Atonement: Coming of Age as a Writer

This week we went to the British Library and viewed the original Magna Carta, written in 1215. This document inspired reform throughout the millennium. There are several references to the Magna Carta in important documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. The Magna Carta was originally a peace agreement between King John and his barons. The Magna Carta demanded regulated administration of justice, free trade, and imposed limitations on royalty. The Magna Carta was reinterpreted many times over the centuries, and even though it started out being a very narrow document (only for the elite English barons), it has morphed into a document that people from all over the world claim and use to defend their rights.

As we studied Atonement this week, we visited the Imperial War Museum. While the WWII exhibit had many artifacts, this one in particular caught my eye. In Atonement, one of the main characters, Robbie, serves in the war and is injured at the Battle of Dunkirk. Robbie dies waiting for a boat to take him back across the channel to England. This small boat was used to export the soldiers evacuating France. Being in this exhibit really helped me visualize what it might've been like to be in the war––the horrors, as well as the triumphs.

This is the Imperial War Museum. Before it became a museum, this building was Bedlam Insane Asylum. Our professor pointed out that this site choice for the museum might be a commentary on the war. This sentiment was reflected in Atonement. War can be seen as heroic, inspiring, and can bring out the best, and worst, in individuals. However, war is always insane.

At the Florence Nightingale Museum, we saw many books that Florence wrote. She was passionate about nursing and hygiene. Florence wrote about travel, religion, philosophy, and sanitation. She helped start a nursing school at St. Thomas' Hospital––the oldest hospital in England. In Atonement, both Briony and Cee attend the Florence Nightingale school at St. Thomas. They learn the values of selflessness, obedience, and respect. Briony also wrote books during and after her time working as a nurse in WWII. Briony had an imaginative take on her work, compared to Florence's rhetorical writings. Briony and Florence both had a strong desire for order and were obsessed with organization. These traits served them well as battlefield nurses.

This is one of my favorite finds at the Florence Nightingale Museum. This is the nursing uniform that Cee and Briony would've worn while they were nurses at St. Thomas. This uniform was hard-won and the nurses who were allowed to wear them were proud to display their dedication to service.