Archetypal Criticism of the Book,

¶ … archetypal criticism of the book, showing how the author weaves the archetypal motif of Cinderella throughout the story. "Atonement" is the story of a young girl who changes the fate of others by her accusations, and then attempts to atone for her actions throughout her life. Briony opens the novel as a 13-year-old aspiring writer, and ends it as a 77-year-old acclaimed novelist. What happens in between is the story of change and tragedy, all brought together by Briony's own fairy tale story telling that creates a story of the archetypical Cinderella for her readers.

From the beginning of this novel that spans 60 years, the heroine of the story is Briony, and young girl convinced from the beginning that she can weave together stories. She discovers early that "A crisis in a heroine's life could be made to coincide with hailstones, gales and thunder, whereas nuptials were generally blessed with good light and soft breezes" (McEwan 7), and this begins her fascination with love, romance, and happy endings. She is also a child that likes to mange and control her life and the lives of others, and this becomes clearer as the novel progresses. Even if real-life does not end in the fantasy happy endings she craves, she will mold it in her fantasy world until the ending comes out the way she had always planned. McEwan weaves the subtle and not so subtle inferences to the archetypical Cinderella throughout the novel, and they pervade Briony's thoughts. Briony wants perfection for all her characters, and at the time when the story begins (1935), perfection includes marriage, fairy-tale princes, and oh-so-pure heroines. Later, Briony thinks to herself, "Her purity of spirit would never be in doubt, though she moved through a blemished world" (McEwan 10). McEwan could not have described the fairy-tale life of Cinderella any more closely had he tried, and he continues this thread throughout this engrossing novel until the very end.

Of course, Briony cannot go through her entire life believing that everything ends happily, and she wakes up to that fact early in the novel, as well. McEwan writes, "Briony had her first, weak intimation that for her now it could no longer be fairy-tale castles and princesses" (McEwan 37). She understands there are differences between men and women, and some of them seem sinister and frightening to her. This is how she develops her distrust of Robbie that eventually leads to her false accusation and the changes that befall all their lives. She learns that life is not always a fairy-tale, but she continues to promote the fairy tale in her work and in the lives of the people around her.

Briony's own mother seemed to represent the remote princess in the ivory tower, as well, adding to the symbolism in the novel. She suffers from migraines, and often retreats to her dark bedroom on the second floor of the home, seeming like a remote princess who lives a fairy-tale life and retreats to her tower when she suffers. In addition, her mother treats her like a princess, attempting to keep her sheltered from the shattering realities of real life. Alone in her bedroom, she thinks to herself, "But how to protect her against failure" (McEwan 62). Briony lives a charmed life, and believes that is the right life for everyone, so in a way, Briony is the Cinderella of the story, compelling others to follow her dreams, on paper, or in real life.

There is a Cinderella-like quality to the one moment Cecilia and Robbie have in the library as well. They discover the strong feelings they have for each other, and discover they love each other, as well. While they consummate their love, they are interrupted, just as Cinderella was interrupted at the ball by the stroke of midnight.

Robbie really does seem like a "Prince Charming" who can handle himself in any situation, and would make a good and loyal husband. That is confirmed when Robbie returns with the boys after a long night of searching, oblivious of the charges against him. McEwan shows his triumphant and innocent, when he writes, "Then it was obvious - this was Robbie, with one boy sitting up on his shoulders and the other holding his hand and trailing a little behind" (McEwan 171). That is alluded to again when Robbie "saves" Briony from drowning, and she tells him, "I wanted you to save me'" (McEwan 217). Robbie is almost a larger-than-life figure, and in the novel, he represents everything good and decent, while Paul represents pure evil, but receives the rewards, anyway.

Cecilia seems to have finally found what she has been searching for, and the couple seems poised to live "happily ever after," but Briony ruins that with her energetic mind that reads too much into situations, and does not question things satisfactorily. In her mind, she knows that she has acted rashly. She thinks to herself during the accusations, "She was like a bride-to-be who begins to feel her sickening qualms as the day approaches, and dares not speak her mind because so many preparations have been made on her behalf" (McEwan 159). In her heart, she knows she is wrong, and in her heart, she would like to atone for her mistake, but sadly, she never gets the chance. She has sealed the fate of Cecilia and Robbie with her false accusations, and she will not be able to make it up to them - ever. Robbie's entire fate changed that night, but he could have been Prince Charming, if he had only had the chance.

Cecilia is a Cinderella-like figure in the romance, as well. She never wavers in her love and trust of Robbie, and tells him, "I'll wait for you. Come back" (McEwan 190). With that, the reader has hope that even with all that has occurred, a happy ending is still possible, and the two can live out their fairy-tale. In Briony's fictional world, that is indeed what happens, and it seems that there is indeed some kind of justice in the world. Wrongly accused, Prince Charming manages to survive the war and return to his faithful Cinderella, and they can spend the rest of their lives together making up for lost time. Of course, the entire Cinderella archetype of this novel proves that fairy-tale endings really are not the way of the world. In reality, people are wrongly accused, never get a second chance, and they miss out on some of the best experiences in life. It can happen to anyone; even basically decent people like Cecilia and Robbie, while the real culprits, like Paul Hammond, get away with their crimes and live relatively happy lives.