Journey of Innocence Vs Experience: "Atonement" and "The Go Between"

The journey of innocence vs experienced is a dominant theme in McEwan's essay ‘Atonement’ and Hartley's ‘The Go Between.’ Innocence represents youth within a free, simple world. On the contrary, experienced expresses influenced behavior and lessons learned. ‘Atonement’ and ‘The Go Between’ are both Bildungsroman novels with a dual narrative. In both novels the narrative is told in the view of the protagonist as an innocent and the second narrative is in the view of the protagonist as experienced. The protagonist Bryony from within McEwan's ‘Atonement’ and the protagonist Leo from ‘The Go Between’ are characters who look back on their experiences of innocence with a difficult relationship as they share their memories before innocence was lost. Both authors McEwan and Hartley use natural imagery throughout their novels to express and convey the loss of innocence. The coming of age is a significant theme within both novels and is an essential to the progression of the plot as well as playing a significant role in the development of the character, allowing the readers to engage with the characters, as they face difficult situations they do not understand, but result in them losing their innocence.

The Bright Line of Innocence vs Experience in Novels

The novel Atonement is divided into three sections, each section showing the characters' lives from different time periods, the first section in the year 1935, the second in 1940 during the second World War and the third at the present day. McEwan has structured his novel in this way to allow the readers to grow and travel through time with the characters. The Go between likewise is a novel where the readers experience time with the characters but is not split into time sections like Atonement. Hartley’s plot is linear processing from one stage to another. Both novels are similar to Jane Austen's novel ‘Northanger Abbey’ Which also expresses the journey of the coming of age. McEwan has stated that he had The Jane Austen novel ‘on his mind when writing Atonement’ and was inspired with the concept of the epilogue from her novel. Both McEwan and Hartley end their novels in an epilogue from the present day of the protagonist reflecting on their journey from innocence to experience. The epilogue is used by Hartley and McEwan to connect the reader with the protagonist, allowing them to fully grow and understand the character, informing the reader of what happened to the protagonist at the end of the story. This emphasizes the lessons learned and how the characters have grown in both novels, despite the difficult paths they faced as they grew from innocent to experienced.

McEwan and Hartley imply their protagonists as youthful and childish within the opening chapters of their novels. Leo and Briony are both characters filled with fantasies and wish fulfillments. McEwan writes Briony as an aspiring young writer who lives her life in an imaginary world who confuses reality with fantasy, which results in a tragedy and the loss of experience. Briony states ‘This was not a fairytale., this was the real, the adult world.’ McEwan has used this line to create a sense of Irony, as the readers are aware Briony lives within her imaginations. Hartley also presents Leo as a child full of fantasy and wishful fulfillment as he sees himself as a magician and through magic, he idealizes people, which results in him becoming involved within adult affairs.

Both McEwan and Hartley hint the forthcoming tragedy that results in Leo and Bryony losing their innocence within their journey to experienced. McEwan creates anticipation with the opening line of the chapter ‘Within the half an hour, Bryony would commit her crime’ McEwan is informing the reader that within this chapter they will learn Bryony's big mistake that changes her life, resulting in the loss of her innocence. The repetition of ‘C’ within ‘commit her crime’ creates a harsh tone, emphasizing a feeling of hard feelings and resentment. Suspense is created as the reader feels they must read on with McEwan’s promise that they will soon know the truth about the mistake Bryony made. Hartley also hints at the forthcoming tragedy but unlike McEwan he hints this ominously. The ‘long smear of blood; on Marian's letter is used to create suspense an to create imagery with the word use of blood, connoting violence, and loss of life. Hartley also hints at the forthcoming tragedy within Mr. Maudsley’s speech. ‘Leo Colston, who slew the Goliath of black farm if I may so describe him. ' Goliath is known from the biblical book of Samuel, who died after being defeated by a young David in a single combat. McEwan has used the biblical reference to suggest tragedy and death and create a sense of drama as Mr. Maudsley is referring Leo to the young David who ended the life of Goliath.

