Paul Marshall

The name Marshall originated from old germanix marh which means “horse” and scalc “servant”, and to some account it intended to imply “stable keeper”.

What “horse servants” were important to members of the courts of medieval Europe, the term Marshall became more officious and worthy of status. Eventually, over time, marshall (marshal) even came to be affiliated with prestigious military positions and various titles related to law enforcement. Ian could have chosen this name for the character Paul Marshall, as he did appear as a controlling person, as he took over the conversation: having a “monologue”. That could suggest his “military” side.

On the other hand, the name Paul developed from the Latin paulus meaning “small” which derived as a Roman surname. His name also mean humble, which may suggest he is someone not proud or arrogant, someone modest. The word “humble” could imply many things such as having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority. In Atonement, McEwan present the character Paul Marshall in a contrasting way. His name does not match up with the it’s meaning, but somehow carry out an ironic effect. This still makes it’s an atronym, as his name still suits him however sarcastically.

McEwan presents the character in an opposing way, he seems to appear more proud and confident. He appears to think he is more superior we see this through out his behaviour and how he takes over the conversation with his monologue, this is ironic since his name means “humble”, someone in low in rank, importance and quality.

Atonement - What's in a Name - Leon Tallis

Leon:
- name in several Germanic Languages meaning “thunder” and is used as both a given name and a surname. In a Greek or Spanish context, the name means “lion”.
o Lions move on their own free will, which reflects how Leon lives a care-free life, coming and going whenever he pleases
o Has no responsibilities, nothing ties him down, especially to the Tallis household

In Atonement, Leon Tallis is presented as a character that is free spirited and leads a care-free life, however still has a sense of responsibility and authority when it is needed in the Tallis household. Leon’s name means “thunder” in several Germanic Languages and “lion” in Greek or Spanish, and in Part One of the novel, readers are able to see how McEwan presents Leon to live up to these descriptions through a build up of various characteristics.

Firstly, McEwan portrays Leon as a man who is polite, powerful and relaxed, as there is not much which weighs him down in life. Cecilia’s explanation of their childhood game and of how “the power was with Leon whose look was mock-solemn” conveys how much power Leon held, and to an extent still does, over Cecilia, willing her to lose her composure and poise. Also, Leon is able to manipulate his younger sister, as she explains how “he was doing his look to consign her to ninety minutes of quaking torture”, where the ‘quaking torture’ has connotations of a painful consequence which one must not experience and is a reference to her inability to control her laughter. This makes it seem that instead of a mighty and strong lion, Leon can be seen as playful little cub who loves to have fun with his siblings, even with the risk of getting in trouble- which he clearly is not afraid of and in some ways, enjoys. Leon’s playful and untroubled side is emphasised as Briony mentions him to have a “careless succession of girlfriends”, which reflects the relationships which a male lion has- a typical male lion would have about five wives- hence why Leon’s characteristics fit his name. Leon himself can be seen as weak like Cecilia, as he is not entirely immune to the effects of their childhood game- he had to “shield his face” although could not hide the “tremor along his shoulders”, which further emphasises the image of a young lion who is still vulnerable. Leon Tallis’s character fits the meaning of ‘lion’, although he does not fully portray the strong and dominant traits of an adult lion, nor the mighty and controlling characteristics of ‘thunder’ in the beginning of the novel- conveying only the innocence of cubs and the minor effects of thunder.
(Pg. 50-52)

