The Chain of the Responsibility in the novel 'The Sense of an Ending'.
MAHARAJAKRISHNAKUMARSINHJI
BHAVNAGAR
UNIVERSITY, BHAVNAGAR
Smt.
S. B. GARDI DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
Name
: Bhumi Vinodbhai Joshi
Sem
: 4
Roll
No : 2
PG
Enrollment no : PG14101020
Email
Id: bhumivjoshi108@gmail.com
Paper
No : 13 The New Literature
Assignment Sub:
'Chain
of responsibility in the novel -' The Sense of an Ending'.
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v Preface
:
'The Sense
of an Ending' as known as Memory novel and Psychological thriller which is
written by Julian Patrick Barnes. He deals with many
philosophical and psychological aspect
in his novel. The Sense of an Ending' is the story of one man coming to terms
with the mutable past. Laced with trademark precision, dexterity and insight,
it is the work of one of the world's most distinguished writers.
Julian Patrick Barnes is a contemporary English writer
who deals with postmodernist narration
in his text. He has been shortlisted three times for the
Man Booker Prize--- Flaubert's Parrot (1984), England, England (1998), and
Arthur & George (2005), and won the prize for The Sense of an Ending
(2011). He has written crime fiction under the pseudonym Dan Kavanagh.
The
great Psychological Thriller and Memory novel - I was ever read. The way novel 'The
Sense of an Ending' begins the same way novel ends. Unrest , the great
Unrest , Chain of responsibility and so on...... How part is terrified and
unpredictable which keep readers interest till the last page. Gradually ,
things are revealed and then even reader can't understand properly what is
happing , or what will happen next. such kind of literature is not for
aesthetic delight or entertainment. It gives much unrest to mind. Story of the novel depends on two words "Now and Then"
means "Present and Past." Writer Julian Barnes allows
audiences to laugh to convey the hard and harsh reality of life adding some
trivia in his narration . Novel is divided into two parts : First part
deals (1.) Imperfection of Memory and
second part (2.) Inadequacy of
Documentation
both are the most
important in our life. How trivial things becomes more important in the novel
with postmodern narrative. Much appealing to read this novel because it's all
about human relationship, love and death. we
have to accumulate in life from
the both side. It must be counted whatever it is failure or loss and gaining.
Psychological aspect Eros and Thanatos
is the central aspect to understand the thing.
It's all about Memory. Tony Webster tells the story to
reader from his memory. Whole life depends
on memory and documentation. We are addicted to live life with our pathetic memory power
and we think that we are happy. This the
universal aspect which is reflected in the novel by writer that..............
"Life
always end up with Contentment rather than Happiness."
v How part is much appealing and important
in the novel :
Novel divided into 2 parts . First is dealt with 'Memory
- Imperfectly' recorded by Tony Webster
and second is all about 'Inadequacy of Documentation in form of 'not preserved
letters', a page from Diary with incomplete sentence. Tony Webster
has only impression of his memory . He
is solitary, retired, and peaceable person now, who revisits his school
days or past with the journey of
memory. Adrian Finn, Veronica, Robson, Sarah Ford, Jack these are some important characters in
the novel. So, past is reconstructed or
readjusted with present time with Tony's
perspective. Tony has everything in his
life like comfort retirement ,
marriage, children or we may say that well settle life. Then question arise Why
at the sense of his end he thinks about
his past? Why ? Is there any purpose ?
Why he recalls everything in his 60s?
It is said that at the old age people have their own
memory and they want to live their younger days or look back how many things
are left behind by them or how many compromises were done by them. The same things happen with Tony.
"The
Purpose of life is to reconcile us to its eventual loss."
How all layers of story is uncovered with 'Psycho Thriller' that
is more significant in the novel. Because in both parts we have same story but
first one is with 'Impression of Memory' and 'Second one is with 'Inadequacy of
Documentation'. How things moves with unrest, great unrest that is the essential to know in the text.
Because, in the part of the novel we come across to anecdotes which is told by
Tony Webster through his memory because with the time events are turned into anecdotes.
and later on we come across to event
with documentation of Tony's letter which can't be denied by Tony himself.
