Compare and contrast the ways the writers present the theme of

growing up in the worlds they and their characters live in as a

traumatic rite of passage that must be endured, despite its detrimental
consequences, no matter how ready the characters are
Throughout L.P. Hartleys The Go Between and Ian McEwans Atonement, one
major theme is growing up, reaching physical and mental maturity, which is
achieved through a series of events and processes. The two child protagonists,
Leo Colston and Briony Tallis are about to undergo puberty and thus gain sexual
awareness, and will be taught through events that their childish world view is
incorrect. However, other characters will also become mature, as virginity is lost
and events run their course. These events happening in each stories real
worlds are seen the lenses of the fantasy worlds constructed by Leo and Briony,
and through the lens of the microcosms of the houses and settings they are in,
and are influenced by the worlds that the authors lived in. These influences are
seen in the two bildungsromans, which present growing up as a rite of passage
causing traumatic effects that must be endured, despite its detrimental
consequences, no matter how ready the characters are for them.
The writers use three parallel events to show their protagonists growing up. The
first is the reading of letters between the lovers. Having read the the words that
were exposed, obeying the social codes he has learnt and not daring to
overstep them, Leo recognises his naivety, what a fool [he] had been!, and
being pulled out of his fantasy world, like waking from a dream. However, he is
also upset by his new-found knowledge, as Not Adam and Eve, after eating the
apple, could have been more upset than I was, the comparison to the couple
being evicted from Paradise mirroring the breaking of Leos idyllic world view of a
virginal Marian and a strong Ted to signify the extent of the catastrophe this is to
him. Briony receives the letter on the bridge at dusk, the two common symbols
for transition signifying the transformation that will occur. The choice of dusk
portrays her innocence as the daytime, which will turn to night, suggestive
darkness and sinister events, following reading the letter. Reading the letter, she
becomes aware of something elemental, brutal, perhaps even criminal, the
trickling of strong adjectives showing the intense emotions aroused by this new
information, and fails to understand the romance and blazon Robbie used when
writing the letter, until later on in life, when she shows the understanding she
has gained by writing the scene recognising Robbies true intentions. The
interception of letters not meant for their eyes shows that Leo and Briony being
initiated into the adult world before they are ready.
The exposure to explicit sexual activity, and, as Peter Bien argues, the inability
to see or accept reality when interpreting them, is a point where the characters
should grow up, but instead, fail1. Briony comes across the library door which,
unusually, was closed, suggesting that what is behind that door, Robbie and
Cecelia having sex, is not meant for her to see. From the terrified eyes of her
sister, Robbie looking so huge and wild, and Lolas earlier comments, Briony
assumes that [Robbie] was attacking [her] sister, which taints Brionys view of
Robbie, and of sex in general. Leo is swept, passive, unwilling, and unready,
1 Peter Bien yellow book

Compare and contrast the ways the writers present the theme of
growing up in the worlds they and their characters live in as a
traumatic rite of passage that must be endured, despite its detrimental
consequences, no matter how ready the characters are
by Mrs Maudsley to the outhouses, similarly to Hartley being made to follow 2 to
his own traumatic childhood experience. Clinging to his fantasy world to process
to reality, he sees not Marian and Ted, but the Virgin and the Water Carrier,
and his world view is shattered as they are together on the ground, a stark
contrast to their celestial position as personifications of constellations. Having
lived a generally pleasant and well protected life in middle class repressed
societies, the children would be sheltered from sex, which accounts for their
surprise and intensity of reaction when confronted with it.
The psychosexual development is another way the characters growing up leads
to a faiulre of sexual initiaion. Sigmund Freud suggests that at the phallic
stage, a child will experience the Oedipus complex. Leo is attracted to Marian
and her symbol of the atropa belladonna, and experiences rivalry and castration
anxiety on account of Ted, believing him quite capable of carrying out his
threat when trespassing on his land, while being jealous of his interactions with
Marian. However, Leo does not successfully complete the complex as he
identifies with his mother, having a temperament more in common with hers,
as opposed to identifying with either his real father, whom he admired...and
revered, or his substitute, who attracted and repelled him. Briony experiences
the negative Oedipus complex, experiencing rivalry with the opposite sex parent,
Robbie, and fixating on Cecelia, because unless she helped her sister, they
would all suffer. In taking on the traditional male role of protector of the family,
eliminating the threat of Robbie by testifying against him, Briony clings in
obstinate self-assertion to her threatened masculinity 3, and does not direct her
libido towards the father, which would result in successful development. The
failure to complete the phallic stage leaves Leo and Briony typically phallic
characters. Briony becomes resolute, self-assured, and narcissistic 4, as shown
by her determination to write a novel heavily featuring herself, while, Leo
becomes in capable of close love5, and all dried up inside, his ability to form
emotional attachment gone.
2 He Wrote of Passionate Love, but Was Tortured by His Own Secret Sexuality; A
BIOGRAPHY THAT THE FAMILY TRIED TO STOP UNCOVERS THE MYSTERY
SURROUNDING THE AUTHOR OF THE GO-BETWEEN. Contributors: Not available.
Newspaper title: Daily Mail (London). Publication date: February 10, 1996. Page
number: 32. 2007 Daily Mail. COPYRIGHT 1996 Gale Group.
3 [Sexuality and the Psychology of Love by Sigmund Freud, p187, Touchstone
Reprint 1 April 1997, accessed bit.ly/1Cij2a3],
4 http://www.victorianweb.org/science/freud/develop.html
5 http://www.victorianweb.org/science/freud/develop.html