Additionally, Leon is presented to be the typical brother- protective and concerned, especially towards Cecilia, which reinforces this image that Leon is her protector, which is usually symbolized with a lion. When Leon brings up the subject of Robbie and sees that Cecilia is clearly uncomfortable with it, Leon wonders if he is “bothering [her]” which shows his protective and caring side, wanting to make sure that his sister is safe and alright- similar to how a male lion would be like. Also, Leon is influential and significant in the lives of others, as Cecilia describes “the effect of one of Leon’s anecdotes was to make his listener warm to humankind and its failings” which shows the extent of Leon’s power over people- he is able to get everyone to see things differently, through his eyes. The trait which Cecilia is presented to like the most about Leon is that he was “soft and charming in company, but through his jacket his arm had the consistency of tropical hardwood”, which indicates how Leon possess traits such as understanding and sensitivity, as well as being tough and protective- characteristics which are important when his sister is in need of love and safety. McEwan’s characterisation of Leon is similar to that of a lion and thunder, as these things are able to render people weak and vulnerable due to their strength, which Leon is able to do through his words and charm, as well as his simple movements, however, Leon also possess a soft and tame side when he is needed as a confidant by Cecilia.
(Pg.107- 110)

However, a more powerful and eminent image of a full grown lion is created as Leon takes control of things in the Tallis household when the Quincey twins go missing. As Emily receives the twins’ letter and is unsure of what it is she must do, Leon steps in and begins to bark orders to everyone, especially when he instructs his mother to “phone the constable” which indicates his sense of responsibility and further emphasises the extent of his power to make people listen to him, similar to a male lion who is the leader of the rest of his family. When Leon and Cecilia return with a distraught Lola, Leon is described to have “crossed the hallway…his hands outstretched for the phone” which shows the demanding and manipulative side of his character, and this is further emphasised when he “snatched the receiver from [Emily] and turned his back”- an indication of how he does not waste time getting things sorted out and that he does indeed have a sense of responsibility and authority. McEwan also portrays Leon’s eyes to be “tight and hard” and a “strange grimace” and these descriptions both have connotations of tension, stress and worry as Leon is trying to grasp and keep calm in order to not stress out his mother and everyone else. Briony is also seen to describe her older brother as a “true hero” as he rescues Lola, which further emphasises the fact that he is the only person in their family who seems to show signs of strength and control. Although in the beginning of the novel it did not seem as though Leon had any intentions to take the role of his father in the household, Leon has come to take place the role of authority and power in this scene, as he is the one who is trying to get the situation under control and sorted out- behaving like a protector not only towards Cecilia now, but to the rest of his family. Leon can now be seen as the powerful alpha lion that everyone is dependent on for answers and support during their current situation.
(Pg. 143, Pg.154-155)

In the beginning, readers do not have much liking for Leon, as it seems as though he does not care about his family back home and does whatever he pleases. On the other hand, our perception of him changes, as we start to realize that Leon plays a significant role in the lives of the different characters, more importantly with his family members. McEwan’s choice of the name Leon to portray the care-free and relaxed, though influential and strong Tallis son is fitting, as Leon displays the free-spirited nature of lions and thunder which come and go whenever they please as there is not much which weights them down. However, Leon Tallis portrays the responsible and protective traits of a lion that takes control of a situation and takes on the role of the leader.

Posted by Nikki

In what ways might Cecilia be seen as a blind/leading the blind?

Cecilia Tallis is one of the protagonist characters in the novel Atonement. Ian McEwan purposely devises his characters names to reflect their overall personalities as well as their role throughout the novel. Cecilia’s name derived from the Latin origin “a way for the blind.” She embraces this role as “a way for the blind” as she becomes a nurse during World War One. Most war soldiers came back from the front with injures beyond one’s expectations. Amongst them were men who had lost an eye, or a limb; they had lost their soul and even their minds. As a nurse, she finds “a way for the blind” soldiers to recuperate and recover from their battle wounds.

Furthermore her name stems from a Roman family name and literally means to be “blind.” The definition of "blind to" means unwilling or unable to appreciate or notice something apparent to others. Cecilia Tallis has a “blind” spot when it comes to her “unclosed books, unfolded clothes, unmade bed, unemptied ashtrays…” However her mind is preoccupied with thoughts of Robbie Turner, her childhood friend, fellow Cambridge student and potential love interest. She feels “uncomfortable and hot” when she thinks about him. She believes “she hates his inadequacy” but that is merely clouded judgment. As the two characters have grown up together side by side, they adopt new feelings for each other, as they grow older. However they are “blind” about these emotions. Perhaps they are just “blinded” by the idea of love as it is still a foreign concept for them both.

