Individual Atonement and Collective Guilt

Resumo

Ian McEwan’s 2001 novel Atonement raises the question of individual guilt within the greater context of collective responsibility with the onset of the atrocities committed during World War II. Set before, during and after the war, the novel’s main characters are forever affected by an error of judgment, not verified for evidence, on the part of Briony Tallis. Parallel to this, the responsibility of the German people, as well as of Europe in general, is brought into question based on German philosopher Eric Vogelin’s analysis of collective action in Hitler and the Germans. The analysis develops the notion of evil when it does not appear as such and reflects on the consequences of one’s actions, whether collectively or individually.