Compare and contrast the ways the writers present the theme of
growing up in the worlds they and their characters live in as a
traumatic rite of passage that must be endured, despite its detrimental
consequences, no matter how ready the characters are

The colour green, traditionally symbolic of new life, is used to signpost the
characters growing up. Leos spritiual transformation is initiated by wearing a
green suit bought by Marian, and he indulges in the childish fantasy of being
Robin Hoodroaming the greenwood with Maid Marian. He is wearing this
when he is dragged to the outhouses, as , he shows maturity in recongising his
naivity, feeling more normal in the green suit than the winter Norfolk suit,
despite having destroyed the belladonna and turned thirteen. Lola wears a
green gingham frock and an emerald clasp in her hair, and eats an Amo bar
with a shell of drab green in a sexually charaged scene. While Lola tries to
appear as the adult she considered herself to be, the nursery setting of these
scenes signal that she is unprepared for sexual maturity when she is raped by
Masahll.
Leo and Briony are guided in their transitions to maturity by various influences,
both from the real world, and their fictional, constructed worlds. However, these
influences are all inadequate, thus leading to failings within their maturity. In the
real world, Leos sexual attraction is directed towards Marian and the symbol of
atropa belladonna because he is told that they are beautiful, by Marcus and his
mothers botany books, despite using words typically not associated with
beauty, such as formidable, hawk like, dull, and hairy. In contrast,
Brionys romantic view of Robbie is ended with the influence Lola, whose
diagnosis of him as a maniac confirms Brionys fanciful suspicions, causing
her to falsely accuse him of rape. They are also guided by their fantasy worlds.
Leo, in idolising the zodiac, his favourite religion, assigns the figures of the
Virgin, the Water Carrier, and the Archer to Marian, Ted, and Trimmingham,

Both Leo and Briony are distanced from their parents, as Leos father is dead and
he is physically separated from his mother for the summer, while Brionys father
is absent and her mother stays in an invalids shadow land for fear of
migraines. As a result, both characters seek alternative parental figures, with
varying levels of success. Leos substitute mother figure, Marian, buys him
clothes, symbolically helping him find a new identity, while his substitute father
figure, Ted, begins explaining sex, which Ted sees as a job for [his] dad, really.
However, while both help, caring for him by tending his wounds, they also
manipulate him into being their messenger, and cause his traumatic initiation
into sexual maturity. In contrast, Briony receives mothering from her older
sister, while Robbie is the father figure in Brionys negative Oedipus complex.
These substitute parents guide Leo and Brionys psychosexual developments.

Compare and contrast the ways the writers present the theme of
growing up in the worlds they and their characters live in as a
traumatic rite of passage that must be endured, despite its detrimental
consequences, no matter how ready the characters are

The psychosexual development Sigmund Freud suggests that at the phallic

stage, a child will experience the Oedipus complex. Leo is attracted to Marian
and her symbol of the atropa belladonna, and experiences rivalry and castration
anxiety on account of Ted, believing him quite capable of carrying out his
threat when trespassing on his land, while being jealous of his interactions with
Marian. However, Leo does not successfully complete the complex as he
identifies with his mother, having a temperament more in common with hers,
as opposed to identifying with either his real father, whom he admired...and
revered, or his substitute, who attracted and repelled him. Briony experiences
the negative Oedipus complex, experiencing rivalry with the opposite sex parent,
Robbie, and fixating on Cecelia, because unless she helped her sister, they
would all suffer. In taking on the traditional male role of protector of the family,
eliminating the threat of Robbie by testifying against him, Briony clings in
obstinate self-assertion to her threatened masculinity 6, and does not direct her
libido towards the father, which would result in successful development. The
failure to complete the phallic stage leaves Leo and Briony typically phallic
characters. Briony becomes resolute, self-assured, and narcissistic 7, as shown
by her determination to write a novel heavily featuring herself, while, Leo
becomes in capable of close love8, and all dried up inside, his ability to form
emotional attachment gone.

As Henry James says, experience is never limited, and never complete, which
is reflected in the fact that Briony and Leo spend the rest of their lives trying to
process what happened in the eventful summers.
She was not of our clay, she was a goddess, and we must not think that by
worshipping her we could lower her to our level.
Both writers present growing up a negative process.
The children long to throw off the shackles off childhood and grow up. Ted tells
Leo Dont a k too many questions. You dont want to know too much. This is
later proved right when Leo, konwing too much about the relations between
6 [Sexuality and the Psychology of Love by Sigmund Freud, p187, Touchstone
Reprint 1 April 1997, accessed bit.ly/1Cij2a3],
7 http://www.victorianweb.org/science/freud/develop.html
8 http://www.victorianweb.org/science/freud/develop.html

Compare and contrast the ways the writers present the theme of
growing up in the worlds they and their characters live in as a
traumatic rite of passage that must be endured, despite its detrimental
consequences, no matter how ready the characters are
Ted and Marian, causes tragedy for everyone. In contrast, child Briony
recognises maturity in wearing a dress that made it so difficult to walk, an
impediment that must be endured as a result of growing up, showing

The societies in which the novels are set will grow up, gain maturity, in a
traumatic way. The events take place in upper middle-class households, referred
to as up at the Hall and relatively isolated, the distance showing them to be
microcosms of British societies in the respective era, which were childishly
optimistic. The beginning of the twentieth century was seen as the dawn of a
golden age, without a chance of war 9, while the 1930s both major political
parties believed that appeasement and containment would be enough to stop
war.

9 Mr Birlings statement in j.B. Priestleys play An Inspector Calls, set in 1912