This is included under Sem.4-New Literature task reply which given by Prof./H.O.D. Dr.Dilip Barad sir in Department of English M.K.Bhavnagar University. Know more...
My Reply:
‘The Sense of an Ending’ is published in 2011 which written by British Author Julian Barnes. The novel is divided into two parts, both of which are narrated by Tony Webster when he is retired and living alone. It is very similar with ‘To the Lighthouse’ by Virginia Woolf through narrative technique like ‘Stream of Consciousness’ Antony(Tony) Webster has looked constantly to the past younger days. The whole story is narrated to past life of Tony himself.So his nostalgic desire is leading to him toward school days for read a mind of his friends. Here, we are not sure that how one human being remembered his/her earlier days clearly in mind like flashback? It is the ‘Ambiguty’ of this story and we can say that ‘Exaggeration’ of Tony Webster toward his past. It is the Postmodernist writing, so our (readers’) role becomes major to thinking more beyond its capacity while we read to it. Here, I discuss some question which you ask in this task and further points which you discuss in the session.
1.What does Veronica meant by saying “Blood Money”?
The phrase ‘Blood Money’ said by Veronica, when Adrian informs Veronica that her mother has left 500 dollars for him, it should be approprite reasons like:
A) The first reason should be that she may be thinks that her mother Sarah is responsible for young Adrian’s suicide as he felt guilty for his seen of relationship with his own girlfriend’s mother and made her pregnant.
B) The Second reason should be that Veronica thinks about Tony Webster because he responsible for Adrian’s suicide. If Tony would have not written letter to Adrian and if Adrian would have not meet Veronica’s mother Sarah and would have not broken up with her and have not fallen in love with Sarah. He feels guilty for that matter and commits suicide.
C)Third reason should be that the last letter by Tom Webster to him in which frustrated Tony cursed Adrian and Veronica Left him and Adrian has start dating his own girlfriend, because of that curse he might have felt guilty and commit suicide. So it should be consider as ‘Murder’.
So that Veronica should be thinks that Sarah and Tom Webster are responsible for Adrian’s suicide, she calls that Money to “BloodMoney.”
2. How do You decipher the equation: b=s-v x/+a1 or a2+v+a1 X s=b?
A)b=s -v x/ + a1
Ans: S (Sarah), V (Veronica), a1 (Adrian), b (Baby)
Sarah who has negative relationship and bonding with her own daughter leads her to have healthy and more passionate relationship leads to the formation of Baby.
B)a2 + v + a1Xs = b?
Ans: a2 (Antony Webster), V (Veronica), a1 (Adrian), S (Sarah), b (Baby)
Antony Webster who has a meanful relation leads Veronica to break up with him and to date his friend Adrian, and it indirectly leads Adrian to date with Veronica’s mother Sarah and at late it leads to formation of Baby.
Adrian’s diary is willed to Tony by Sarah Ford. How come Sarah Ford owned it? Why was it in the possession of Veronica?
It is clear in his last days Adrian was more close to Sarah, as she herself says that
“Adrian was happy in his last days”
it shows that Adrian was happy with Sarah, and she was with Adrian in those days. As Adrian and Sarah were in relation than it’s obvious that Sarah should have Adrian’s Diary. So until her Death Diary was in her possession and in her will she passed that Diary to Tony but Veronica was reluctant to hand it over to Tony.
4.How was Veronica related to Adrian, the one suffering in care-in-the-community?
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, Tony’s friend who is suffering from mental trauma and has gone made than He can considered as step-father of Veronica.
5.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?
The whole novel is dependent on possibilities, there so many things that are not clear for instance we are not told that how and where Veronica and Adrian met? What Sara told to Adrian that he immediately ends his relation with Veronica? What were the reasons that Sarah did not pay much attention to his husband? Why she kept herself busy in search of other man? Why she felt jealousy from Veronica? 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.
Here, I want to add some other matter’s of the novel which also helps to understand the postmodernist writing of the writer:
Fruitcake- a Symbol:
In the novel, fruitcake regards as vital element from the novel. It concern that somebody who is irrational.
Thanatos:
Thanatos means personification of death. It concern with Greek mythology, the personification of NYX, goddess of night, Roman equivalent. It is second meaning that death instinct, the universal death instinct theorized by Freud. In this novel, we can two characters whose committed suicide, Robson and Adrian. These two characters way to suicide regards under Thanatos. Last moment of Tony Webster’s life also regards under Thanatos.
Eros:
It means psychoanalysis instinct for self-perservation and er-ossexual love. Eros drive to us work hard. Our illusion is truth. Tony Webster’s illusion towards his past concerns Eros. .So, Tony’s past memory has unreliable.
So at last, I want to say that ‘Sense of an ending’ is the example of past history of Tony Webster’s life. It is the illusion that what he thinks about his past and what matters which was in reality. It has the Eros of Tony Webster which turning to novel under deconstruction.
