How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
I hate when Father puts on a show, pretending we're the kind of family that chats and gossips and laughs. (2.35)
Briony's feelings toward her father show that they have a strained relationship. But don't fall for her show, either—getting mad about her father's pretending comes from a place of disappointment, which leads us to believe she wishes her family was closer.
Quote #2
Now Eldric would look at us and pity our shattered, fragile family and our shabby, childish clothes; and I'd be obliged to hate myself, and to hate him too. (2.49)
By making this assumption, Briony proves her own insecurities about her family. She plans to hate poor Eldric (who didn't actually say anything about her family or their clothes) because she is protective of her family.
Quote #3
I've looked after Rose for years and years, and she drained me dry long ago. What's she feeding off now, I wonder. My soul juice? (2.63)
What have you given up for your family? What have they given up for you? Soul juice? Briony's sense of responsibility toward her sister, though she tells herself it's because of guilt, leads her to make sacrifices no young person should have to make. Still, many people give up their own wants and needs for their family.
Quote #4
It was as though the Claybornes shared a silent language, which was utterly unlike the way we Larkins shared silence, which was not at all. We don't share anything. (3.25)
This is another hint at Briony's true wishes for her family—she compares the Claybornes to her family because she is jealous of the love and closeness they have. Be careful with jealousy, Briony—and Shmoopsters, be sure to read about jealousy elsewhere in this section.
Quote #5
"A father tends to be disappointed," said Eldric, "when his son has achieved the great age of twenty-two and failed to graduate from university." (3.31)
Ever have a fight with your parents over school? This common family issue causes distance in plenty of families. Luckily Eldric and Mr. Clayborne have a strong bond, though there are still little comments made here and there that confirm their family is not perfect.
Quote #6
I wish I might have known Mother. I wonder whether I'd have taken such a very wicked path if she hadn't died when we were born. She knows I'm a witch, I suppose. I imagine her looking down on me and shaking her head and sighing. (7.18)
Losing her mother put Briony in an obviously vulnerable place. Here Briony suggests that maybe that mother-child bond could have saved her from becoming wicked.
Quote #7
He wasn't going to flatter me into singing with him. He couldn't disappear for three years, then go all smiles and rainbows and expect the same back. (8.140)
Already abandoned (in a sense) by two mother figures, Briony feels angry toward her remaining parent for what she perceives as him abandoning her for three years. We feel kind of bad for the Reverend Larkin, though, as he tries and tries again to get close with his snarky daughter.
Quote #8
"If your stepmother really wanted you to march forth," said Eldric, "she shouldn't have accepted your—well, I won't say sacrifice." (12.61)
Nosy newcomer Eldric points out holes in Briony's story about her angel stepmother almost immediately. His insistence irritates Briony, and even causes a few fights between them, but in the end also leads to Briony's freedom.
Quote #9
Our parents teach us the very first things we learn. They teach us about hearts. What if I could be treated as though I were small again? What if I were mothered all over again? Might I get my heart back? (32.256)
This brief Briony insight speaks to the importance of family in forming a positive self identity (more on that elsewhere in this section). When Briony asks about being mothered again, she refers to the nurturing, loving relationship a mother provides to her children. Briony is not like the tin man, though—she has a physical heart, it's just super out of practice.