Briony

Question 1

Controlling

Answer 1

‘She was one of those children possessed by a desire to have the world just so.’ ch1,pg4

‘Briony’s was a shrine to her controlling demon.’ ch1,pg5

“a love of order also shaped the principles of justice”ch1pg7
Briony is deeply invested in creating order in her world, often through storytelling and imaginative play.This need for order extends to her understanding of right and wrong, where she sees situations in very black and white terms.And this phrase foreshadows the devastating consequences of her misjudgments. ‘order’ could also be an allusion to class influencing justice - the victims in this story are working class.

Question 2

Immature/naive/childish

Answer 2

‘she took her daughter in her arms, onto her lap - ah, that hot smooth little body she remembered from its infancy, and still not gone from her, not quite yet’ ch1,pg4

‘Briony felt the disadvantage of being two years younger than the other girl’ ch1,pg13

Question 3

Isolated/neglected/abandoned

Answer 3

‘was written by her in a two-day tempest of composition, causing her to miss a break-fast and a lunch’ ch1,pg3

‘The temple was the orphan of and grand society lady, and now, with no one to care for it, no one to look up to, the child had grown old before its time, and let itself go’
Description of temple near the Tallis home, however also metaphor for Briony’s abandonment and neglect.

Question 4

Melodramatic

Answer 4

‘unapologetically demanding her family’s total attention as she casts her narrative spell’ ch1,pg7
Foreshadowing, connotations with witchcraft/evil/the devil

‘self-pity needed her full attention’ ch1,pg 15

Question 5

Obsessive

Answer 5

‘Briony was lost to her writing fantasies - what had seemed a passing fad was now an enveloping obsession.’ ch2,pg21

Question 6

unrealistic expectations

Answer 6

‘with Briony expecting too much, and no one, especially the cousins, able to measure u to her frenetic vision’ ch2,pg21

Question 7

Unreliable

Answer 7

‘The definition would refine itself over the years’. ch3,pg40 - narrative shift

‘The truth had become as ghostly as invention’ ch3, pg41

‘how easy it was to get everything wrong, completely wrong’ ch3,39 foreshadowing

Question 8

Destructive nature

Answer 8

“It is hard to slash at nettles for long without a story imposing itself, and Briony was soon absorbed… A tall nettle with a preening look… this was Lola… This was too satisfying to let go, and the next several nettles were Lola too…”(Ch7p73-4).

Briony venting her frustrations on the nettles created comedy. We also see a vengeful and possibly vindictive side to her nature. We again see her creative impulses through the fact that she personifies the nettles and imposes a“story”on her actions. Ominously we see Briony beginning to enjoy her act of destruction.

Question 9

Stubborness

Answer 9

“… She decided she would stay there and wait until something significant happened to her… She would simply wait on the bridge, calm and obstinate, until events, real events, not her own fantasies, rose to her challenge, and dispelled her insignificance”(Ch7,p77).
Briony decides not to follow Leon and Marshall back to the house. Despite her weeks of excitement anticipating Leon’s return home, Briony is too stubborn and defiant to immediately follow or greet her brother.
McEwan’s narrative creates a dark irony here as Briony will find herself caught up in“real events”very soon at the very spot where she is currently waiting. Her“insignificance”will disappear when she plays the roles of witness and accuser. However,“her own fantasies”will skew her judgement and eventually lead to tragedy.