Write the introduction and first paragraph to an essay which argues that "Briony is just as much a victim of her own crime as Robbie Turner is" in the novel "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Both Robbie and Briony are victims of their social climate, which is a common element of the crime genre, whether it be of social class, war, inadequate parenting, or Briony’s ‘truth’. Briony’s crime emerges from her developing sexuality and febrile imagination, which heightens the drama in the narrative and in Briony’s life. Her imagination is what leads Briony to give the false accusation that causes Robbie, and in part Cecilia (Briony’s sister and Robbie’s lover), a lifetime of pain and suffering. At the most basic level, the novel tells a story of Briony’s desire for atonement for the crime of falsely accusing Robbie of raping her cousin Lola, meaning that she is both a victim and slight villian.Stories not being trusted is the crux of Briony’s crime. Many readers debate whether Briony is a victim or a villain in ‘Atonement,’ but no one can deny that it is Paul Marshal, Lola’s Rapist, who is the true villain of the novel. In Briony’s narrative (where she is the writer of ‘Atonement’) it would be difficult for her to paint herself as a villain since Briony is the narrator and the protagonist of thenovel. A protagonist will never paint themselves as a true villain if they can justify the crime or evil they committed. As well, for the readers it is hard to criminalise a young child of thirteen who is just starting to see the world in a new light. She is also discovering her sexuality and what it means to have sex, with no help or guidance from her parents. The novel raises the question of how much a child is responsible and how much the child is a product of their environment and their conditioning. Briony is in societal middle-class environment where anything negative, such as Jack Tallis’ (her father) affair, her aunt and uncle’s divorce, is kept under wraps. Readers may speculate, if Briony did not commit her crime, Robbie and Cecilia would still be alive and potentially happily together. Ultimately, Briony is a victim who committed a terrible and indecent crime, but must be accountable for it.