Julian Barnes Sense of an Ending

Julian Barnes : The Sense of an Ending

Julian Barnes is the author of several books of stories , essays,  a translation of Alphonse Daudet’s In the Land of Pain, and numerous novels, including the 2011 Man Booker Prize winning novel The Sense of an Ending and the acclaimed The Noise of Time. His other recent publications include keeping an Eye Open: Essays on Art and The Only Story. His most recent book The Man in the Red coat was published in the UK in 2019 and in the 2020.

1.      What is the meaning of phrase ‘Blood Money’ in Veronica’s reply email?

This phrase came into the second part. Veronica’s mother died five years ago and has puzzling left him 500 pound and two documents, one of which is a letter apologizing to him for the way the family treated him on his visit all those years ago, and confirming that Adrian was happy in his final months. The other, it will turn out, is Adrain’s diary, now however, the lawyer tells him, in Veronica’s possession. Thus, on top of the old mystery of Adrain’s  suicide, a group of new mysteries opened up: Why would Sarah Ford, Veronica’s mother, leave Tony 500 pound? How did she come to be in possession of the dead Adrain’s diary? And why, all these years later, has Veronica purloined it, knowing as she must that it was left by her mother to Tony?

His interest in the mystery surrounding Adrain’s death reignited. Tony sets off in pursuits the diary and tries to contact Veronica. She proves elusive but he finally manages to contact her and engage her in an email exchange in which she is cryptic and irritable seeming behavior he doesn’t find out of character in view of her former cold and manipulative self. In fact, she answers his first email with a single short phrase which can only refer to his question about why her mother had left him the 500 pound and which he can make no sense of at all: Blood Money. Eventually however he receives via the lawyers a single photocopied fragment from the diary.

Here, Tony and readers both have some confusion about The Blood Money. Because we csn interpret it also like the blood money is 500 pound which sent by Sarah. But the real meaning of The Blood Money is Adrain’s son Adrain.

2.      How do you decipher the equation : b = s – v x/+a1 or a2 +v +a1 X s = b?

B = s – v x / + a1

B = Baby

S = sarah Ford

V = Veronica

A1 = Adrian

B means baby (Adrain) who is the son of Sarah Ford and Adrain. Adrain and Veronica had their breakup because of Sarah Ford. Then Sarah and Adrain had physical relationship and because of that Sarah became pregnant and they had a child with mental retardation. And the child’s name is Adrain.

A2 + v + a1 X s = b

Here Antony is present. Tony suggested Adrain to meet Sarah Ford before making the relationship with Veronica. And Adrain met Sarah Ford and he fall in love with Sarah Ford and had breakup with Veronica. And because of that reason, Sarah became pregnant and they had a child whose name is Adrain. And the baby Adrain is mentally ill.

3.      Adrain’s diary is willed to Tony by Sarah Ford. Why did Sarah Ford own it? Why was it in the possession of Veronica?

Sarah Ford own the  diary of Adrain because sarah and Adrain both were fallen in love with each other. Tony wrote a letter to Aadrain, and suggested him to meet Sarah before making the relationship with Veronica. And the result is Adrain had brekup with Veronica and fallen in love with Sarah. So , Sarah had a diary of Adrain. After the death of Adrain and Sarah, the diary is under the possession of Veronica.

4.      How was Veronica related to Adrain, the one suffering in care – in – the community?

First of all, Veronica and Adrain had relationship. But after the letter of Tony, Adrain met to Sarah and they fall in love with each other. Sarah is the mother of Veronica. Veronica nad Adrain had breakup. Sarah became pregnant and had a baby with mental retardation whose name is also Adrain. Adrain is the child of Sarah, and Sarah is the mother of Veronica so Veronica is the stepsister of Adrain.

5.      Do you see any possible reason in the sucide of Adrain Finn?

Yes, I can see some possible reasons behind the sucide of Adrain Finn. We can say that Adrain’s sucide has a philosophical reason because he had relationship with Sarah Ford. Sarah Ford is the mother of Veronica. First of all Veronica was the girlfriend of Tony but when she met Adrain they started to live with each other. Then Tony wrote a letter to Adrain and suggested him to meet Sarah a mother of Veronica before making any relationship. Then Adrain met Sarah and they fall in love. And Sarah became pregnant and ha d a child with mental retardation. Now, Adrain had a mentally trome because he could not marry with Sarah because she wasa alresy mother of his girlfriend and and without marriage with Adrain , Sarah became pregnant so, society could not accept their relationship. All these reasons are  responsible for the sucide of Adrain and we can also say that the sucide of Adrain is philosophical sucide.