Name: Mital Raval
Roll No: 18
M.A. SEM: 4
Batch
Year: 2016 – 2018
Enrollment No: 2069108420170026
Email
Id: ravalmital5292@gmail.com
Paper Name: The New Literature
Submitted to: Dr. Dilip
Barad
Smt. S. b. Gardi
Department of English
M .k. Bhavnagar University
Topic: Theme of the novel “The Sense of
an Ending”
Introduction
of the author:
Julian Patrick Barnes is a contemporary English writer of Postmodernism in literature. He was more famous for his prosaic style, who was born in Leister on 19 January 1946 and was educated at the city of London school and magladen college Oxford.He is the author of several books of stories, essays, and numerous novels, including Man Booker Prize wining novel “The Sense of an Ending.” It was published in 2011 and got Man Booker prize in the same year. He has also written crime fiction under the pseudonym Dan Kavanagh. In 2004 he became a Commandeur of L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. His honours also include the Somerset Maugham Award and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize. (Barnes)
Introduction of the novel:
Julian Barnes’s
2011 Booker prize winning novel “The Sense of an Ending” is a memoir which
focuses on a particular period in the life of the narrator, Tony Webster. The
Sense of an Ending is narrated by a retired man named Tony Webster, who
recalls how he and his clique met Adrian Finn at school and vowed to remain
friends for life. When the past catches up with Tony, he reflects on the paths
he and his friends have taken.Tony Webster is a Historian, in his sixties. He
was a ex-husband of Margaret and father of thirty four year old daughter Susie.
He has a peaceful life and he judge himsel “average at life; average at truth;
morally average.” This novel is devided into two part. The divisions are entitled as ,
Part
One
Part
Two
The first
part begins in the 1960s. It begins with four intellectually arrogant school
friends. We are told two friends out of four. The first one is Tony Webster who
is the narrator of the story and the second one is Adrian the most talented and
intelligent among four. When they were in the last year of the college, a boy
killed himself after getting a girl pregnant. In this part Tony’s friend also
died.
The
second part of the novel is in the present tense. In this part Tony speak about his current life as a
retired hospital library assistant. In this part character are more grown than
frist part. At the end of this part the secret of the chlid was reveal. Tony realize that, that
child was not not Adrian and Veronica but he was child of Adrian and Sarah
Ford. (Blackman)
Here issummary video of the novel.
Here issummary video of the novel.
Title of the novel:
The title “The Sense of an Ending” is
borrowed from a same name text by Frank Kermode. It was frist published
in 1967 and subtitle of this book is ‘Studies in the theory of fiction’
the stated aim of which is ‘marking sense of our lives. The title of the novel
depicts ending of two lives one of them Robson and another Adrian.
On the other hand title also suggests that this is the ending of joury of Tony
too as he is very close to ending of his life. Hence at the last it can be
clarified that the title of the novel is absolutely appropriate through it is
difficult book to evaluate but up to some extent we can say that julian Barnes
has chosen relevant title of the present nove. (Bhammar)
Theme of the novel The Sense of Ending:
In the novel
“sense of an Ending “ there are six major theme and that are,
ØWeakness of memory
Ø
History
Ø
Eros and Thanatos
Ø
Existentialism
Ø
Suicied or Death
Ø
Class Conflict
Let’s us
we illustate these all theme one by one.
Weakness of memory:
The central theme of the novel is
weakness of memory. Through the narrative of Tony Webster and his search for
reason of Adrian’s death tries to justify one thing that is imperfection of
memory, how our partial memory mislead us! Throughout the novel, writer tries
to prove human memory and how it creates assumption on human mind.
As ‘The Sense of an Ending’ is
memory novel, narrative also tries to give effect of fragmented memory. This
novel is narrated by Tony Webster who is
in his age of sixty. He tells us his school day’s insident so it is difficult
to recall all the events of childhood same way old age is the age when memory
gets faded, Weak or lighter. A person doesn’t remember all the events in
detail. At the begning of the novel Tony say’s that, “I remember, in no
particular order”. This sentnce of Tony Webster suggeste that his mamory
became fragmented that’s why he not remamber in perticular event. Julian Barnes
also say’s that,
“When you are in your twenties you can remember your short
life in its entirety. Later, memory becomes a thing of shreds and patches.”
(Jadeja)
In the first part Tony tells his story of
schooldays, all the events are in order and narrative has particular flow. But
at the end of the first part narrative moves faster like “Time passes” section
of ‘To the Lighthouse’. In only a paragraph the narrator tells about his
marriage and divorce with Margaret, story of 40 years is told in some lines
only. And the second part moves so slowly that, events are some but covers half
novel.
“Well, in
one sense, I can’t know what it is that I don’t know. That’s philosophically
Self-evident.”
Adrian’s this sentence is heart of the novel. Because of imperfection and weakness of memory, we cannot reach to reality as we have an assumption that whatever our memory suggests is only reality. Tony did not get sense about many things, about young Adrian; because his memory tells him one thing that Adrian has relationship with Veronica. Having this memory, he is in assumption that, young Adrian may is Veronica and Adrian’s son. He even doesn’t know what he doesn’t know, means he cannot bring himself out of his memory and cannot have view that, perhaps Adrian had relationship with other. So, he cannot even guess that, Adrian was in love with Mrs. Sarah Ford!