"You
don't get it. You never did," Veronica tells this Tony repeatedly throughout in the novel
and how reader read this
statement about Tony and somehow this statement construct our mind because reader also don't know what
he doesn't know. Till the last page , reader has to wait
to know about Unrest, Great Unrest and Chain of Responsibility......
·
Various important points of the Novel:
Various definitions of
history
Robson's Suicide
Break up between Tony
Webster and Veronica Ford
Relations of Veronica
and Adrian Finn
Role of Ford's Family
(Sarah Ford and his family)
Adrian's Suicide
Chain of Responsibility
v Role
of Individual :
Roles and
responsibilities have a noteworthy impact on the quality of life. Each has its
role and has different responsibilities attached to it
and this is where the differences between role and responsibility get
highlighted. Individual can be free but can't be free to do things whatever
she/he wants to do. one's lives depends on others or one's decision affects to
other's life. Human being can't consider much important to play individual role
in the society and that's why they don't know How others are suffered from
individual's behavior and decision.
"A Chain of individual reliabilities,
all of which were necessary , but not so long a chain that everybody can simply
blame everyone else." (Sense
of an ending)
As Tony Webster's individual
decision affects so many lives. Because of his sudden decision writing letter to his friend Adrian under his
agony and disgust of that particular
moment. But, Tony Webster don't know what was happened by him until he didn't revisited
his memory. So, Individual plays very vital role in the society. Though
we think that we all are individual , we all are not free because with our
lives some other lives are connected and
can't do whatever we want to do. We have no right to damage other or harm them or giving suffering
throughout their life. As Tony Webster does unknowingly. Though society is made up through
individual everybody can't be followed their own principles and not free to do
whatever they want to do.
How readers come across
the reality at the ending of the novel "Sense of Ending"? Why Adrian
committed suicide ? Why Sarah ford gives money to Tony which is known as 'Blood
Money' ? Why Tony thinks that Veronica behaves rudely with him? Why all such things are happened and affect
to everybody ? Is there anyone who is responsible ? Why Tony
is shocked ? Why Tony thinks that he is damaged by others ? Why Tony can't
understand anything ? So many questions
are there to discuss because mind is disturbed. Let's discuss it in detail.
How things can't be done in isolation , the same way
Human being can't be lived in isolation because any action can be affected to
others. We are habituated to live with pathetic memory and we never understand
the role of memory in our life until something wrong can't be happened in
life. Tony Webster feels that he is
damaged and suffered because of others
in his life but he never thinks about other how he damages other's life yet he don't know about their pain and
suffering.
Is there anything like responsibility ? If readers say
that Veronica and 40 years old Adrian suffered from the damage then who did
that permanent damage ? Why they suffer throughout their life? Do they wrong
things in their life? Who is responsible
for all? How this things started, from which center?
Let's try to discuss
first about responsibility and then with
evidences of novel from where we can find some important evidence to find chain
of responsibility.
v What is Responsibility ?
Responsibility is a state of consciousness, a feeling of duty towards
society and oneself, an awareness of the purpose of the actions performed,
their consequences for a certain social group, class, party, collective and
oneself. Responsibility is society's necessary means of controlling the
behavior of the individual through his consciousness. Responsibility expresses
society's specific demand on the individual in the form of duty. Responsibility is not only a moral category, but also a psychological,
legal and socio-political one. (Destiny , Freedom Responsibility)
Tony Webster important character to know about this chain
of responsibility. Because throughout his life he thinks that he is damaged by others
and he is more suffering than others. And has an instinct for survival. But
does it really happens ? Is it the
reality ? Why individual can't think
about others? Why he
becomes more self preserver? Tony tells
the story to us putting his self in center and he gets sympathy from everybody.
But does he really deserve the sympathy
? What does he mean when by 'damage'?
