The Sense of an Ending Essay Questions

What role does time play in The Sense of an Ending?

As one of the novel's major themes, time—and the highly personal relationship each person has to it—plays an essential role in The Sense of an Ending. Barnes makes no secret of his thematic concern with the subject, having Tony directly comment on his relationship to time from the outset. While Tony speaks of how people "live in time" and that "it holds us and molds us," he nonetheless finds this crucial component of reality to be elusive. Early in his narration, Tony reflects on how time is influenced by a person's emotional state, speeding up and slowing down according to pleasure or pain. Later in the book, Tony develops these ideas further, concluding that the truer form of time is not measured objectively on clocks but is felt personally and is therefore changeable and inherently flawed. Ultimately, Tony finds personal time truer because it is the variety of time that people actually experience and can therefore come closer to understanding. For Tony, the malleable nature of time allows him to go back into his memories and fill in old time with renewed interest and emotion, a process that results in the book he is narrating and the fuller idea he has of who he is.

What is the significance of the images Tony shares at the beginning of his narration?

Without prior knowledge about the story being told, the reader does not understand the full significance of the fragmented images Tony recalls at the outset of The Sense of an Ending. However, as the book progresses, these images are surrounded with context that illuminates their meaning. For the most part, the memory fragments are from Tony's visit to Veronica's family home, his witnessing of the Severn Bore, and an image of the bathtub in which Adrian killed himself—a memory of a scene Tony admits he never actually saw. Beyond their relevance to the narrative Tony is piecing together, the list of images is significant because they introduce the major theme of memory's tendency to change. With only fragments to go on, Tony signals to the reader that he understands the memories he recalls in the story are recreated with every recollection, and are therefore unreliable. As the book goes on, Tony builds around the fragments that have stood the test of time, crafting a narrative from limited material. In this way, the fragments provide a suitable starting point for a story concerned with the way human memories are forever in flux.

What role does reticence play in The Sense of an Ending?

Reticence is a major theme in the novel. Barnes explores the theme through the behavior of several characters, most notably Adrian and Veronica. Much of Tony and his friends' curiosity about and awe of their new friend stems from his reluctance to share his thoughts and feelings directly. For example, instead of answering the boys' prying questions about his parents' divorce, Adrian says only that he loves and respects both his parents, apparently reluctant to divulge any dramatic details. Adrian's reticence contributes to his air of mystery and intelligence, provoking the other boys to seek his approval. Adrian maintains this tendency even when he attempts to explain his rationale for committing suicide in a lengthy note he wishes the newspapers to publish. Rather than communicate any direct feelings, he obscures his motivations in obscure philosophical language. Veronica is also reluctant to share openly, a tendency that leads to miscommunication between her and Tony during their relationship. Forty years later, Veronica continues to keep her feelings and thoughts hidden from Tony. Instead, she acts out with terse, cryptic statements and erratic behavior. As a result of this reticence, Tony is drawn in, becoming even more motivated to understand what she is trying to communicate to him about Adrian and his involvement with her mother. Ultimately, were she less prone to repression and avoidance, Tony would never have to go to the lengths he does to learn about Adrian and Sarah's affair. This would obviate the tension and intrigue of the novel's second half.

How does Tony's perspective change between the first and second parts of the novel?

The first half of The Sense of an Ending is set in the 1960s, when Tony is experiencing high school, university, and his formative romantic relationships. As a student, Tony is intelligent but also rebellious and lazy, seeing himself as inferior to Adrian, who wows students and teachers with complicated philosophical answers in classes. Tony's sense of inferiority is made worse when he learns Veronica is dating Adrian, having "traded up" to his "cleverest friend." Rather than respond to the situation with humility, Tony sees himself as a victim, interpreting Adrian's polite letter as a coded affront. Tony's perspective of victimhood continues well into later life, which is covered in the novel's second half. Retired and divorced, Tony lacks real intimacy with anyone, seeing his ex-wife and daughter regularly but perfunctorily. Tony's memory of his behavior in his youth is distorted by his victimhood, which prevents him from recognizing the true callousness of his letter to Adrian and Veronica. It is only once Tony understands his unwitting role in destroying Veronica's and Adrian's families that Tony develops enough humility to see himself as he really is: a person who is as prone to harm as be harmed, and who survives history "neither victorious nor defeated."

What is the significance of Tony and his friends wearing their watches on the insides of their wrists?

Early in his narration, Tony comments on how he, Alex, and Colin symbolize their bond by wearing their wristwatches turned inside out so the face is against their skin. The inversion, in its blatant illogic, defies the status quo, setting Tony and his friends apart from the mass of other students—particularly in a school where standardized uniforms prevent individualization through clothing style. This minor rebellion is, as Tony admits, an affectation designed to draw attention. At the same time, the turned-in watches make "time feel like a personal, even a secret, thing," because no one except the wearer can see the hands and face. But while the watches give Tony and his friends a sense of having their own identities, Adrian doesn't have the same yearning to belong. By seeing that his new friends are wearing their watches backward and not following suit, Adrian signals without words that he wishes to remain distinct from his friends. This minor rejection proves significant in hindsight, when Adrian betrays his loyalty to Tony by taking up with his recent ex-girlfriend.