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

Using literary terms correctly - not a choice

Note to all: don't forget to refer to literary devices in a sophisticated manner.

Everyone really needs to be using the correct terms for analysis. You also need to be doing close language analysis in terms of literary analysis.

A selection you should know:

• Sensory imagery is the term to use when taking of the senses. There is visual, aural, olfactory, tactile and gustatory imagery.
  
• An allusion is when a plot line / story closely or in part resembles another - maybe a moment in history, a mythical reference, a poem, character. Look out for these and see if you can make links.
• An allegory is a story with some kind of lesson or moral message. Technically, can Perfume really be defined as being an allegory? If so - what is the message - is there one or many? Or is there no clear-cut answer?

I will keep adding to this - make sure you copy and paste them in a place where you can refer to them.