Essay Questions

Bendrix and Sarah promote the concept of deception in Graham Greene’s “The End of the Affair.” Support this statement.

Bendrix and Sarah are both used by Graham Greene as emblems of deception in the novel. These two characters are presented as both being utterly untroubled by lying to Henry. Henry, as a result of his ignorance, is unaware of the nature of the relationship between these two characters. Bendrix says that Sara: “had a wonderful way of eliminating remorse,” an expression of her lack of displeasure or regret with regards to lying to her husband.

Additionally, Bendrix, after beginning an affair with Sarah, considers Henry a despicable individual; as such, he resents him. This particularly presents their resolution to lie to Henry as well as a justification for why they lie to him.

Graham Greene contrasts the love that Bendrix has for Sarah with the hatred that he has for her. Support this statement based on these two characters in “The End of the Affair.”

Graham presents the love between Bendrix and Sarah as unmeasurable. Even though the whole concept seems rather ironic, he contrasts the love with the hatred that the same character has for him. As a result of this, their love story is presented as one which spans both love and hate almost in equal measure.

After the affair between Sarah and Bendrix ends, he is entirely expended by the same. Additionally, Sarah, on the other hand, also says that she hates Bendrix but accepts that it is only possible if she had loved him. As a result of this kind of event in the novel, Bendrix notes that: “ hatred seems to operate the same glands as love: it even produces the same actions.”