Growth In Redemption: A Biblical Archetypal Analysis Of Ian Mcewan’s Atonement

Ian McEwan is one of the most influential writers in the contemporary literary world since 1970 s. Up to now, including Atonement he has published 12 novels that have widely been awarded. Differing from his early violent and cold-blooded works, Atonement focuses on characters’ psychological growth and development. As the result, it has helped Ian win National Book Critics Circle Award.Atonement has already gained focal researches among critics all around the world since its publication. It has been discussed from the perspective of narratology, ethic principles, comparative literature, etc. By dividing Briony’s life into three turning stages, this article tries to analyze Briony’s growth in the process of atonement bound up with French archetypal critics Northrop Frye’s biblical archetypal analysis.Besides Introduction and Conclusion, this thesis consists of three chapters.Introduction is intended to give background information of Ian McEwan and his masterpiece Atonement; thereupon, it includes reviews trend at home and abroad. At last, the origin of the word “atonement” in Christian Bible has been introduced as well as the core content of Northrop Frye’s archetypal analysis.Chapter one opens the discussion with the harmonious state of the whole Tallis family. By means of the Bible’s U-shaped narrative patterns bound up with biblical image archetype The Garden of Eden, this partition tries to analyze the protagonist Briony’s physical and spiritual state of harmony. In addition, the positive effects of constructing peace by the objective surroundings and characters have been talked over afterwards.Chapter two is concerned with Briony’s suffering after her crime. Similarly, Combined with biblical U-shaped narrative mode, this chapter analyzes the origin and classification of “sin” in the biblical sense. And based on the biblical archetype of Saint Paul’s suffering during the process of atonement, this part manages to explore Briony’s physical and mental experience of misery. Meanwhile, the discussion will present the obstructive characters on Briony’s way of atonement.Chapter three elaborates Briony’s fulfillment of redemption after her efforts. In accordance with the happy ending of U-shaped narrative pattern, this chapter explores the heroine’s unremitting efforts for salvation: from being a Cambridge student to becoming a trainee nurse. Finally she finishes her novel Atonement at the age of 77, realizing her atonement. Besides, correlative figures’ positive influences on her redemption are fully demonstrated.The Conclusion part summarizes the significance of Northrop Frye’s biblical archetype theory on literary criticism and the tremendous applications of biblical characters, plots, images archetypes reflected in Ian McEwan’s Atonement. Then, this chapter has a brief summary of displaced biblical archetypes in discussing Briony’s growth in redemption. At last, it concludes distinct implication and cross-cultural significance of commenting biblical stories by the usage of biblical archetypes.