Heat and Water as Symbols of Childhood

McEwan and Hartley both use the weather to express innocence and childhood within their novels. McEwan uses a heat wave in England with Leon Tallis speech ‘It's a different country, all the rules change.’ This is expressed to the reader that the summer and heatwave in England is seen as an opportunity for adventures and making memories for the youth. McEwan has used this to emphasis the youthful carefree days experienced prior to the tragedy that shaped the characters within the novel, resulting in them losing their innocence. Hartley similarly uses the weather with Leo being obsessed with checking the thermometer and stating, ‘I was in love with the heat.’ Hartley is expressing Leo’s obsession with the weather as the previous year he had spent the summer in bed with a fever. Hartley expresses the view to the readers that the heat is giving Leo a sense of freedom with Leo hoping for the weather to continue to get hotter and hotter, giving more freedom to explore and continue his adventures. This view is supported with the classic children's novels Arthur Ransomes, Pigeon post, as the heatwave is expressed within the book as an opportunity for unsupervised adventures for children. 

On the other hand, the theme of heat may also be used by McEwan and Hartley to express the pressure the protagonist is facing as they transition from innocent to experience. In The Go Between, Hartley is using the heat to create an image of the pressure Leo feels as he hides the secret and the exchange of letters for Mariam and Ted. He is feeling overwhelmed and as Leo finds the secrecy of the affair, consuming him, the temperature of the heat continues to rise. Hartley conveys this idea to his readers within Leo’s thoughts. ‘Perhaps the heat was Marian?’ The thoughts from Leo here express that both the heat and Mariam are uncontrollable and destructive and something Leo cannot control. Both the weather and Mariam are responsible for their fate that will come due to their actions. Hartley uses pathetic fallacy with the heat building up to create storm. This is used to mirror Mariams passion, which will be coming to a destructive end. ‘The verb used ‘presaged’ within ‘The still air presaged thunder’ is used by Hartley to creates a sense of tension, and drama forcing the readers to keep reading and discover the unwanted and unwelcomed event that is due to take place alongside the storm. The storm also expresses the release of pressure for Leo as he now transitions from innocent to experience. Leo has released the buildup of pressure from within him, releasing his tumultuous thoughts. Hartley uses the storm to represent the release as Leo finds Miriam and Ted in the rain.

Likewise, McEwan has used the symbol of heat to express the pressure the characters are under within Atonement. As Cecilias and Robbie's relationship becomes more intense, Briony suffers with the secrets and her over creative imagination. The misinterpretations of both the letter Robbie sent to Cecillia and the events that she witnessed by the waterfall and in the library are causing more tension and pressure for Briony. Along with the pressure she is feeling, the heat mirrors Briony's emotions and continues to rise during the heatwave. The heat within the novel is being blamed for Briony's overstretched imagination, resulting in her confessing a wrong testimony, which sacrificed the innocence of Briony as well as Cecillia and Robbie. The heat has driven the characters to insanity, and they are losing their mind and are unable to think straight. ‘The vast heat that rose above the house, the park and lay across the home countries like smoke, suffocating the farms and towns. ‘The simile referring to the heat as smoke, suffocating the farms and towns along with the sibilance of the ‘S’ create an image for the readers of the slyness of the heat, creeping into the characters' lives and suffocating them from their thoughts and allowing them to act out of the usual. The actions taken during the summer due to their smoke-filled minds due to the heat, result in tragedy and the ultimate loss of innocence, as Briony confesses a wrong testimony. However, the actor who plays Robbie, James McAvoy, has a view that Briony’s actions are because of her own self-absorbed universe she lives in and not because of the intense heat, as interpreted by McEwan choice of words, but because she is a selfish ‘evil maniac’ who needs to have all the attention on her. She has been disrupted this summer, as her siblings and cousins are home with her, and therefore the attention is no longer just on Briony. He believes Briony never really grows up and remains in herself absorbed universe. He voices that there is no room for anyone else in her life because she is so wrapped up in oneself. Due to Briony's self-absorbed character, consequences for all the other Characters around Briony.

