In Professor Brian Finney's essay "Briony's Stand Against Oblivion: Ian McEwan's Atonement", he suggests that any attempt at atonement is "doomed to failure", and therefore that all what we can do to repent of our mistakes is to “imagine the feelings of others”. In many cases, visualizing yourself in another's shoes can play an important role in seeking forgiveness. However, in Briony's case, her attempt to use corrective fiction to right the mistakes of her childhood is not enough for her to achieve complete atonement. Even in her old age, Briony is not able to accept or accept responsibility. for his dishonorable actions and their repercussions, which is one reason why his attempt at atonement is not enough. When she was thirteen, she falsely accused a family friend, Robbie Turner, of raping her cousin, Lola Quincey. Consequently, Robbie's life comes to an end, as he is sent to prison, forced to join the army, and ultimately dies during World War II. Throughout the novel, Briony attempts to escape responsibility for her crime, and at the end of the novel she asks herself, "Did it all have to be her fault?" […] Could it not also be that of war? (321). These thoughts show that Briony is not ready to accept the blame and guilt for her crime and its repercussions. Her hesitation shows that she cannot achieve true atonement because she is unwilling to take responsibility for the actions she wishes to atone for. Even though she ultimately can't, Briony uses writing to try to make amends. Another reason Briony cannot fully atone is that before her novel can be published, everyone involved must be dead; thus, no one will know his desire for forgiveness. His main act of atonement... middle of paper ...... in the feelings of others, although this attempt will undoubtedly fail, is correct. In Briony's situation, all she can do to try to make amends with Cecelia and Robbie, who are both dead, is to imagine their lives as they might have been if Briony had not committed his crime. By creating a work of corrective fiction, she uses her best option to attempt to atone. Unfortunately, these efforts can never succeed because she does not take full responsibility for the crime, she cannot apologize directly to the victims, and she changes the outcome of the story to lessen the burden on her. As a result, Briony's work of corrective fiction cannot serve as a satisfying atonement for her crime. Works Cited Finney, Brian. “Briony's Stand Against Oblivion: Ian McEwan's Atonement,” 2002. Web.McEwan, Ian. Atonement. New York: Anchor, 2003. Print.