Moreover in Atonement, Cecilia’s character turns her back on her family when they accuse Robbie of rape. She turns a “blind” eye towards her family, especially Briony as she is behind Robbie’s accusation. Briony is the cause of Cecilia’s future unhappiness.

In what ways is this an apt name for Briony’s character? Base your answers on evidence from the text.

What is in a name? A name represents a person and distinguishes an individual from society. Throughout Atonement, McEwan has further developed the significance of a name, by shrewdly using the literary technique of aptronyms. This technique is continually portrayed through the character Briony, seeing as her name foreshadows the forthcoming and depicts aspects of her persona.

Briony’s imagination is ceaselessly growing and expanding to new heights. Ironically, Briony’s name means vine, a plant, which relentlessly grows around the trucks of trees. Both Briony and the vine, use growth to reach new heights and attain more maturity. “Briony could not have been held back from her writing”. As this quotation suggests, when Briony’s imagination has been set wild, nothing can come between her and her desires, even though she is young and naive. Much like Briony, a vine can be primarily considered as young, seeing as it merely appears to be a plant with a weak stem. However, simular to Briony, it aspiration is to grow. Though it is weak, it derives its support from climbing, twining and creeping along a surface, until it reaches the light.

Vines climb to reach sunlight. As a consequence the vines destroy anything that crosses their pathway. For instance, if a branch comes between the vine and sunlight, it will ultimately snap the branch and continue climbing. Without a doubt Briony’s name portrays her characters conduct. McEwan has made his character Briony, inhabit a ‘social climbing’ trait. This means that Briony becomes acquaintances with people who can provide her with something she desires, so that she can ultimately seek social prominence. McEwan depicts this through Briony’s submissiveness to Leon, a male whom is older than herself and who has attended Cambridge. This is also revealed through her dominance towards her cousins, who posses a lower status than herself. When Briony refers to them as “her cousins from the distant north’, she is advocating that her cousins exact whereabouts is unknown. Moreover, vines are unrestrained and hastily ascend up a tree to reach the top of the canopy. This swift climbing and smothering of the vine, can weaken the supporting tree and eventually bring the tree to its decease. “Lola, who was fifteen, and the nine-year-old twins, Jackson and Pierrot, were refugees from a bitter domestic civil war” Briony primarily perceives her cousins as lower class and status, this is particularly emphasized when she uses the word ‘domestic’ and ‘refugees’, to describe their past. Once again, the reader can see Briony’s vast imagination, melodramatise the truth about her cousins from reality. It is obvious that Briony assumes that her cousins cannot provide her with anything, apart from being submissive and obedient puppets in her play. Like a vine, she exploits her cousins to fulfil her own personal desires. “She vaguely knew that divorce was an affliction, but she did not regard it as a proper subject, and gave it no thought. It was a mundane unravelling that could not be reversed, and therefore offered no opportunities to the storyteller.” Before Briony has even been introduced to her cousins, she is trying to compose a story, based on the history of the family. When she realizes her cousins cannot offer her a story, she oppresses them and seeks authority. However, when Briony is presented with Lola rape account, she immediately begins to smother Lola until she has attained adequate information to form a tale. Both Briony and vines need to find a source to which allows them to grow. For a vine this is a trunk, whereas for Briony this is a person whom she can use to become one step closer to her dreams.