The word
damage has deeper connotative meaning here. Tony said that "I certainly believe we all are suffer damage, one way or
another." (Sense of an ending) How
we react to damage, whether we admit it or repress it, and how this affect our
dealings with other some admit the damage, and try to mitigate it. Some spend
their lives trying to help others who are damaged, and then there are those
main concerns to be avoid further damage to themselves, at whatever coast.
v Adrian's suicide note :
Adrian's suicide note gives deep
philosophical concern about the concept of Eros and Thanatos .
"
Life is a gift bestowed without anyone asking for it, that the thinking person
has a philosophical duty to examine both the nature of life and the conditions
it comes with; and that if this person decides to renounce the gift no one ask
for , it is a moral and human duty to act on the consequences of that decision."
Tony himself surprises when he gets
money from Veronica's mother - Sarah Ford. He can't understand the thing
properly. Tony Webster wants Dairy Of Adrian but Veronica refuses to give it to
him. Veronica sends him only single page of diary to Tony but Tony can't understand the write up
which is written in Diary. Tony don't understands sense of that letter.
v Some
important points from Adrian's dairy :
- "5.4 The question of accumulation. If life is a wager, what from does the beat take?
- 5.5 So a) To what extent might human relationships be expressed in a mathematical or logical formula? And b) If So, What signs might be placed between the integer? Do they not require to be expressed in notations which are logically improbable and mathematically insoluble?
- 5.6 Thus how might you express an accumulation containing the integers b, a1, a2, S, V ? b = s – vx + a1 or a2 + v + a1 x s = b?
page ends with 'If
Tony.................'
One day He gets letter from Veronica
which was written by himself to his
friend Adrian for giving warning about Veronica. He himself surprises to see letter and can't believe but he also can't be
denied because letter is written by him and handwritings are proof. That time
he thinks how often do we adjust , embellish , make cuts? And longer life goes
on, the fewer are those around to
challenge our account, to remind us that our life is not our life, merely the
story we have told about our life. Told
- to others , but-mainly -to ourselves.(Sense of an Ending)
· Just look at the some part of letter
written by Tony :
" Dear Adrian - or rather. Dear
Adrian and Veronica
(hello, Bitch , and welcome to this
letter)
Well you certainly deserve one another
and I wish you much joy. I hope you get so involved that the mutual damage will
be permanent. I hope you regrets the day I introduced you. And I hope that when
you break up , as you inevitably will -I give you six months, which your shared
pride will extend to a year, all the better for fucking you up, says I - You
are left with lifetime of bittemess that will poison your subsequent
relationships. Part of me hopes you'll have a child, because I'm great believer
of in time's revenge, yea unto the next generation and the next. See
Great Art But revenge must be on the right people, i.e you two. So I don't wish
you that it would be unjust to inflict on some innocent foetus the prospect of
discovering that it was the fruit of your loins, if you'll excuses the
poeticism so keep rolling the Durex on
to his spindly cock.
Adrian : You already know she's
cockteaser, of course-though I expect you told yourself she was engaged in a
struggle with her Principles, Which you as a philosopher would employ your grey
cells to help her overcome. If she hasn't
let you Go All The Way yet, I suggest you break up with her.
She is also a snob, as you must be aware , who only took
up with you because you were soon to have BA Cantab after your name. remember
how much you despised Brother Jack and his posh friends? Is that who you want
to run with now? But don't forget give her time, and she'll look down on you
just as she looks down on me. I can't do anything to you now, but time can.
Time will tell. It always does.
Compliments of the season to you,
and may the acid rain fall on your joint and anointed heads."
As we
above discuss what is responsibility and how it deals with life, here we discuss how the chain of responsibility plays vital role
in the novel.
The argument in both the beginning
and end of the book,” said Barnes, “is about where responsibility lies. And to
what extent something like a suicide is entirely the responsibility of the
person who has done it, or is there a whole chain of responsibility. And there
usually is. ( The Sense of an Ending).
Ø
Let's discuss the whole chain of responsibility.
After
reading the letter which is written by him he gets disturb. He can't able to believe
that such things were written by him. To reduces his pain he finds Whisky. He
says that " I had been its author then, but was not its author now. Indeed,
I didn't recognise that part of myself from
which the letter came. But perhaps this was simply further
self-deception."
