Ignorance

= = =**Ignoranc****e As A Motif**= //The motif of ignorance occurs many times throughout **Atonement,** and ultimately plays a significant role in how the novel unfolds//.

//** Fountain **// // **Library** //
 * As Briony stood at her window, she watched Cecilia step into the fountain before Robbie, assummingly under the command of him. "At his insistence she was removing her clothes, and at such a speed... What strange power did he have over her? Blackmail? Threats?" Briony's ignorance of what was actually going on was only the beginning of her confusion about Cecilia and Robbie's relationship.
 * Afte r reading the letter sent from Robbie to Cecilia, Briony makes the conclusion that Robbie is a maniac."She had read the note standing shamelessly in the center of the entrance hall, immediately sensing the danger contained by such crudity." Briony is already expecting Robbie to be on the prowl for Cecilia, so she takes it apon herself to keep on the lookout. **Atonement** first describes the library scene in the eyes of Briony. "Though they were immobile, her immediate understanding was that she had interrupted an attack, a hand-to-hand fight." At this point Briony was ignorant of adult behavior, which caused her to make further assumptions, confirming that Robbie was in fact a maniac.

// **Lola's "brother's" Attack** //
 * When Lola told Briony of her brother's attack, Briony and most readers were ignorant of the real causes of her bruises. Again, Briony was too young to make the connection between Paul Marshall and Lola. If Briony had the slightest suspicion that Paul had assaulted Lola, then when she discovered Lola while searching for the twins, she might have not jumped to conclusions about Robbie so quickly.

// **Rape of Lola** //
 * The most obvious and important occurrence of Briony's ignorance took place when she found Lola in the garden being raped by Paul Marshall. Briony was already on the lookout for Robbie, because he had "attacked" Cecilia in the library, and may strike again. After finding Lola, Briony instantly made the assumption that it was Robbie who attacked her. This assumption changed the fate of many characters.