Though a vine has the ability to climb, it must compromise to the hindrance of possessing a weak stem. Without support, the vine cannot grow to its full potential and will essentially decease because it cannot attain sunlight to live. Briony constantly needs the comfort and attention of the people around her, to gain confidence and to seek the attention she thrives on. “Even without their attention and praise and obvious pleasure, Briony could not have been held back from her writing”. Though McEwan is denying that Briony’s continuous development of her writing is self-derived, it is contradictory because she still confides her relative’s opinions on her works. If Briony were confident about her stories, disclosure would prove to be unnecessary. “Briony studied her mother’s face for every shifting emotion”. The word ‘studied’ emphasises the extent to which Briony cares about her mother opinion. Once again McEwan challenges whether Briony is truly self-motivated to continue to pursue writing or whether she needs the support of those around her. Ironically, when Briony is and elderly women, she is alone and isolated. Without the continuous support of those around her, which allows her to grow her imagination, status and develop stories, she happens attains Alzheimer’s disease. This primarily makes her forget memories and weakens her mind. This is similar concept to that of a vine because when it reaches the top of a tree and attains sunlight and the trunk that supports it weakens and dies, which leaves the vines with nothing but decease.

McEwan has either intentionally or inadvertently intertwined the meaning of Briony’s name into her characters behaviours in Atonement. The concept that her name means vine, can be connected to several aspects of personality, considering that the essential function of both a vine and Briony is growth and maturity.

Analysis of the name Jack and Tallis

JACK

the name jack refers to someone who cant be trusted, the name really confirms who he is as a character, as he is the husband cheating on emily tallies. This could support how a jack is the knave in a suit of playing cards, as it could reflect how the family cannot trust him to be a loyal father and husband.

There isn't a presence of him in the story, this is likewise in most card games, usually we disregard the jack, and place it to the side and don't think of it much, and it really doesn't have any part in the game. This is like Mr. Tallis' life, he's always doing something else on the outside, he is not in the Tallis home, and isn't much of a part in his families life. This could refer to the distant nature of his character, and how he is always absent from the events of his wife and children. The name jack is also used frequently in fairytales, which could reflect his absent nature, and how he is like just a story thats being told, we hear about it, but never see him, like a fairytale, it is almost all make belief, like jack having to work late.

The name jack is also a another version of the name john, which refer's to a man. His attitude could be seen very stereotypical to the way a man would act, dominating, independent, doing their own thing, as well as being able to have as many women as he'd want.

There are also many equipment and jobs including the word jack in it, for instance lumberjack, which could confirm his nature of being a hardworking husband and father, who tries to earn money to put the food on the table, to meet up to that once wealthy status of the Tallis'.

TALLIS

The names Tallis actually refers to a judaism shawl worn by jewish men at morning prayer. A shawl is a elongated rectangular piece of cloth typically used to cover the head and shoulders. The word originally came from biblical hebrew tillel, which means 'to cover'. The irony here, is how the Tallis' don't cover up what they do enough, the families actions are so explicit, especially cecelias lack of etiquette and how she behaves in not a very accepted way that girls should.

The Tallis' are anything but religious, the way they don't abstain from sex and do it without any care or regard for the fact hat someone else may enter the room. Also the way they don't really have family time, and don't spend anytime together as a family seems rather unreligious. They are kind of a dysfunctional family, in the sense, there's no real sense of respect for one another. No one has meals with one and other, and the young don't seem to really respect their elders. No one has responsibility either, everyone is just free to do their own thing.

The Tallis' names makes reference to something religious, but they have committed so many sins, like Briony has wrongly convicted someone of a crime, and ruined their life and everyone else surrounding them. Paul marshal committed rape, although he is not a tallies. Jack Tallis is a stealer. There's no loyalty.

Tallis also is a french female name, meaning woodland, their home seems to be surrounded by woodland. In the woodland, it is also a large area where many things that can occur without ever being known. It seems like whenever someone wants to commit something bad and wrong, they would do it in the woods, or if someone is murdered, they would drag the body and abandon them in the woods, its as if the woods is a place where everything is private and nothing is known. This reflect the Tallis' family, we never really know what is going on with them, and within a family that appears normal an pleasant, so many unpleasant thing occurs within them, so many lies and deceit. In a way, their last name reflects the nature of the family, and perhaps foreshadows the fate of the families happiness.