My Reply:
‘The Sense of an Ending’ is published in 2011 which written by British Author Julian Barnes. The novel is divided into two parts, both of which are narrated by Tony Webster when he is retired and living alone. It is very similar with ‘To the Lighthouse’ by Virginia Woolf through narrative technique like ‘Stream of Consciousness’ Antony(Tony) Webster has looked constantly to the past younger days. The whole story is narrated to past life of Tony himself.So his nostalgic desire is leading to him toward school days for read a mind of his friends. Here, we are not sure that how one human being remembered his/her earlier days clearly in mind like flashback? It is the ‘Ambiguty’ of this story and we can say that ‘Exaggeration’ of Tony Webster toward his past. It is the Postmodernist writing, so our (readers’) role becomes major to thinking more beyond its capacity while we read to it. Here, I discuss some question which you ask in this task and further points which you discuss in the session.
1.What does Veronica meant by saying “Blood Money”?
The phrase ‘Blood Money’ said by Veronica, when Adrian informs Veronica that her mother has left 500 dollars for him, it should be approprite reasons like:
A) The first reason should be that she may be thinks that her mother Sarah is responsible for young Adrian’s suicide as he felt guilty for his seen of relationship with his own girlfriend’s mother and made her pregnant.
B) The Second reason should be that Veronica thinks about Tony Webster because he responsible for Adrian’s suicide. If Tony would have not written letter to Adrian and if Adrian would have not meet Veronica’s mother Sarah and would have not broken up with her and have not fallen in love with Sarah. He feels guilty for that matter and commits suicide.
C)Third reason should be that the last letter by Tom Webster to him in which frustrated Tony cursed Adrian and Veronica Left him and Adrian has start dating his own girlfriend, because of that curse he might have felt guilty and commit suicide. So it should be consider as ‘Murder’.
So that Veronica should be thinks that Sarah and Tom Webster are responsible for Adrian’s suicide, she calls that Money to “BloodMoney.”
2. How do You decipher the equation: b=s-v x/+a1 or a2+v+a1 X s=b?
A)b=s -v x/ + a1
Ans: S (Sarah), V (Veronica), a1 (Adrian), b (Baby)
Sarah who has negative relationship and bonding with her own daughter leads her to have healthy and more passionate relationship leads to the formation of Baby.
B)a2 + v + a1Xs = b?
Ans: a2 (Antony Webster), V (Veronica), a1 (Adrian), S (Sarah), b (Baby)
Antony Webster who has a meanful relation leads Veronica to break up with him and to date his friend Adrian, and it indirectly leads Adrian to date with Veronica’s mother Sarah and at late it leads to formation of Baby.
Adrian’s diary is willed to Tony by Sarah Ford. How come Sarah Ford owned it? Why was it in the possession of Veronica?
It is clear in his last days Adrian was more close to Sarah, as she herself says that
“Adrian was happy in his last days”
it shows that Adrian was happy with Sarah, and she was with Adrian in those days. As Adrian and Sarah were in relation than it’s obvious that Sarah should have Adrian’s Diary. So until her Death Diary was in her possession and in her will she passed that Diary to Tony but Veronica was reluctant to hand it over to Tony.
4.How was Veronica related to Adrian, the one suffering in care-in-the-community?
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, Tony’s friend who is suffering from mental trauma and has gone made than He can considered as step-father of Veronica.
5.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?
The whole novel is dependent on possibilities, there so many things that are not clear for instance we are not told that how and where Veronica and Adrian met? What Sara told to Adrian that he immediately ends his relation with Veronica? What were the reasons that Sarah did not pay much attention to his husband? Why she kept herself busy in search of other man? Why she felt jealousy from Veronica? 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.
Here, I want to add some other matter’s of the novel which also helps to understand the postmodernist writing of the writer:
Fruitcake- a Symbol:
In the novel, fruitcake regards as vital element from the novel. It concern that somebody who is irrational.
Thanatos:
Thanatos means personification of death. It concern with Greek mythology, the personification of NYX, goddess of night, Roman equivalent. It is second meaning that death instinct, the universal death instinct theorized by Freud. In this novel, we can two characters whose committed suicide, Robson and Adrian. These two characters way to suicide regards under Thanatos. Last moment of Tony Webster’s life also regards under Thanatos.
Eros:
It means psychoanalysis instinct for self-perservation and er-ossexual love. Eros drive to us work hard. Our illusion is truth. Tony Webster’s illusion towards his past concerns Eros. .So, Tony’s past memory has unreliable.
So at last, I want to say that ‘Sense of an ending’ is the example of past history of Tony Webster’s life. It is the illusion that what he thinks about his past and what matters which was in reality. It has the Eros of Tony Webster which turning to novel under deconstruction.
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