Ian McEwan's Atonement

The rise of industrialism in modern England following World War II brought with it a dramatic restructuring of the social and economic order. The transition marked the decline of status from traditional family ties and the increased focus on money as a means to attain a position of influence. This meant that the growing industrial class of the time would stop at nothing to make a profit, often exploiting the vulnerable in the process. This social restructuring would also require old rules of propriety and order to be disregarded. Additionally, technology would play an increasingly important role in society as a means to gain power quickly. The novel Atonement explores these changes in a historical context, though the issues it raises remain relevant in today’s world. The character of Paul Marshall portrays the transition in socioeconomic power from the old ruling families to a new class of industrialists that would come to dominate England from the 20th century onward.

The highly successful chocolate manufacturer Paul Marshall represents the drive of industrialists to take as much as possible, regardless of the cost to others, which is evident in the sexual assault of Lola that is blamed on Robbie. The rape emphasizes Marshall’s dominance over powerless Lola as a result of his socioeconomic position as a rich, upper-class man. The new class of industrialists that lived onto the 21st century, showed a willingness to use any and all means possible to make a profit, including exploitation and fraud. For instance, Marshall did not hesitate to let the sexual assault charges fall on Robbie, an honest lower-class man. This represents the industrialist’s unyielding drive to retain power, which often requires exploitation of commoners li...

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...med, and his exploitation of the war to sell Amo Bars, all show his sense of entitlement to take whatever he wants regardless of the consequences to others. Marshall’s disregard for old rules of propriety and order marks the decline of the rigid social mannerisms in England. Additionally, the role of technology as a means to gain power quickly is seen in Marshall’s production of Amo Bars. Therefore, the formation of a vicious industrialist class with little regard for matters beyond money marked a concurrent decline of the influence that traditional family ties held in modern England. The dominance of these industrial merchants permanently altered English society as it moved into the 21st century.

Works Cited

Hardy, Thomas. Tess of D'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman. London: MacMillan & Co. Ltd., 1953.

McEwan, Ian. Atonement. New York, NY: Anchor Books, 2001.