"The Sense of an Ending" - Julian Barnes

“The Sense of Ending” is written by  Julian Patrick Barnes, published in 2011

“The Sense of an Ending” is that novel which hits like a hammer to our frozen heart. It helps us to see the darker inside of us. This is the perfect book which disturbs our comfort. The writer of this blog will not not tell you how it hits like a hammer. To experience it read this novel.

Here I am sharing my response about the thinking task. CLICK HERE to view this task. My interpretations are according to my understanding. So, it is open for criticism and opinion.

1.) What is the meaning of phrase ‘Blood Money’ in Veronica’s reply email?

Veronica tries to tell Tony that the money (5000 Pounds) send by Sarah Ford is full of blood of Adrian. That is to say that Veronica was trying to make Tony realise his mistake. He is one of them who are responsible for Adrian’s death.

2.) How do you decipher the equation: b = s – v x/+ a1 or a2 + v + a1 X s = b?

b = s – v x/+ a1

Baby = Sarah – Veronica x/+ Adrian

Sarah Ford was the one responsible for Adrian and Veronica’s breakup. Instead of Veronica + Adrian becoming one, Adrian and Sarah Ford became one. And baby is the result of their relationship.

a2 + v + a1 X s = b?

Anthony(Tony Webster)+Veronica+ Adrian x Sarah = Baby

Adrian used to call Adrian, Anthony when he wanted to tell something serious. This equation reveals that Tony’s letter had created such a mess. After reading his letter, Adrian met Sarah Ford and got indulge with her.

3.) Adrian’s diary is willed to Tony by Sarah Ford. Why did Sarah Ford own it? Why was it in the possession of Veronica?

In the letter written by Sarah Ford, she had mentioned that

“Adrian was happy in his last days…”

By this we can make a guess that Sarah was with Adrian in his last days. So, Sarah had Adrian’s diary. Also Sarah was with Adrian and she had an affair then she would definitely know about Tony’s letter for Adrian and Veronica. Tony had mentioned Sarah’s name in that diary. That can be a reason of Adrian’s diary willed to Tony by Sarah Ford and also Sarah was not on good terms with Veronica.

It was in possession of Veronica because may be she doesn’t wanted to hand over it to Tony, as Tony ruined her and Adrian’s life.

4.) Was the mentally retarded middle aged ‘Adrian’, Tony’s friend who did not commit suicide and was suffering from trauma and thus gone mad, and was living with hidden identity?

The novel doesn’t give us any clear answer about anything.

Suppose if the middle aged man is ‘Adrian’, then the first doubt arises that how can be middle aged man while Tony is an old man. Both were classmates at some time in life. Why would the lawyer say that “Mary is not her mother.She is her sister.” So if we can that he is Adrian and Sarah’s son. This sounds more logical to me because if he was Adrian then why would Sarah wrote in her letter that Adrian was happy in his last days.

We can doubt this also because we don’t have any evidence that really Sarah Ford only have written that letter. Also Tony comes to know about Adrian’s death by his friend. We don’t know how his friend came to know about Adrian’s death. So novel is quite open for interpretations.

5.) How was Veronica related to Adrian, the one suffering in care-in-the-community?

Veronica + Adrian = Complicated

If we see Adrian with Sarah then Adrian becomes stepfather of Veronica.

If we Veronica’s relation with Adrian(Son of Adrian and Sarah) then she becomes her stepsister Mary.

6.) Do you see any missing block – some dot which is not getting connected with the whole or dot missing to get full sense of the novel - in the plot of this psychological thriller?

There are many missing blocks in this novel which creates a feel of thrill even after we complete reading this novel. Mrs.Sarah Ford’s character is very mysterious. Many questions remains unanswered like…

What did Sarah Ford told about Veronica to Tony and Adrian that both of them left Veronica?

What is the reason of Adrian and Robson’s suicide?

There are many hidden dots in this novel.

7.) Do you see any possible reason in the suicide of Adrian Finn?

We really get puzzled when we think about Adrian’s suicide. If we think of Sarah Ford’s letter that Adrian was happy in his last days. Then why would anyone die?????

The best possible reason I see is that he must be very happy with Sarah, but he may is embarrassed with the news of Sarah’s pregnancy. Or may be like the title of the novel, he must have got sense of his mistake to leave Veronica. This guilt might have given him courage to die.

8.) In the light of new revelations, how do you read character of Veronica? Instinctive, manipulative, calculating, stubborn, haughty, sacrificial, trustworthy, good Samaritan?

In the light of new revelations, we see Veronica as sacrificial person. She is the one who suffers a lot of torment in this novel. If we read the metaphysics of absence then we can see that Veronica must be in great painful situation in her life.