The Use of Landscape to Explore This Journey

Both McEwan and Hartly use landscape to explore the journey from innocence to experience. Within McEwan's Atonement Briony is remarkably familiar with her landscape and her surroundings as this is the home, she has grown up in. However, on the night of Lola’s rape Briony is unfamiliar with her surroundings and everything appears strange to her. ‘The Oak was too bulbous, the elm too straggly.’ The repetition of the word ‘too’ expresses how odd and unfamiliar this feels to Briony. McEwan has used nature and landscape to Parrell Briony's thoughts and feelings, and she is experiencing something completely new and unfamiliar. She is not recognizing her own home, as she is facing new experiences and adult emotions. McEwan is trying to emphasis the transition from innocence to experience here. Another way McEwan has uses nature within the novel to express the theme of innocence to experience is with the use of water. Water is used as a symbol of the transition to experience and adulthood. Briony misunderstands both events by the waterfall and Lolas rape, both take place in the outdoors near water. In both situations Briony does not completely understand and has crossed the boundary of innocence to experience too early resulting in consequences for the characters around her.

McEwan also uses the setting to express the innocence of Lola. Despite the mature individual Lola sees herself, McEwan suggests different as she ‘had come to the nursery that morning.’ The setting of the nursery conveys strong connections to youth and suggests she is not yet ready for adult experiences; she is still innocent. Paul Marshall entering the nursery in his ‘white suit’ suggests he is pure, while his intrusion shows vulnerability. Lola is also expressed as innocent as she agrees and goes along with Briony’s false allegations. This emphasizes that Lola does not understand the damage of the lies and hiding the truth will cause.

On the other hand, within The Go Between, Leo is in an unfamiliar landscape and surrounding. However, Hartley also used the landscape and nature to emphasis the coming of age and the journey from innocence to experience. Leo spends his days whilst Marcus is unwell exploring ‘Further afield.’ Leo is on an adventure into the unfamiliar, implying ambiguity for an adventure into the adult world. Leo crosses boundaries of the ‘deep rutted farm road’ where he meets Ted. The farm road represents the boundaries between innocence and experience. The adjective ‘deep’ along with Leo struggling to get his ‘foot out’ connote the difficult transition between innocence and experience. Once the boundary has been crossed, Leo is in too ‘deep’ into experience, and his life has anomalously transitioned. Hartley also created the image of passing time through his description of the landscape around Leo. The river is first described as ‘sedgy, marshy’ with ‘not much weed marred the surface.’ However, as Leo struggles with the weight of Mariams and Teds secrets, the river is described as ‘tangled mess of water weeds’ The adjective ‘tangled mess mirror Leo's thoughts and feelings as he is in a mad disorder and state of confusion. Leo is struggling with his new emotions as he wants to please Mariam but is torn with his conscious and new emotions. Hartley is emphasizing the transition from innocence to experience as a chaotic and a difficult journey.

Conclusion

In conclusion, innocence vs experience is a dominant theme throughout both McEwan's, 'Atonement' and Hartley's 'The Go Between'. McEwan and Hartey both write from the protagonist's view as they are trying to make confessions. They are writing down their memoir, Recalling events of the past. McEwan writes and structures his novel for it to take Briony more than 50 years to compose her novel, the longest piece of work she has ever written. Hartley writes similarly with-it taking Leo half a century later to recall the events of his summer 1900. Both protagonists Leo and Briony are faced with pain and suffering as they recall the past and look back on their transition from innocent to experienced. McEwan and Hartley both write to express the difficult transition the journey from innocence to experience can be, and with the overactive imagination and desires from their protagonist, the pain and trauma caused for Briony and Leo and those around them.

References

1. McEwan, I. (2001). Atonement. Anchor Books.

2. Tredell, N. (2007). Ian McEwan: The Essential Guide. Vintage.

3. Todd, R. L. (Ed.). (2009). Ian McEwan: Contemporary Critical Perspectives. Continuum.

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4. Cusack, A. (2009). Rewriting the Unspeakable: Language, Memory, and Trauma in Ian McEwan's 'Atonement.' Journal of Modern Literature, 32(4), 45-60.