The Sense Of Ending by Julian Barnes

The Sense Of Ending.

Author: Julian Barnes

Year Of Publication: 2011.

Type of Work: Novel.

The New Literature.

Questions and answers of novel "Sense of an Ending"

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

Ans: The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes is a difficult book to review. Although I enjoyed reading it, I still feel somewhat in the dark about certain aspects of it. It has an apt title because for days, I was trying to make sense of not only the ending but the whole book. I was pleasantly surprised when one of the readers of my blog emailed me just to discuss it.

 The phrase 'Blood Money' can have meanings like, relationship with Sarah caused Adrian's suicide. And her money is given to Tony. Their relationship damages young Adrian's life so it can be called Blood Money and Tony is cause of all damages so Veronica call his (given) money as 'Blood Money'.

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

Ans: Here, writer also play one puzzle with d reader by putting out this sum: b=s-v x/+a1 or a2+v+a1 X s=b?.

B=baby(Adrian)

S=Sarah

A=Adrian(Father)

V=veronica

Here, Adrian’s equation suggests his relation with Sarah  mother of Veronica .And, the child grown under them. And, may be that  baby is Adrian(second) abnormal.

  The equation Means b =baby or young Adrian, s = Sarah, V= Veronica, a= Adrian.

b = s – v x/+ a1 means, Young Adrian, b is a result of Sarah's relationship with Adrian (x/+) with breaking relationship with Veronica(-).

a2 + v + a1 X s = b?  a2 means Anthony ( Adrian used to address Tony as Anthony) It says relationship of Tony with Veronica, and her relationship with Adrian. And Adrian and Sarah's relationship multiplies b means gave birth to baby or young Adrian.

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

  Ans:  Adrian's diary is with Sarah. Their relationship is an effect of Tony's letter. So, she willed it to Tony. But Veronica knows all the things. even she can view that the reason of young Adrian's suffering is also three of them. The bitter and cruel letter of Tony is in the route. So, she did not want to give him diary. Because of Tony's strong affords, she started giving clues to him and want him to understand all the things. Perhaps that can be reason of her possession. 

     One thing that stood out on rereading the book is that Sarah Ford doesn't look much like Veronica. She is much taller and is facially dissimilar. She also acts differently to the rest of the Ford clan and seems to take against her own daughter.

    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?

      Ans: 

As in the novel so many things are not clear and it’s also a possible that Adrian was guilty of his seen had gone mad, and that’s why He was leaving a secret life with hiding his identity. And it seems more logical if we consider Toney’s narration and memory reliable because he says in second part that Adrian was the only friend of our group who has great control over his emotions and, he was practical in his life so he can not commit suicide just because that he made his girlfriend pregnant. Or there should be some other reason.

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

      Ans: 

If we consider Adrian who is suffering from mental trauma as Sara and Adrian’s son than veronica and Adrian are siblings .And we consider that Adrian, Toney’s friend who is suffering from mental trauma and has gone made than He can considered as step-father of Veronica.

    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?

     Ans: Smart, Intelligent, manipulative, trustworthy, stubborn at some extent and sacrificial. The novel is just like “The Birthday Party “where we are not told much about all character’s history and we are left with so many possibilities.

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

Ans: Unreliable narrator is one whose narration cannot be taken as reliable or whose narration is not faithful to reality.  we never come to know that what happened in reality. Weather that struggle of survival was of human being or of animal.

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

Ans:  the narrator is unreliable, he himself goes on telling and deconstruction his own narrated events. Another thing whatever he narrated in part one, is deconstruction and challenged in second part. So, he is unreliable. Whatever is said. is only with his point of view and even in far past, so to recall all events truly is impossible and he himself goes on telling that, memory is imperfect.

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

Ans:  It seems too much to believe that he would repress the memory of having slept with his girlfriend’s mother. He is an unreliable narrator, yes, but just how unreliable? For me, it seems more likely that Adrian is the father. But you may be right – only Julian Barnes can tell us, and he probably won’t!

Thank You....