Water in McEwan’s Atonement
Lynzie Adams
English 209
April 21, 2011
Research Paper
Dr. Van Ness
1
In his novel Atonement (2001), Ian McEwan ingeniously uses the symbol of water
to represent the chaos and deceit that exists among his characters. Water is a versatile
symbol because it is ever changing (Fraim). Water is also a unique and fascinating
symbol because it has a double meaning; it connotes renewal, rebirth and tranquility but
is also a symbol of destruction. Atonement is a novel about the loss of innocence and the
pain of facing reality. Each character endures significant changes throughout the novel:
thirteen-year old Briony comes of age by writing her atonement for wrongly accusing a
man of her cousin’s rape, sister Cecilia suffers the pains of love, and family friend
Robbie enters the war with a heavy heart. Each character has the opportunity to restart
their lives in a sense, but none can fully recover from the destruction of the rape and the
unrest that followed. To Briony, the main character and true author of the story of
Atonement, symbols are a tool for communication: “By means of inking symbols onto a
page, she was able to send thoughts and feelings from her mind to the reader’s” (McEwan
37). McEwan does something similar with symbolism in Atonement- by using the
reoccurrence of water throughout the novel he immerses the readers into the disorder and
transformation of his characters. While the symbol of water is typically thought of as
serenity, purification and a place of safety, it is used to represent turmoil, deceit and loss
of innocence in Atonement.
The lust and frustration that confused and emotionally irritated Cecilia Tallis has
with the family’s housekeeper’s son Robbie Turner is illustrated through several scenes
involving water. The tension between them is represented by two known symbols of
sexuality: the vase for feminine sexuality and the fountain for male sexuality. Both of
these symbols include water, the idea of tranquility or a peaceful median, which the
2
young adults cannot seem to attain. Like Briony, Cecilia desires a sense of order and
structure. She is an independent woman who longs to be sure of herself which is why the
sexual tension between herself and Robbie bothers her. Before disaster strikes, Cecilia is
in the kitchen arranging flowers in a dry vase: “It made no sense, she knew, arranging
flowers before the water was in- but there it was; she couldn’t resist moving them
around…” (McEwan 23). Because water typically represents tranquility, it is interesting
to note that just before calamity occurs between her and Robbie, Cecilia tries to create
order amongst the flowers without water. The fact that the water is missing shows that
diplomacy between the two does not and cannot exist. The water, or lack there of, also
represents the tension between the two characters. Robbie’s attempt to help Cecilia fill up
the vase turns to ruin, causing the two to bicker and foolishly break the vase in
competition. Here, where the water could symbolize purification (Robbie lending a
helping hand), it more accurately represents the tainted motives behind Robbie’s actions.
The last encounter Robbie and Cecilia have together with water is by the fountain. As an
act of defiance and independence, Cecilia jumps into the fountain to gather the broken
pieces of the vase- leaving Robbie with a half unbuttoned shirt, feeling helpless (McEwan
30). Here the water is yet again a sign of havoc, a physical representation of the
opposition between the two struggling lovers.
Water is an object that deceives Robbie multiple times in the novel. While away
at war, Robbie has a flashback of teaching Briony how to swim at the lake when she was
ten years old. Briony pretends to drown, testing to see if Robbie would save her. Briony’s
behavior can be identified as childish and foolish, but most certainly deceiving. Both
Briony and the lake mislead Robbie into thinking they are innocent and pure (McEwan
3
220). Water also deceives Robbie when he finally reaches Dunkirk, the English Channel.
When he and his comrades arrive, they notice hundreds of soldiers and civilians on the
beach awaiting the British Navy for rescue before the German armies arrive. There are no
signs of a naval fleet anywhere and instead, the men observe a waterfront town in a
complete state of general chaos (McEwan 250). Robbie is forced to endure further
hardship instead of crossing the seas to return home to safety and serenity.
While water is often distinguished as a sign of life and rebirth, here it is seen as a
type of death: the loss of Briony and Lola’s innocence (Fraim). Briony witnesses a rape
that begins to open her eyes to the adult world. As much as she would rather live in the
world of writing fiction (of which she has all control), she slowly beings to realize she
must play her role in the real world. The water represents reality as a consortium of good
and evil that Briony is finally exposed to. Evidently, Lola’s innocence is stolen from her
as well. The sexual harassment happening so close to the lake (typically a symbol of
purification) directly links to how sinister and impure the act was. Briony used to go to
the estate’s lake as a place of escape, but even there she is confronted with life’s harsh
realities. No longer is the lake a place of protection for Briony because it will forever be
associated with the incident that tore her family apart. Another meaning behind the
symbol of water is “washing away guilt” (Chevalier), which is significant because of the
guilt Briony feels knowing her family’s downfall was largely on her account. At the end
of the novel, Briony apologizes to Robbie and Cecilia for the trouble she has caused
saying, “‘I’m very very sorry I’ve caused you such terrible distress.’ They continued to
stare at her and she repeated herself. ‘I’m very sorry.’ It sounded so foolish, so
inadequate” (McEwan 348). It is evident that this guilt stays with Briony for the rest of
4
her life and is not washed away until her atonement, again showing McEwan’s use of the
various indications of the symbol of water.
Water is just one of many symbols present in Atonement but it is certainly one
that stands out because of its exceptional diversity in meaning. McEwan artistically uses
symbolism to not only portray a deeper and more abstract meaning but to also encourage
his readers to delve further into the minds of his characters. Using a double-sided symbol
requires the readers to think outside of the box in order to grasp a better understanding of
the novel itself. Briony, Cecilia and Robbie all experienced turmoil in or around water
which ultimately changed their lives. The variety of meanings behind the symbol of water
in Atonement is ample in enhancing this literary work.
5
Works Cited
Chevalier, J. & Gheerbrant, A. The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols. New York:
Penguin. Dec. 1996. Print. 02 Apr. 2011.
Fraim, John. “Symbolism of Place.” Symbolism of Popular Culture. 09 May 2001. Web.
02 Apr. 2011.
McEwan, Ian. Atonement. Great Britain: Vintage, 2001. 23-348. Print. 23 Mar. 2011.
Shone, Tom. “White Lies.” Rev. of Atonement, by Ian McEwan. The New York Times. 10
Mar. 2002. Web. 27 Feb. 2011.
I have neither given nor received help on this work, nor am I aware of any infraction of
the Honor Code.