Friday, December 2, 2011

"...She might look like and behave like and live the life of a trainee nurse, but she was really an important writer in disguise" (264).

Part three of Briony's novel is about her own experiences working as a nurse. It is implied that she decided to become a nurse, instead of attending college, in order to follow in the footsteps of her sister - a kind of penance to atone for her crime. The work they are required to do is lowly and menial and they are under the strict supervision by the strict and unyielding Sister Drummond, "Praise was unheard of. The best one could hope for was indifference" (258). It isn't until the evacuees start to arrive from Dunkirk that the nurses are able to do any actual nursing work. They are horrified by the injuries inflicted upon the soldiers from the war, an indication of the destruction and horror that would eventually make its way to London. The reader is already desensitized to these horrific injuries from reading Robbie's passage when the injuries are being afflicted.

The strict work and orderly routines, however, seem to be very fitting to Briony's nature. She adores rules and neat, orderly, surroundings, so it seems she should be suited to the work at the hospital. Instead, however, she is appalled at losing her sense of individuality, especially in losing her name, Briony. "'...Your Christian name is of no interest to me. Now kindly sit down, Nurse Tallis'" (259). They are referred to simply by their family name, and this, for some reason, is incredibly difficult for Briony to accept. In fact, her name (which is representative of her individuality) is the final thing she feels the need to say to the dying French soldier. It could be that losing her first name and being simply referred to as "Nurse Tallis,"threatens her individuality. Her sister is also a nurse, and though she does not work in the same place as Briony, she is also indubitably called "Nurse Tallis" as well. The likening of her to her sister may be particularly threatening to her as it is the wrongs she did against her sister and Robbie that caused her to become a nurse in the first place. It could be also that Briony is upset because at home her individuality was of such importance. Even at university her unique talents as a writer would have been praised and encouraged, however, at the hospital she was simply a nurse, "At the time, the journal preserved her dignity; she might look like and behave like and live the life of a trainee nurse, but she was really an important writer in disguise" (264). She had no talents in the hospital and there was nothing special about her. Perhaps this is why the loss of her name is so significant to her and why it it the theme of much of this section of the novel. This seems rather selfish though and not really in line with the theme of atonement.

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