Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes-Thinking Activity

Sense of an Ending

About Author

Julian Patrick Barnes (born 19 January 1946) is an English writer. ... He has also written crime fiction under the pseudonym Dan Kavanagh. In addition to novels, Barnes has published collections of essays and short stories. In 2004 he became a Commandeur of L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

About Sense of an Ending-Summary

The Sense of an Ending is a 2011 novel by British author Julian Barnes. Narrated by a retired man named Tony Webster, the book centers around his friendship with a young man named Adrian Finn back when he was in school, and the events that eventually tore them apart. When the past catches up with Tony, he is forced to confront the paths that he and his friends have taken in life. Exploring themes such as death, regret, and reminiscence, The Sense of an Ending is noted for its unconventional narration: both parts are narrated by Tony, but they skip back and forth between Tony’s teen years with Adrian and the arrival of a mysterious document during his twilight years. The Sense of an Ending was critically acclaimed by the majority of reviewers, although some found its bleak tone off-putting. It was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2011 and nominated for the Costa Book Awards that same year. The Sense of an Ending has been adapted into a 2017 movie directed by Ritesh Batra and starring Michelle Dockery, Jim Broadbent, and Charlotte Rampling.

The Sense of an Ending begins as Tony Webster reminisces, revealing certain images that have stuck with him over his long life. They are all themed around water, including steam, a drain, a river, and a bathtub. The actual story begins with his childhood in a British prep school. He describes his group of friends but focuses especially on the newest boy in their group, Adrian Finn. Adrian is a smart, clever boy who is good friends with the exacting Professor Hunt, and that makes him an asset to the other boys in Tony’s group. They befriend him hoping to get an advantage with the professor, but Tony soon strikes up a genuine friendship with Adrian. Adrian is a kind, idealistic boy, which is a contrast to the more cynical way Tony and his friends view the world. As Tony discusses this period of his life, it becomes clear that while all the other boys have troubled relationships with their parents, Adrian is close with his separated parents. Adrian believes in living a principled life, while the others believe that their society is fatally flawed.

During their school years, a student named Robson commits suicide. Rumors circle that he did this after his girlfriend became pregnant, and the boy’s suicide becomes a topic of discussion among the friends. Tony and his two friends fear living a non-spectacular life more than anything else, but Adrian is content to simply be happy and live a good life, not caring whether he is remembered in stories. The boys eventually graduate and go their own ways. Adrian earns a scholarship to Cambridge, while Tony starts dating a girl named Veronica Ford. Although he and Veronica are happy for a time, they argue over his taste in music and he gets a bad impression of her family. When he visits Veronica’s house at one point, her mother vaguely warns him about her daughter. When Veronica comes to London to meet Tony’s friends, she hits it off with Adrian immediately, and the two form a close connection. Tony resents this, and it leads to a breakup. Soon afterwards, he and Veronica have casual sex, but she becomes enraged when he doesn’t want to get back together. He later receives a letter from Adrian asking for permission to date Veronica. Tony writes a harsh letter in reply, condemning Veronica’s personality and accusing her of being dangerous. He never hears back from either of them after that, and his friendship with Adrian seems to be over.

Tony travels to the US, where he meets a young woman named Annie and falls for her. When he returns to London, he learns that Adrian has committed suicide. He finds out from his friends that Adrian seemed happy with Veronica, but apparently rejected the gift of life. He mourns Adrian with his friends, and the group separates again. He soon meets a woman named Margaret, marries her, has a daughter, and gets divorced. This is when the book shifts to the present day. Tony is now a retired hospital library assistant when he receives a letter from the estate of Veronica’s mother, who has left him 500 pounds and two documents. The first is a letter explaining the money, and the second document wills Adrian’s diary to Tony. The diary is still with Veronica, but when he emails her to try to get the diary, she responds with the words “blood money.” She eventually sends him a page of the diary in which Adrian had been trying to turn relationships into mathematical formulas. Tony and Veronica eventually agree to a meeting.

