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AQA ENGLISH LITERATURE B - CRIME WRITING ATONEMENT NOTES - Summary of Part II
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AQA ENGLISH LITERATURE B - CRIME WRITING ATONEMENT NOTES Summary of Part II (Robbie and War)
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Part II - Robbie and WarThe narrative switches to the perspective of Robbie Turner now a soldier in war torn France. He
is injured but has not told his companions Mace and Nettle. They come across a bombed house
and Robbie sees a child's severed leg in the tree and is sick. Robbie's knowledge of rural life
saves them from a swarm of bees. They come across a farmhouse ignoring the protests of a
women who says her sons will kill them if they find them. When the women's sons come they
bring food and they talk about their fears of the German army.
This part of the novel contrasts the first part. It is not clear at the beginning that we are
sharing a new characters perspective but as we are told it is Robbie's he is introduced like
a different character.
The spectacle of the child's leg in the tree is shocking to Robbie and to us.The flat and
emotional count of the fact lets the horror speak for itself. The description of a plane tree
first and then the leg makes it clear that this is a common seen in the war-torn landscape.
The fact that Robbie is embarrassed by his discussed and its subsequent need to vomit is
testament to the many horrors that the men have witnessed. The others are able to
disregard it but for Robbie it may be seen as weakness.
The leg is a disturbing detail and a disturbing image which he struggles to get out of his
mind.
The hostility of the women is initially comic but also dangerous as it leads to Robbie
almost shooting her sons. We reflect on her behaviour differently when we realise she has
already lost a son to the war and has become confused by her grief and age. This
represents the real human impact of war.
Robbie reflects on his own youth which was wasted in prison, he recalls his last meeting with
Cecilia. The two have remained in contact through their letters writing in codes and referring to
books which would bypass the censorship. Robbie reads a letter from Cecilia which tells him of
Briony's wish to clear Robbie's name - this begins the theme of Briony's atonement.
The combination of his early life and time in prison has prepared Robbie for the army.
Robbie could not apply to be an officer because of his criminal record but he is still held in
good regard despite his inferior rank. His accounts of the stifling oppression of prison
makes him reflect on how "prison made him despise himself" making the consequences of
Briony's actions very real.
Cecilia makes it clear that she will never forgive the rest of her family but admits her
excitement of the news of Briony's possible retraction. She has spent years waiting for
Robbie "feeding on the same memories that consumed him every night".
It can be argued that the most horrific aspect of the war is the indifference to show into
suffering. Robbie reflects that the war is an "industrial process" in which the end product
death and terrible injury is hardly considered.
Robbie guides the men using his map reading skills passing a field where horses are being shot.
A major attempts to pull Robbie into a futile attempt at attacking German's in the woods but he
is saved by a surprise attack of a column by a German plane.
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