The Sense of an Ending

Click here to view the task given by Dr. Dilip Barad

                                                          

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

             After death of Sarah Ford, in her will she gave 500 pound and Adrian’s diary for Tony. When Tony received that 500 pound, he cannot understand that why Sarah Ford gave money and Adrian’s diary for him? When he asked to Veronica about the money, that time she replied the mail by these two words only ‘Blood Money’. ‘Blood Money’ symbolized relation with Adrian’s suicide. Only because of Tony Adrian and Sarah met and in relationship. Because of Sarah’s pregnancy Adrian commits suicide. Sarah was happy with Tony because of him he got happiness in her life in form of relation with Adrian. So, that’s why Sarah Ford gave 500 pound for Tony. Veronica believes that somewhere that money was connected with Adrian’s death, money is colored by the blood of Adrian’s death.  That’s why Veronica called it ‘Blood Money’.    

    

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

Equation 1:  b = s – v x/+ a1

Equation 2: a2 + v + a1 X s = b

                     b=Baby

                     S= Sarah Ford

                     V= Veronica

                     a1 = Adrian

                     a2 = Antony

                 

                    These two equations were written in Adrian’s diary. By these two equations Adrian wants to tell about what happened with him and also there is a hidden truth about the baby. Adrian hide a chain of all the things happened with him. 

             In the first equation Adrian wants to say that the baby was born from Sarah and not from Veronica. Every man is responsible for everything, or they individually responsible for everything. In this equation we cannot find Presence of Tony. It shows that whatever is happening that they responsible for their own. 

                In the second equation we find presence of Tony Webster. Tony is responsible for everything happened with all. Because of Tony, Adrian met with Sarah Ford and they fall in relationship. So, we can say that Tony is main chain of responsibility.  But on other hand we can apply Indian karmic philosophy, karma is already written, what is happening is depend on what we given as our karma. We will harvest the thing what we have sown.

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

               Adrian’s diary is willed to Tony by Sarah Ford. Sarah Ford own Adrian’s diary because she was in relationship with Adrian. And after Adrian’s death Sarah ford own Adrian’s diary. Veronica is a daughter of Sarah ford and guardian of her property and that’s why Adrian’s diary was in possession of Veronica.

4)     Was the mentally retarded middle aged ‘Adrian’, Tony’s friend who did not commit suicide and was suffering from trauma and thus gone mad, and was living with hidden identity?

  

           This kind of thought comes at once in our mind, that the person was the mentally retarded middle aged ‘Adrian’, maybe he was   Tony’s friend who did not commit suicide and was suffering from trauma and thus gone mad, and was living with hidden identity. But it is only our imagination or thought, that is not reality, the person was the mentally retarded middle aged ‘Adrian’, was Sarah and Adrian Finn’s son.

5)     How was Veronica related to Adrian, the one suffering in care-in-the-community?

                 Adrian and Sarah Ford both are in relationship with each other, Sarah got pregnant because of Adrian and that’s why Adrian commits suicide. Sarah Ford gave birth to a baby boy and also gave him name “Adrian”. Because of much age of Sarah Ford, baby was born with mentally defect. After death of Sarah Ford she becomes a caretaker of that baby. As per blood relationship Veronica is a sister of “Adrian”, the one suffering in care – in – the community. There is a brother and sister relationship with Veronica and “Adrian”. 

6)     Do you see any missing block – some dot which is not getting connected with the whole or dot missing to get full sense of the novel - in the plot of this psychological thriller?

              This is the psychological thriller. This novel is not easy to understand. We find many things which is not clarified or told us by Julian Barnes. During the reading of this novel there is many questions raised in our mind which are not answered or clarified by Julian Barnes. Those questions are like,

•   Why Sarah Ford warned Tony about his relationship?

•  What is the exact reason behind the suicide of Robson?

•  Why Adrian Commits suicide if he was happy in his last days?

•  Why Tony was not ready to continue the relationship with Veronica?

•  Why Adrian was attracted toward Sarah Ford, while he was in love with Veronica.

• What happened with Veronica after she knew about the relationship between Sarah and Adrian?

• Why Veronica not merry and gave her life in care tacking of Sarah’s son?

                  The questions given above are not in my understanding; Julian Barnes not answered or clarified those questions. So, we can say that there is a many block – some dot which is not getting connected with the whole or some missing to get full sense of the novel – in the plot of this Psychological thriller.
 

7)     Do you see any possible reason in the suicide of Adrian Finn?

             Sarah Ford got pregnant because of Adrian and that’s why Adrian commits suicide. This is an open ended question, because Julian Barnes not clarified the exact reason behind Adrian’s death. But we can imagine that may be Adrian fill guilty when Sarah got pregnant. Sarah was an middle age lady while it was only 20 or 22 year old young boy, he may be fill guilt that the relation is not right and everything happened wrong.   So we can say that because of that reason Adrian commits suicide.

8)     In the light of new revelations, how do you read character of Veronica? Instinctive, manipulative, calculating, stubborn, haughty, sacrificial, trustworthy, Good Samaritan?

           At the end of the novel there is a revelation, came about Veronica. The secret of her middle name also comes out. The name Mary was given by Adrian to her.   Mari is not mother of “Adrian” but she is his sister. As a being daughter of Sarah Ford and as a being a sister, she was sacrifices her life, not getting marry and settled on her life but she gave her whole life in taking care of the baby of Sarah Ford and Adrian.  Veronica is not like manipulative, calculating, stubborn and haughty but she is a sacrificial and trustworthy.               

   9)  What do you mean by Unreliable Narrator? Is Tony Webster   classifiable as Unreliable Narrator?

                           Unreliable narrator means we cannot fully trust or believe on          whatever narrator said, or the narrator himself is not sure about whatever he was said. In the very beginning of the novel Tony says that,

                “I remember, in no particular order: —a shiny inner wrist;”

“So I need to return briefly to a few incidents that have grown into anecdotes, to some approximate memories which time has deformed into certainty. If

I can’t be sure of the actual events anymore; I can at least be true to the impressions those facts left. That’s the best I can manage.”

               So, we can say that Tony Webster is classifiable as unreliable narrator. Tony did not remember many things exactly that what was happened. And many trivial things he remembers exactly like date, date and what and how Sarah Ford cooked. So, we can say that Tony Webster is an unreliable narrator.