Briony is the actual narrator, she becomes more overt. The main result is that being the narrator of as well as the character in her own story is the only way for Briony to command the truth.