Adrian’s this sentence is heart of the novel. Because of imperfection and weakness of memory, we cannot reach to reality as we have an assumption that whatever our memory suggests is only reality. Tony did not get sense about many things, about young Adrian; because his memory tells him one thing that Adrian has relationship with Veronica. Having this memory, he is in assumption that, young Adrian may is Veronica and Adrian’s son. He even doesn’t know what he doesn’t know, means he cannot bring himself out of his memory and cannot have view that, perhaps Adrian had relationship with other. So, he cannot even guess that, Adrian was in love with Mrs. Sarah Ford!
History
With criticising
memory, the novel also questions history. One of the central ideas the novel
pointed is unreliability of history. “History is that certainty produced at
the point where the imperfections of memory meet the inadequacies of
documentation.” It clearly says that what we believe history as truth is
unreliable. If human memory is partial than one cannot rely history or
documentation done by man with his partial memory. With history classes of Old
Joe Hunt, novel tries to develop this idea. The discussion about causes of
world war, history is questioned. Adrian with example of Robson, very
beautifully describes history as unreliable and not truth. Many ways novel
tries to deconstruct given history. It has some very good lines about history.
The novel also focuses on objectiveness of historian. Because, one cannot be
objective, as he cannot come out from his personal assumptions and cast of mind
though he want to be. Even he cannot know what he doesn’t know. So, what the
historian describes is according to his partial memory, imperfect knowledge and
personal perceptions.
Eros and Thanatos
Eros and Thanatos means “Sex and
Death”. Freued identifies two drives that arte Eros and Thanatos. That both
coincide and conflict within the individual and among individuals. Eros is the
drive of the life, love, creativity and sexuality, self satisfaction and
species preservation. Thanatos is Greek word,
it means death. It is the drives of aggression, sadism, destruction,
violence and death. From the
very beginning of the novel, the idea is established through the English class
of Phil Dixon. Even suicide of the student-Robson is put appropriately. Because
of having sexual relationship with girl, he has to commit suicide. “Thanatos weans again” Adrian spoke
about Robson’s case. But how it will turn in reality in Adrian’s life also.
Adrian who is more intelligent, mature, serious, philosopher became victim of
the same thing and in his case also Thanatos weans. His sexual relation with a
woman who is almost as old as his mother becomes reason of his suicide. So this
theme ran simultaneously in the case of Robson and Adrian.
Existentialism:
With Adrian’s philosophical ideas,
the novel represents existentialist ideas. The well- known ideas of Albert Camus
are shown in the novel. As Camus says, suicide was the only true philosophical
question… Adrian, as existentialist, commits suicide in very young age. Even
his way of killing himself is very significant in philosophical sense. He did
not kill himself with out of mind but at very conscious mental state, he
planned and performed. Some existentialist ideas, the novel presents are as
following…
“He had
explained his reasoning: that life is a gift bestowed without anyone asking for
it; that the thinking person has a philosophical duty to examine both the
nature of life and the conditions it comes with; and that if this person
decides to renounce the gift no one asks for, it is a moral and human duty to
act on the consequences of that decision.”
Suicide
Man, who is an intellectual person thinks of
suicide due to his own philosophical thinking. We find many famous people all
over the world end their life in suicide. In this novel a young boy called
Robson commits suicide in the school. After few years Adrian kills himself. The
reason of Adrian’s death is not known. Adrian’s death lead the narrator to mine
his past. But Tony’s memory, the way it is revealed doesn’t solve the mystery.
There are many clues that helps us to conclude but doesn’t lead to on
conclusion. Many questions are unanswered behind the second suicide whereas the
first suicide was committed after making a girl pregnant. Adrian Was an
intellectual genius who went to one of the best universities. He dated his
friends ex-girl friend Veronica but his diary was with her mother and the
documents sent by Sarah to Tony said that he was very happy in his last days.
Also Jr. Adrian, a mentally retarded person, who resembled Adrian’s appearance
was taken care by Veronica. Jr. Adrian was her brother. Thus, the clues lead us
to think about Adrian-Sarah relationship which might be one of the reason’s of
Adrian’s suicide.
Class conflict
Class conflict was another important
theme in this novel. This theme come in the novel through the character of
Veronica and Tony Wester. Adrian was smarter than Tony. Veronica was an awkward
girl. She was a misfit in her family. She was self-conscious to dance in
public. She felt humiliated. Tony once spent a weekend at Veronica’s family
home. At the time he had felt uncomfortable, Socially inferior, and he was
hardly surprised when the enigmatic Veronica took up with more prestigious
Adrian. She was class conscious. She choose the better option. This way class
conflict is also one of the themes in The Sense of an Ending.
Thank you...
Thank you...
Works Cited
Barnes,
Julian. Julian Barnes. n.d. 06 March 2018.
<http://www.julianbarnes.com/index.html>.
Bhammar, Bharat. The
Sense of an Ending:Title. 7 March 2015.
<http://bharatbhammar051314.blogspot.in/2015/03/the-sense-of-endingtitle.html>.
Blackman, Andrew. The
Sense of an Ending, explained. o2 May 2012. 08 March 2018.
<http://andrewblackman.net/2012/05/the-sense-of-an-ending-explained/>.
Jadeja, Kashmiraba.
The Major Themes in 'The Sense of an Ending. 20 March 2014. 08 March
2018.
<http://kashmirabajadeja152013.blogspot.in/2014/03/the-major-themes-in-sense-of-anending.html>.
