My composition is influenced by the concept of the unreliability of truth and that there is no

single truth due to individual perspective, as conveyed by Ian McEwan in his novel
Atonement. I have utilised the imaginative form and through third person omniscient
narrative perspective, focalised on characters at specific moments to express how the truth
is constructed and reconstructed by individuals. My piece is shaped by McEwan’s use of
omniscient narration in Atonement through the lens of an adult Briony re-writing the past,
to convey how small moments in a plot can create large consequences as characters place
significance on these, and these events become the catalyst for misunderstandings and
progress the plot. I was also inspired by Salman Rushdie’s article, “Truth, Lies and
Literature” and how he writes that the way we perceive events and the past, shapes our
realities. The two characters in my piece of writing were representative of two people
experiencing the same event but through different eyes, different personalities and as such
becoming a different event for each of them.
In my composition, there are multiple references and connections made to the fragility of
the truth. The setting of the dining room is used to showcase Frederick’s sense of ease and
peace at home, which concurrently contrasted Yvette’s feelings of resentment and anger,
showing the impact internal conflicts and mindset can have in how characters perceive
setting and event. Moreover, the use of third person omniscient narrator focalised on both
characters intermittently, emphasises how Frederick and Yvette both witnessed the phone
call, and interpreted it differently. Thus, my purpose was to convey the reality of the fact
that we can must abandon the notion of single perspectives.
McEwan captures the atmosphere of tension and misunderstanding in his novel, particularly
through the significant ‘Fountain Scene’ through which we see Briony, Robbie and Cecilia’s
views, all distinctly unique in how they understood and reflected on that moment. I
extended on this concept through the use of third person omniscient narration, focalising on
alternating characters to showcase the impact of the phone call on Frederick and Yvette.
The use of auditory imagery in “the phone sung out its melodic chorus, gracefully rising in
orchestral crescendo” through focalisation on Frederick, juxtaposed in lexical choice to
Yvette’s perception of the phone as “a grating shrill struck through the air.” The differing
auditory imagery was a symbolic representation of how each of the characters perceives the
phone call, and how they experiencing this meeting and their environment in very different
ways. This allowed me to meet my purpose and aim of my piece of writing.
Furthermore, my piece also resonates with Rushdie’s idea that there can be no single
perspective of any event, which is of particular importance to writer’s and how they capture
stories. This is reflected in the opening paragraph of each character’s focus…
Ultimately, I sought to emulate both the conceptual understandings and literary techniques
used by both McEwan and Rushdie that I have learnt through the Reading to Write Module
in that…