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Twenty years would sweep him forward to the futuristic date of 1955. What of importance would he know then that was obscured now? Might there be for him another thirty years beyond that time, to be lived out at some more thoughtful pace?

Part of Atonement’s tragedy is that Robbie is an incredibly bright young man with nearly limitless potential, and this potential is halted by misunderstandings and classism. When Robbie looks upon his future, he sees an exciting career in medicine, and perhaps a peaceful retirement surrounded by literature. He believes that, as an old man, he will have had countless experiences and will be wise and knowledgeable. Briony and Paul Marshall steal his youth from him, but it is World War II that steals his old age. Sadly, Robbie’s is only one of millions of lives that are destroyed by the Second World War.

And this was no fantasy, this was real, this was his near future, both desirable and unavoidable. But that was what wretched Malvolio thought, whose part he had played once on the college lawn – “Nothing that can be can come between me and the full prospect of my hopes.”

Like Briony, who pens a warning to herself in her own play, Robbie has a prescient moment of sensing his own doom. Robbie is elated when he discovers that his note to Cecilia has not disgusted her but rather prompted her to admit her own romantic feelings for him. His future seems to be coming together perfectly—not only will he attend medical school, funded by Jack Tallis, he will also begin a passionate relationship with his childhood friend-turned-lover. However, Robbie remembers playing Malvolio, a character from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, in a college production. Malvolio, too, thought that there was nothing that could come between him and his dreams, but, of course, we know that Malvolio dies young, murdered in the war between the Capulets and the Montagues. A similar fate awaits Robbie.

Three and a half years of nights like these, unable to sleep, thinking of another vanished boy, another vanished life that was once his own, and waiting for dawn, and slop-out and another wasted day. He did not know how he survived the daily stupidity of it.

In prison, Robbie is subjected to a deeply boring and unfulfilling existence, which consists of monotonous schedules and poor living conditions. It is unbearable yet also unavoidable for him to think about everything he has lost – not only his future as a doctor, but also his entire intellectual and social life. Highly intelligent and full of potential, Robbie stood to lose far more than many people do, which makes his unjust fall from grace particularly bitter.

He acknowledged the courage it would require for her to go back to the law and deny the evidence she had given under oath. But he did not think his resentment of her could ever be erased. Yes, she was a child at the time, and he did not forgive her.

From a logical point of view, Robbie understands that he should not hate Briony, nor is it fair to blame her and only her for his predicament. She was a child who thought she was doing the right thing; now, as a young woman, she will attempt to do the right thing again, even if it means bringing shame upon herself. However, despite all of this, Robbie knows he can never truly forgive Briony. The consequences of her actions were too damaging and will always be a barrier between them. Robbie’s lack of forgiveness will be Briony’s punishment for her crime.

Where the woman and her son had been was a crater. Even as he saw it, he thought he had always known. That was why he had to leave them. His business was to survive, though he had forgotten why.

Throughout the war, Robbie holds on to the words Cecilia writes at the end of each of her letters: “I’ll wait for you. Come back.” He feels that it is his purpose to survive so that he can return to Cecilia, whose love kept him alive through prison and now fuels him during World War II. Even when the emotional and physical trauma is so great that Robbie can barely remember his own past, or the feeling of love, the deepest parts of his mind and heart hold on to Cecilia’s message, which spurs him forward. In this particular moment, Robbie justifies leaving behind a panicking mother and child because, had he stayed to help, he would have been killed along with them, therefore failing Cecilia.

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