| Discussion Guide |
 Characterize Briony at 13. What does the subject of Briony's play tell you about her? |
| Describe Briony's position in her family. |
| How does Briony feel about Robbie? |
| How does Briony feel about her cousin Lola? |
| The story of the events of the afternoon of the house party is told from several different perspectives. Why? What is the significance of what we know about these events that Briony does not know? |
| What is the significance of the Miessan vase? |
| How does Cecilia feel about Robbie? |
| Explain Briony's reaction to the two exchanges between Robbie and Cecilia that she witnesses the day of the house party. What does Briony make of the note that Robbie mistakenly sends to Cecilia? Does Briony understand what is going on between Cecilia and Robbie or not? |
| Why does Briony accuse Robbie of raping Lola? Does she believe she is telling the truth? |
| We know early in the story that Briony will become a successful novelist. How does she characterize the act of telling a story? |
| Of what significance is the class difference between Robbie and the members of the Tallis family? |
| Robbie is released from prison in order to enlist in the Army. Describe the effect his prison experiences has on him. |
| At the age of 18, Briony follows her sister into nursing. How has her accusation of Robbie affected her? |
| Briony receives a rejection letter for her first piece of fiction; how are this piece of writing and the nature of the rejection letter connected to what she saw on the day of the house party? |
| Who really raped Lola? What happened to her? How does Briony feel about her now? |
| How do you feel about the way Robbie and Cecilia react to Briony when she sees them together in Cecilia's flat? Are they justified in their treatment of Briony? |
| Of what significance is the fact that most of the novel takes place before and during World War II? |
| For what must Briony atone? |
| React to the revelation in the last part of the novel. How does it change your feelings about what happens in the course of the novel? |
| Is Briony sympathetic or villainous or both? |
