Sense of an Ending is a very short novel by Julian Barnes. ‘Ending’- Actually there is no Ending but to a certain extent there will be always a beginning in the Ending (I believe so). like other novels this novel has a story, a story which is based on someone’s memory, story of entangled relations, story about growing characters, a story about human psychology, how human being fabricate their own memory to console themselves. The story seems very easy but it is difficult to understand. There are many references about history and literature and one has to have knowledge about it or else he/she will close the book after reading about it.
There are some debatable questions after reading this novel, let us discuss:
What is the meaning of phrase ‘Blood Money’ in Veronica’s reply email?
Sarah Ford (Mother of veronica) left 500 dollars to Tony Webster (narrator and Protagonist) after her death. Veronica sent a mail to Tony Webster in which she has written only one word ‘Blood Money’.
There is a chain of cause and effect. Every action has reaction, Tony and veronica were in Romantic relation but after their break up veronica came in relation with Tony’s friend Adrian Finn. Adrian told about this in his letter to Tony and asked about Veronica. Tony was offended somewhere with this and portrayed veronica in wrong way and asked him to meet her mother Sarah Ford, this meeting between Adrian Finn and Sarah Ford leads them to fell in love with each other. Adrian Commits Suicide after Sarah Ford Got Pregnant. Sarah Ford believes that it is Tony because of whom Adrian came in her life,, she was happy with this relation and that is why she gave this money to him, but Veronica believes that somewhere Tony is responsible for all this, and this is the reason she wrote ‘Blood Money’.
How do you decipher the equation: b = s – v x/+ a1 or a2 + v + a1 X s = b?
Adrian Finn Wrote this equation is his Suicide note, we are not told the meaning, it is up to us that how we interpret this, As story says this could be solved like this:
a1 or a2 + v + a1 X s = b
A1= Adrian Finn
A2=Tony Webster
V= Veronica
S= Sarah Ford
B= Baby (J. Adrian)
Adrian’s diary is willed to Tony by Sarah Ford. Why did Sarah Ford own it? Why was it in the possession of Veronica?
Sarah owned the dairy of Adrian Finn because they were in relation and Veronica got this dairy because she was living with her and that could be reason that the dairy was in possession of her.
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?
Mentally retarded middle aged ‘Adrian’ is in actual sense son of Adrian Finn and Sarah Ford and Brother of Veronica. If he was alive then Sarah would know it, but there is no such statement by Sarah. There is no such possibility because he committed suicide in his very consciousness which can be proved through his suicide note.
How was Veronica related to Adrian, the one suffering in care-in-the-community?
There are two different shades of veronica we see within one novel. First is shown by Tony, but the real side of veronica we come to know in the end. She got nothing in the end, she did the real sacrifice. Her boyfriend turn toward her mother and now she is raising her brother; the son by her boyfriend and mother. For the sake of humanity she is taking care of her brother, J.Adrain got guardian but Veronica had no one left behind her to see her condition.
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?
Yes there are many missing blocks which lefts the reader in ambiguity. Why Adrian did suicide? There is no such specific reason. Why Adrian would have took permission of Tony to ask for Veronica because there is no such need to do that. Why Sarah Ford is Veronica had no Good relations. Why Sarah Ford was so selfish that she ruined her daughter’s life.
Do you see any possible reason in the suicide of Adrian Finn?
Well if we see the story, Adrian’s suicide seems very Intellectual one. Which he confessed in his suicide note. He said that he was happy in his last days. He was bright student, who have seen his life in philosophical way. But some where he was escapist because he was the father of J. Adrian and he could have raised him as his son but he escaped from his responsibility by committing suicide, May be he was guilty for having relation with Sarah Ford , we don’t find any specific reason.
In the light of new revelations, how do you read character of Veronica? Instinctive, manipulative, calculating, stubborn, haughty, sacrificial, trustworthy, good Samaritan?
If we study each and every Character of the novel then veronica seems more practical and clever. In starting of the novel she was portrayed manipulative, stubborn instinctive but afterward we come to know that she has sacrificed her life behind someone else’s deed. She was time and again blamed by Tony and betrayed by her own mother and Boyfriend. She is raising her mentally retarded brother, who is the son of her boyfriend and mother, how pitiful! She doesn’t deserve this but then also she is taking burden of other’s wrong deed.
What do you mean by Unreliable Narrator? Is Tony Webster classifiable as Unreliable Narrator?
Tony is unreliable Narrator, within the text he breaks down; letter which he wrote to Adrian and Veronica is evidence of it, which reveal what actually was written in letter. When veronica returns that Letter back in the End.
Thank you
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