The document summarizes themes from the novel "The Sense of an Ending" by Julian Barnes. It discusses themes of weakness of memory and aging, memory versus history, eros and thanatos, existentialism, death, and class conflict. It provides analysis of how these themes are portrayed through characters like Tony Webster and Adrian and events in the novel.

1. The Sense of an Ending
 Author : Julian Barnes
 Themes Of the Novel
 Presenter : Dharma
Gohel
 Roll No : 09
 Submitted to Smt S. B.
Gardi Department of
English

2.  Themes
Weakness of memory
and aging
Memory v/s History
Eros andThanatos

4. Weakness of Memory
 Through the narrative of
the Tony Webster and his
search for the reason of
Adrian’s death tries to
justify this theme.
 Throughout the novel,
writer tries to prove
human memory and how
it creates assumption on
human mind.

5.  Continue :
 In the first part Tony tells his story of schooldays, all
the events are in order and narrative has particular
flow. But at the end of the first part narrative moves
faster like “time passes” section of the “to The
Lighthouse”.
 Second section is much important because Tony
narrates the event of his past with different
dimension in it ,which are not so important according
to his memory.

6.  Memory v/s History :
 One of the central ideas of the novel is
unreliability of history.
 “ history is that certainly produced at the
point, where the imperfections of memory
meet the inadequacies of documentation.”
 If human memory is partial than one cannot
rely on the history or documentation done by
man with his partial memory.

7.  Continue :
 Adrian with example of Robson, very
beautifully describes history as unreliable and
untrue..
 The novel also focuses on objectiveness of
historian. Because, one cannot be objective, as
he cannot come out from his personal
assumptions of mind though he wants to.

8. Eros and Thanatos :
 Eros and Thanatos means
“sex” and “death”.
 Freud identifies two drives
that are Eros and
Thanatos. That both
coincide and conflict within
the individual and among
individuals.

9.  Continue …
 Eros is the drive of life, love, creativity and
sexuality, self satisfaction and species
preservation.
 Thanatos is a Greek word which means
“death”.
 It is drive of aggression, sadism, destruction,
violence and death.
 The theme of Eros and Thanatos ran
simultaneously in the case of Robinson and
Adrian.

10. Death :
 This theme plays very vital role in the entire
novel.
 There are specifically four types of deaths.
 The death of Mr. and Mrs. Ford has major
effects on the plot, especially regarding the will
of Mrs. Sarah Ford.

11. Existentialism :
 With the Adrian’s
Philosophical ideas, the
novel represents
existentialist ideas.
 He kills himself in
conscious state, he
planned and performed.

12. Continue :
 To quote Camus, “ There is only one really
serious philosophical problem and that is
suicide.” Adrian, as existentialist, commits
suicide at very young age. Even his way of
killing himself is very significant in
philosophical sense.

13. Class Conflict
 Class conflict is another important theme in
this novel.
 We can find this theme in the portrayal of the
characters ofVeronica andTonyWebster.
 Veronica is an awkward girl so she was misfit in
her family. To dance in public was an insult for
her.
 Being a class conscious, she chose better
option. Hence we can find this theme in this
novel.