Thinking Activity: The Sense of an Ending

                         
Thinking Activity "The Sense of an Ending" by Julian Barnes


                                             



1. How do you understand memory and history with reference to your reading of this novel.

The novel speak of the memory and history which has different parameters. The novel constructs about the memory. We keep our memories but we can not rely on that. We construct our memories through our perspective. Memory records about what happened, perhaps it is not recorded as it is. The first part is about 'imperfection of memory'. As Adrian refers to "History is that certainty produced at the point where the imperfections of memory meet the inadequacies of documentations." We can say great history to personal memory. Inadequacies of documents can not make the certain history. As in the novel Tony remembers imperfect memory in which he can not think of his deeds. History and memory are very much connected because history is the part of our memories. Tony's own tale of his student days is quite unreliable.

2) How do you understand the concept of suicide with reference to your reading of literature ranging from Renaissance play Hamlet, 20th century Existentialist philosophy and this 21st century novel The Sense of an Ending?

First novelistic suicide pattern merged in nineteenth century. Authors like Ernest Hemingway and Virginia Woolf include theme of suicide in their writing.In Shakespeare 's Hamlet Ophelia committed suicide by some particular reason. But Hamlet was mentally upset man though he does not think to like this.

If we see suicide in 20th century Existentialist philosophy, then we can recall first Waiting for Godot. It is based on Existentialism and Vladimir and Estragon wants to commit suicide but they can not do it. They have not any responsibility in life though they do not do that. They have nothing to live but they can not die also. If we see it as a philosophical way that is when people are not able to maintain that they are most psychotically vulnerable.By the reading of The Sense of An Ending, there are two people commit suicide, Robson and Adrian. Both have different reason but why Adrian committed suicide is not clearly visible. Robson escape from his responsibilities and choose to die. He has fear about lost of his morality and how society will treat him after knowing the reason. But Tony Webster has not done this because he was the reason for the damage of someone's life. While character like Adrian who think that they have enjoyed the life so far the time is coming to die and I have committed suicide.


             Thank you ........