Protector

As a younger sibling, I sometimes feel the need to watch out for my older sister because she trusts everyone, sometimes a little bit too much. She also gets hit on by guys a lot and when I’m around her I feel like I have to be her protector or life will take its course and something bad will happen.

In Atonement by Ian McEwan, Briony’s decisions as a young child drastically change both Robbie and Cecilia’s futures. Briony wants to keep her sister safe from Robbie after reading the letter that he wrote her, so she becomes the driving force, deciding what happens next. Robbie and Cecilia’s relationship had been piloted by fate, until Briony intervened. Had Cecilia not been questioning her way of life or had not felt belligerent at the fountain enough to take off her clothes, the attraction between her and Robbie would have never solidified into love. However, when Briony got involved and accused Robbie of raping Lola and sent him to jail, fate was no longer a part of the picture, but rather the justice system had control this time.