The meeting is contentious, and Veronica gives Tony the letter he had sent them. He’s shocked in hindsight at how harsh it is, and begins to blame himself for Adrian’s death. They set up another meeting at a subway station, and Veronica shows Tony a mentally ill man who seems to know Veronica by her middle name. Tony believes that this man is Adrian and Veronica’s son; it confuses him that Adrian would commit suicide knowing he had a son. Tony emails Veronica to apologize, and Veronica tells him that he has misunderstood. He follows the young, mentally ill man to the pub, and learns that while Adrian is indeed the father, the mother was actually Veronica’s mother, and that her advanced age led to Adrian’s son’s mental illness. Tony ends the book, unnerved, and states that life is full of responsibility, but even more full of unrest.

Julian Barnes is a critically-acclaimed British novelist. In addition to The Sense of an Ending, he has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize three times, for Flaubert’s Parrot; England, England; and Arthur & George. Over a nearly forty-year career, he has written sixteen novels, three short story collections, and an array of non-fiction works ranging from memoirs to cooking journalism. In 2004 he became a Commandeur of L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He is politically active, particularly on the issue of assisted dying, and released his latest novel in 2016.

Question and Answer

Q.The Beginning of the novel. Write a critique on the beginning of the novel.

ANS.The first part begins in the 1960s with four intellectually arrogant school friends, of whom two feature in the remainder of the story: Tony, the narrator, and Adrian, the most precociously intelligent of the four.

Q.. The Title – ‘The Sense of an Ending’

 ANS.The Title of the novel The Sense of an Ending depicts ending of two lives Robson and Adrian and on the other hand it also suggests that this is an ending of journey of Tony too as he is very close to the ending of his life. Hence At last it can be clarified that the title of the novel is absolutely appropriate though it is difficult book to evaluate but up to some extent we can say that Julian Barnes has chosen relevant title. By the time one reaches the end, it is not just the novel but the title itself that inspires the reader; not just the end of a life but how a story is told.

Q.It is not about what we ‘do’, it is about how we ‘remember’ what we have done?’. Illustrate with reference to the novel ‘The Sense of an Ending’.

ANS.In Sense of an Ending The memory becomes a thing of shreds and patches. It is a bit like the black box airplanes carry to record what happens in a crash. If nothing goes wrong, the tape erases itself. Therefore, if you do crash, it is obvious why you did; if you do not, and then the log of your journey is much less clear.”Similarly Tony peep out in his past. When his own construction of memory break through just one letter, preserved by Veronica. Therefore, it is true that Tony records what happens in past but not as it happens but as he saw. Hence, his narrative may rises questions about character and their life.
What is really happened ?
Perhaps, “yes” – this is exactly What happened.
 but the way it(event) is remembered, memorized and historised  is questionable. How accurate are our memories of ourselves, of other, of event in our life?
Like Tony, we are far from perfect. We also invent convenient lies to mask uncomfortable truths. Like him we too carry the scars of our past, trying our best to forget and forgive at times others sometimes ourselves But what necessary is we too deserve to be heard and understood our remorse as we have sympathy for  Tony's Remorse.

Q. Discussion on ‘History’ in school. Write a critique on the classroom scene where teacher and students discuss ‘History’.

ANS.History:-The central theme of the novel is history and memory. the discourse on 'History' in this novel, takes a few deeper steps penetration to comes at worthier conclusion. Part two is all about documentation which prove the point of inadequacy of memory which construct History. Even Barnes recording his time's musicians and singers it is beautiful way to documentation of time.  The two definition of history which was discussed by Adrian and later on by Tony himself seems more convenient. Because, how history comes into existence ? It comes into existence only by construction of doubtful memory. “History is that certainty produced at the point where the imperfections of memory meet the inadequacies of documentation.”“History isn’t the lies of the victors, as I once glibly assured Old Joe Hunt; I know that now. It’s more the memories of the survivors, most of whom are neither victorious nor defeated.”Thus, Barnes aptly describes  the definition of history that, Self delusion of the defeated and lies Victors.