I think McEwan's technique of aptonym is rather effective, in the sense that it gives us a better idea and understanding of the character, and how he perceives them. It makes us understand the work and enjoy it even more, because he doesn't actually tell us about his hidden meanings for the names, so we had to of work it out for ourselves, especially a some characters have such strange names, or names with very obvious meanings, so it gets us curious about the rest, and makes us imagine whether the name created the character, or vice versa. Reference is also made by people questioning the strange name the family has, so it hints us to look into them. All the more, Ian McEwan makes it a joy to study the novel.

Corporal Mace

Although his name is associated with a symbol of authority we soon find out that he has nearly no authority in his posse of vagabonding soldiers. He is not very clever and that is why he follows Robbie as he knows and respects that Robbie has a higher intellect than himself.
It is no coincindence that McEwan has introduced Mace only in the war-time part of the novel as his name does have links with war, or more precisely weaponry. A "mace" was a heavy medieval club (sometimes spiked) used to shatter or weaken armour. This gives us an image of Corporal Mace being a sadistic killing machine when in fact he is quite nice and gentle.
One example is when he rescues an RAF officer from a beating by soldiers of his own side by pretending to go and drown the officer; because people actually believed he was going to drown this officer may tell us that he is maybe rather big and scary in size or has attained a reputation among the ranks for being ruthless in which case his name suits him well. However we do not know enough about Corporal Mace to say whether he fulfills the etymology of his name.

Lola

In what ways does Lola fulfill the definitions of her name?

Lola, a short for the Spanish name Dolores, means “sorrows”, which was taken from the title of the Virgin Mary: “Virgen Maria de los Dolores”, “Our Lady of Sorrows”. Lola can also be taken to mean “strong woman”, or alternatively “Lolita” can mean a young girl regarded as femme fatale, or deadly woman by more mature men.

Lola could be considered to mean “sorrows” due to her misfortunes and the misfortunes she plays part in bringing to others. Lola’s parents divorced, and due to violent court cases, the young women was forced travel far from home, with two younger brothers under her care. Additionally, though Lola fails to point to the true criminal, she is raped at fifteen years old by Paul Marshall, even after attempting to escape, as McEwan tries to suggest with the injuries on both Lola and Marshall. While Briony plays the key part in wrongly blaming Robbie for the rape, Lola’s silence did play a large part in bringing misfortunes to Robbie, and resultantly Cecelia and the Tallis family. Thus, Lola fulfills her role of being a woman of “sorrows”, as she encounters sorrow, and brings it to others.

The alternative meaning for Lola as a “strong woman” could also be true in the character presented in Atonement. Though few characters in Atonement meet a kind fate in the end, Lola becomes the wife of wealthy and influential Marshall, while Robbie and Cecelia meet tragic deaths, Briony’s life is consumed by her own guilt, and the rest of the Tallis family wilts away in their suffocating country home. Lola's strength keeps her a woman with hopes and goals, despite traumatising events in her life. Lola’s accomplishment in snaring an older man who had raped her into marriage shows the “Lolita” in her character. Lola is very much “femme fatale”, as her womanly attributes allowed her to marry Paul Marshall, who is likely one of the most eligible men to be found at the time.

Nettle can mean two things, one the action of irritating someone, and two is a wild plant with little hairs on the leaf that sting when they are touched. Nettle shows both these qualities when he along with mace and turner stay at the barn of a french family during their retreat to Dunkirk during the war. At the start McEwan describes him as small but then later in the passage when Nettle swears about the bread indicates how although he is small, indicating the tiny hairs one can't normally see, he is very fierce and can be very dangerous, just like the sting of a stinging nettle.

When Nettle starts to talk he starts "Rambling" which explores the idea of him being very annoying and irritating at times because he doesn't know when to stop but at the same time it is only slightly annoying, not a full out thing. Turner calls Nettle a dolt behind his back which again explores the idea of Nettle being annoying and someone you wouldn't want to spend very much time with.

Although the name nettle represents bad and evil things we see a side to Nettle that doesn't fit his name. As the two brothers leave after sharing a meal with the corperals and turner in the barn Nettle gives them a gift of cigarette packets which doesn't which doesn't fit the character of someone how is painful, annoying and thorny

Who is Emily’s rival? To what degree does she try to equal, emulate or excel her?

