War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead" (O'Brien 86-87). It is interesting that Briony includes a large section of World War II in her novel, tying these two works together in many ways. Briony is writing to assuage her own guilt, but there seems to be at least some of that in O'Brien's novel, as well. He seems to be writing about these experiences to help free himself from guilt about fighting in a war that no one wanted, while Briony is trying to get over her guilt for far different reasons.

In her mind, Briony knows that she has acted rashly and without real knowledge. She thinks to herself during the accusations, "She was like a bride-to-be who begins to feel her sickening qualms as the day approaches, and dares not speak her mind because so many preparations have been made...
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