With all this anguish, she still takes care of his brother. She comes out to be a good and noble character. She is good at heart. Her character is quite inspiring, it is not possible to forget suffering and be good at heart. Veronica teaches that is not possible. To be good at heart that is what matters to live life.

9.) What do you mean by Unreliable Narrator? Is Tony Webster classifiable as Unreliable Narrator?

Unreliable Narrator means a narrator whose narration cannot be trusted. We cannot rely on that narrator.

Yes, here in this novel we can say that Tony Webster is an unreliable.

As this is a first person narrative, Tony begins his story with a line which classifies him as an unreliable narrator.

“I remember, in no particular order…”

This creates a doubt in our mind.

Let’s see one more example:-

“-bathwater long gone cold

behind a locked door.

This last isn’t something I

actually saw, but what you end up

remembering isn’t always the same

as what you have witnessed.”

Here we can see that the last scene was not seen by him still he describes.

The last example makes us sure that he is unreliable.

The letter written by him to Adrian.

What he remembered:

“I took the nearest

postcard to hand—one of the

Clifton Suspension Bridge—and

wrote words like: “Being in receipt

of your epistle of the 21st, the

undersigned begs to present his

compliments and wishes to record

that everything is jolly 􀉹ne by me,

old bean.” Silly, but unambiguous;

and it would do for the moment.”

What he actually wrote:-

“Dear Adrian—or rather, Dear

Adrian and Veronica (hello,

Bitch, and welcome to this

letter),

Well you certainly deserve one

another and I wish you much

joy. I hope you get so involved

that the mutual damage will be

permanent. I hope you regret

the day I introduced you. And I

hope that when you break up,

a s you inevitably will—I give

you six months, which your

shared pride will extend to a

year, all the better for fucking

you up, says I—you are left

with a lifetime of bitterness

that will poison your

subsequent relationships. Part

of me hopes you’ll have a

child, because I’m a great

believer in time’s revenge, yea

unto the next generation and

the next. See Great Art. But

revenge must be on the right

people, i.e. you two (and

you’re not great art, just a

cartoonist’s doodle). So I don’t

wish you that. It would be

unjust to in􀉻ict on some

innocent foetus the prospect of

discovering that it was the

fruit of your loins, if you’ll

excuse the poeticism. So keep

rolling the Durex onto his

spindly cock, Veronica. Or

perhaps you haven’t let him go

that far yet?

Still, enough of the

courtesies. I have just a few

precise things to say to each of

you.

Adrian: you already know

she’s a cockteaser, of course—

though I expect you told

yourself she was engaged in a

Struggle with Her Principles,

which you as a philosopher

would employ your grey cells

to help her overcome. If she

hasn’t let you Go All the Way

yet, I suggest you break up

with her, and she’ll be round

your place with sodden

knickers and a three-pack,

eager to give it away. But

cockteasing is also a metaphor:

she is someone who will

manipulate your inner self

while holding hers back from

you. I leave a precise diagnosis

to the headshrinkers—which

might vary according to the

day of the week—and merely

note her inability to imagine

anyone else’s feelings or

emotional life. Even her own

mother warned me against

her. If I were you, I’d check

things out with Mum—ask her

about damage a long way

back. Of course, you’ll have to

do this behind Veronica’s back,

because boy is that girl a

control freak. Oh, and she’s

also a snob, as you must be

aware, who only took up with

you because you were soon to

have BA Cantab after your

name. Remember how much

you despised Brother Jack and

his posh friends? Is that who

you want to run with now? But

don’t forget: give her time, and

she’ll look down on you just as

she looks down on me.

Veronica: interesting, that

joint letter. Your malice mixed

with his priggishness. Quite a

marriage of talents. Like your

sense of social superiority

versus his sense of intellectual

superiority. But don’t think

you can outsmart Adrian as

you (for a time) outsmarted

me. I can see your tactics—

isolate him, cut him o􀊃 from

his old friends, make him

dependent on you, etc., etc.

That might work in the short

term. But in the long? It’s just

a question of whether you can

get pregnant before he

discovers you’re a bore. And

even if you do nail him down,

you can look forward to a

lifetime of having your logic

corrected, to breakfast-table

pedantry and sti􀉻ed yawns at

your airs and graces. I can’t do

anything to you now, but time

can. Time will tell. It always

does.

Compliments of the season

to you, and may the acid rain

fall on your joint and anointed

heads.

Tony”

So we can say that Tony is Unreliable Narrator.

It is a worth reading novel. If you haven’t read, then go and grab a copy quickly.