Emily is a name derived from Aemilius, which is an old Roman name derived from aemulus that means trying to equal, excel or emulate a rival. The name Emily could have also originated from the Greek name aimulos, which means friendly and tender.

For as long as Emily can remember, her sister Hermione has been her rival. Due to Emily’s education being cut short, Hermione has always overshadowed her as a child with all her achievements. Emily is also aggrieved by her sister’s abandonment of her children as she runs away to France with her new lover during a messy divorce and she is left to look after the Quincey’s children; Lola, Jackson and Pierrot. She tries to equal, emulate and excel Hermione to a certain extent because her sister is not present in her life so she has no need to try and surpass her in simple, everyday matters. She only tries to surpass her in more important matters like marriage and family.

Emily’s anger and irritation for Hermione is evident in chapter 12. “Hermione has lisped and pranced and pirouetted through their childhoods, showing off at every available moment with no thoughts – so her scowling, silent older sister believed – for how ludicrous and desperate she appeared.” This quote suggests that even though people may have thought that Hermione was a ‘perfect’ child Emily saw through her flawless qualities, that everyone praised, to her true imperfect side, such as her speech defect. Emily is also described as ‘silent’ in this quote because she feels as though her voice cannot be heard when her sister is around because she steals the limelight.

The most vivid memory Emily has that indicates her rivalry between her and Hermione was when she ran through a window and Hermione had to be the centre of attention, so she had a panic attack. “Emily had shocked a roomful of visitors by running into a French window and cutting her hand […] it was the nine-year-old Hermione who took centre stage with a screaming attack.” This incident in Emily’s childhood suggests that even when Emily was badly hurt, her sister Hermione always had to be in the spotlight and surpass her sister, so she faked a screaming attack just to get the adults attention.

When Emily was a child, she was much more reserved then her sister so she did not try to emulate her but as she grew older their rivalry became more important to her. Emily tries to excel her sister, who just got divorced, by having a ‘successful’ marriage. However, her marriage is not successful because Jack is having an affair but she turns a blind eye, hoping he will come back to her when they retire.

Emily’s personality suits her name because even though she does, in some ways, try to outdo her sister, her tenderness and friendliness has always outshone this. Never once when her sister stole her limelight did she lash out at her and during this unstable time in the Quincey’s life, she has taken the children in, which indicates her kindness. Emily also welcomes all these guests, even Paul Marshall who she does not know, into her home and accommodates them.

How is Robbie portrayed to fulfill/contrast with the qualities of his name?

Robbie is the tragic victim of Briony's rash and incorrect accusation of being Lola's rapist. This contrasts his name, meaning "fame" and "bright" as he turns out to be infamous for his crime and is punished by law to go to war. Furthermore, Robbie did not find fame on the battlefield nor off it, but rather gained anonymity or wanted to be as anonymous as possible as drawing attention to oneself during wartime can be potentially lethal, as seen in the retreat to Dunkirk, when Robbie covers himself to disguise himself as an injured and incapacitated soldier, incapable of helping clear a German position, which was a very dangerous operation that may prove to be the demise of many soldiers.

He is, however, portrayed to fulfill the other meaning of his name, "bright", as he is an exceptionally bright character who wants to and is capable of studying medicine to be a doctor, a profession deemed worthy of only the brightest of individuals who have the intellect to gain knowledge on how to fix the human body.

Robbie's surname, Turner, implies that he is a person who is capable of being flexible or able to turn or change. His character fulfills the qualities of the name because he adapts to his situation and thrives. Although he is forced to change to a completely different lifestyle of a soldier, Robbie manages to change physically and personally to adapt to the horrors of war.

In conclusion, Robbie Turner fulfills some aspects of his name like "bright", whilst contrasts with other aspects, like "fame" and therefore show the qualities McEwan gives to the character to fulfill/contrast his name.