The Protagonists' Trauma And Repairing In Atonement

The contemporary British writer Ian McEwan's novel Atonement,through portraying the traumas of Robbie and Briony and their repairing of traumas,reveals the moral improvement and sublimation of human nature of the traumatized ones in the process of trauma repairing.The body of the thesis consists of five parts.Besides,the thesis intends to make a brief analysis on Atonement through traumatic theory so that we can have a new perspective to review this novel.Chapter One includes the introduction of Ian McEwan,Atonement,literature review as well as research significance and method.In Chapter Two,the traumatic events of Robbie and Briony and their reaction to traumas are discussed.Trauma is a kind of pain.It refers to both physical and psychological damage.Based on the traumatic theory of Judith Herman,trauma in this thesis refers to the traumatic experience of Robbie and Briony including individual and collective trauma.Because of Briony's false evidence,Robbie was in jail,which causes Robbie's personal trauma.At the same time,it is also Briony's personal trauma.In addition,the Second World War broke out.In order to make up for her guilty,Briony took the initiative to take care of the wounded soldier in the hospital.To bear the meritorious service,Robbie went to the front line,and finally lost his life in the war.Therefore,the Second World War is a collective trauma which Robbie and Briony all suffered.After experiencing the traumatic events,Briony and Robbie are all tortured by the trauma sequelae.The traumatic memories are manifested in the form of hallucinations and flashbacks,which continue to intrude with Robbie and Briony.Chapter Three analyzes the causes which bring about the protagonists' traumatic events,based on the analysis of traumas of Briony and Robbie in Atonement.Firstly,Briony lacks parents' love and education.During her critical period from adolescence to childhood,without the love and company of her parents and peers,Briony indulges in a self-enclosed inner world.Therefore,Briony has her own evaluation criteria which give rise to her mistake.Secondly,the arrival of Lola makes Briony's “protagonist” identity to be questioned and subverted.Originally accustomed to the fact that she is the focus,Briony deems that her identity of the “protagonist” in Tallis family is weakened.Knowing the relationship between Robbie and Cecilia,Briony regardes herself as the outsider in the adult world.Finally,the inequality of British social class system drives the Tallis family and the whole society to trust that Robbie is a rapist.In Chapter Four,the thesis suggests that the three combined factors are indispensable in repairing the protagonists' traumas.The first is the self-reflection of the traumatic events.By reflecting on his past,Robbie masters tolerance and realizes the importance of family.Secondly,the two protagonists repair their trauma by establishing contact with others.In Atonement,building relationships with others is finished primarily by helping strangers on the battlefield and taking care of the wounded soldiers in the hospital.Finally,by the fictional art of writing,Briony tries to gain inner salvation and compensates for the harm she has done to Robbie.Based on the traumatic study of the protagonists' experience in Atonement,the conclusion points out that the protagonists who have been tortured by traumatic events in Atonement manage to repair their trauma.By confronting trauma,we can develop a new understanding about trauma that what makes trauma special is the process in which we deal with it and find out how to go through the trauma,rather than the harm it causes.Finally,we can repair the trauma and regain the confidence toward life.