After
reading his own letter , Tony thinks about himself how selfish he was! How - what -he had been : chippy, jealous and
malign. Also about his attempt to undermine their relationship. In real life we
can't develop as characters develop in novel.
"
Ignorance is bliss"
that is the great relief to live life happily
and Tony goes on living because he forgets his past own letter and what had been written by him in
his past but now, he is suffering , he has agony of his own action.
Now, Tony Webster tries to understand the question of accumulation
which is written in Adrian's dairy. People generally accumulate their winnings but do they loses ? Here perhaps rules are
different because here, the accumulations must be counted both side but things
are related with 'Human relationships'.
Now, Tony thinks that he clearly understand the equation
which is written by Adrian in his dairy. He connects the dots of the past with
present and also remembers the definition of history with connection of his own
personal life. He writes the letter to Veronica and says that he knows everything
but still it is the illusion of Tony Webster and once again feels the
humiliation from the statement of
Veronica that " You just
don't get it, do you? You never did, and You never will."
Tony Webster don't know what Veronica wanted to show him in group though
he is minute observer he can't get the point. When readers read this part to go
particular places and come back without any kind of motifs of Tony, readers
feel the disturbance. It seems like......................................................
'Time forgets to move.'
Much irritation and agony are existed in that narration.
And Tony can't understand thing properly and readers can't understand what Tony
is not able to understand.
"This was Adrian's Son. I didn't need a
birth certificates or DNA test - I saw it and I felt it."
His first reaction
is that he remembered his words through which he addressed Veronica "It's
just a question of whether you can get pregnant before he discovers you're a
bore." "When I am trying to damage them I had written that I'm
great believer of in time's revenge, But revenge must be on the right people,
i.e you two."
Tony Webster feels remorse , much suffering and then says
that "Of Course I didn't believe in
cruse. But Time's revenge on innocent
foetus." He thinks the
reason behind Adrian's Child condition that Perhaps the trauma of Adrian's
suicide had affected the child in her
(Veronica's) womb. Such child needs special treatment , special cares and
special school. And he thinks that he is suffering from the great damage by
Veronica and others.
He connects
the reason of suicide his philosopher friend Adrian that......
"Any
responsible , thinking individual should have the right to reject this gift
that had never asked for."
People who compromises a lot in life
they live a longer life like Tony. The final assertion of individuality against generality
that oppresses it . Tony changes his
perspective to see persons and things. Now, he also respects Robson's girlfriend.
Why ? He changes the perspective and thinks from her side. That is taught to him by time and experience of his life. Life
is only one way track one can't travel the same again. We can't change the past
which is already lived as Tony Can't. What Tony can do ? Remorse only, Nothing
else.
Readers can't understand what exactly going on. Tony says
that he understands everything and Veronica still refuses saying that....." You still
don't get it. You never did, and You never will. So stop even trying." Still thriller
remaining in the novel with such sentence What it is which is not revealed yet
?
When Tony knows the reality he gets shocks as well as
readers also that "Mary isn't his mother. Mary's sister.
Adrian's mother died about six months ago. He took it very badly. That's why he's
been.......having problems lately."
And Tony gets sticks what is the
actual meaning of Adrian's equation and accumulation talk of human relationship
in his diary. Now for Tony it is clear how might express an
accumulation containing the integers and formula b, a1,
a2, S, V ? b = s – vx +
a1 or a2 +
v + a1 x s = b?
Letter stands for :
B = Baby, a1
= Adrian, a2 = Anthony , S = Sarah , V= Veronica.
Adrian’s
strange formulas now suddenly make sense. b = s – vx +
a1 The first formula doesn't give space to Tony, and it gives more space to Adrian
and Sarah in the absence of Veronica. a2 +
v + a1 x s = b. The second does bring Tony into the
equation, which is certainly the more important of the two.
