Briony has not changed. Even at eighteen or seventy-seven years of age, she continues to live in her perfect little self-encapsulated world where everything happens just the way she desires. Because of her perfectionist attitude, Briony does not let go of childish dreams even as she matures into a well-known novelist, and is left to her imaginations to distort what happened for her own satisfaction. Although The Trials of Arabella, Robbie’s story in France, and Briony’s own experiences at the hospital are some stories that she uses in an attempt to atone for her actions, Briony cannot be purged of her past – a fact she recognizes herself when she states that there exists “no atonement for God, or novelists.”
Briony’s reluctance to face up to her own sins reveal how much she wants to revert back to her childhood, a care-free time when she was excused of misbehaving by a simple wave of a supervisor’s hand. Despite convincing herself that she has entered into the realm of adulthood after witnessing the events at the fountain, Briony does not truly grasp the idea of claiming responsibility for her own actions. Accusing Robbie against her better judgement, walking back to the hospital instead of heading to Cecilia’s house, and avoiding contact with the Marshalls at the museum all indicate Briony’s reluctance to confront her actions. Having been burdened with the responsibility of facing her past misdoings, the only method of alleviating her guilt is through writing.
The similarities between The Trials of Arabella and later stories only serve to cover the truth behind what has really happened. Robbie never made it back to England, and Cecilia was bombed before she could address any lingering feelings about her love. The typical war situation of the star-crossed lovers with the soldier at war and his expectant nurse follows a similar situation in Briony’s first play, which depicts a typical rebellious princess meeting the charming prince that culminates in a happy ending. This romantic ending, however, never happened and Briony uses her story to divert her thoughts from the truth. By telling these stories and relating them to real events, Briony shows us how we can give voice to our stories so that something fabricated from memory could be equally, if not more powerful and exciting than real life stories. After all, Briony discovers early on that “the imagination is a source of secrets.”