Cecilia Tallis

Outer characterization

Cecilia Tallis is an important character in the novel Atonement by Ian McEwan. She is the middle child of the Tallis family and in the first part of the novel, she is twenty-three years old. Her younger sister is Briony and her older brother is Leon. She graduated from Cambridge University, which was not common for most women in 1935, and is living at the Tallis estate with her family while she decides what she wants to do with her life. She later moves to London where she trains and works as a war nurse.

She is described as being beautiful, though not conventionally so:

That long, narrow face, the small mouth – […] he might have said she was a little horsey in appearance. Now he saw it was a strange beauty – something carved and still about the face, especially around the inclined planes of her cheekbones, with a wild flare to the nostrils, and a full glistening rosebud mouth. Her eyes were dark and contemplative. It was a statuesque look, but her movements were quick and impatient […] (Chapter 8, 9%)

Overall, Cecilia comes from a wealthy family, has a good education, and lives a comfortable life.

Inner characterization

Cecilia is intelligent and responsible but unmotivated

Cecilia shows that she is an intelligent and responsible person who often handles important family matters whe...