"Baby Born as result of damage who was
now a man of forty, lost in grief. and
who called his sister Mary. I look at the chain of responsibility. I saw my initial
there. I remembered that my ugly letter I had urged Adrian to consult
Veronica's mother . I replayed the words that would forever haunt me. As I
would Adrian's unfinished sentence. 'So for instance, If Tony.........'I knew I
couldn't change or mend, anything now."
(Sense of an Ending 86)
What
would be in the dairy of Adrian after "If Tony.
Life itself leads towards the end. We
all are allow to think what have done wrong in past because we all have responsibilities.
No individuals are free in life. Accumulation must be counted. And now Tony "thought of What I couldn't
know or understand now, of all that couldn't ever be known or understood."
Tony regrets why he wrote the letter being influenced of moment agony, jealous
and envy. Now, he understands how he is the first person of that chain of
responsibility and because of him so many lives are suffered.
Yes,
I believe that there is responsibility
lies in action on individual. There is whole chain of responsibility. And there
usually is. Adrian
committed suicide because of Sarah's
pregnancy but why ? because Tony leads
him to there through writing letter . Then all things happen. Thus, Tony
becomes the first person of that chain of responsibility. Tony admits his responsibilities at the end of the novel. But
nothing will be changed because all have
to suffer permanently throughout the life. Tony goes on living life happily until he
revisited his . He goes on survive
because he has no courage to end up his life. We all have individual role to play.
There is accumulation. There is responsibility. And beyond these there is unrest
. There is great unrest.
v
Epilogue :
Nobody can escape from responsibility. So, What is it to be responsible? and What is a person responsible for
? This things are connected with chain
of responsibility. Responsibility is not only connected with moral conscience
but it also connect with mental state. Being individual , there is some
responsibility which should be done by everybody so that everybody can live
life happily. No one has right to do things which harm to others.
We never
know how we are responsible for others
damage and then even we don't realize it until we revisited our own
memory. How trivial things harm others. May be we are not feel good today and
that's why we do something to others or write something to others or do
something unconsciously then even it will become great damage of others. As ,
Tony Webster did through his letter. How
he becomes the first person of the chain of responsibility. If tony Webster
didn't write that letter under his agony or disgust , so many lives are saved.
And such things happen in our real life also. When we do work , there is always responsibility in our action . We have to be careful otherwise it leads temptation only until the death. We need to understand things and persons. We must be observer not judgmental because with growing time things must be changed but past can't. Our opinion must be changed that' why no need to give sudden reaction to anything because it will be changed and person has remorse of that particular things.
एक क्षण जो सचवाई होत
तो ,
पछी केटली क्षणो उजवाई होत !!
And such things happen in our real life also. When we do work , there is always responsibility in our action . We have to be careful otherwise it leads temptation only until the death. We need to understand things and persons. We must be observer not judgmental because with growing time things must be changed but past can't. Our opinion must be changed that' why no need to give sudden reaction to anything because it will be changed and person has remorse of that particular things.
In life
remorse can't give relief, Human being can't life with peace because relationship must be acclimated.
Each has responsibility. Then why others are suffered because of others? Because of Tony's letter Veronica suffers throughout the life and what
about child Adrian - Adrian's son? who does
nothing wrong and then even he suffered from his own life. So, Whether people
are understood or not, whether they are mature or not , responsibility is
there. The chain of responsibility is there and sometime it ends with the same
'Sense of an Ending's' ending that...."There is
accumulation. there is responsibility. There is unrest and there is great
unrest."
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Works Cited
Destiny ,Freedom,
and Responsibility . 12 March 2016 <https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/spirkin/works/dialectical-materialism/ch05-s07.html>.
Barnes, Julian. The Sense
of an Ending . London: Jonathan Cape , n.d.
Martin, Sandra. Movie
Review The Sense of an Ending. Friday August 2013. 11 March 2016 <(http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/the-sense-of-an-ending-by-julian-barnes/article4192869/)>.
Role Vs Responsibility. 11 March 2016
<(http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-role-and-vs-responsibility/)>.
very well completed this assignment with some original quotes. It seems you worked hard.
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