Assignment of paper 13
Roll no: 10
Class : Sem 4
Paper No : 13
Subject : Theme of suicide in The Sense Of An Ending and its context with another literary characters in English literature.
Words:1377
Email: dishagediya11@gmail.com
Submitted to : Department of English,Maharaja Krishnakumar Sinhji Bhavnagar University
Introduction:
The novel The Sense of An Ending written by Julian Barnes. The novel is divided in two parts. The novel is narrated by retired man Tony Webster. This is the first part of the novel which is in past begins in 1960s .He has gone to his past and remembered his schools days with his friends and new comer Adrian Finn. In this part he narrates about his school life and his study, history class, English class etc. Tony has a girlfriend named Veronica with whom he had relation and he slept with her after their breakup. His friend Adrian goes out with his ex -girlfriend Veronica At last he committed suicide. The second part is in present which begins with arrival of lawyer with the letter for Tony that Veronica’s mother had gave him 500 pounds which she calls as blood money. This incident inspire him to re-establish relationship with Veronica and meet her. There also some talk about Adrian Finn and his suicide, his dairy etc and at the end of the novel tony comes to know about the man who is a son of Adrian and Veronica’s mother mean a half brother of Veronica.
Theme of philosophical suicide in novel:
In real life situation we find so many people who ends their life with suicide. There is philosophical meaning behind suicide in novel. This thing have relation with life and death which is shown here by the reference of Eros and Thanatos. Eros is love and Thanatos is death with which the person have fight during the life. The desire of living , make people to think about life and happiness at the last stage of the life also which present the idea of Thanatos . All have fear of death but nobody runs from it .Here in the novel the theme of suicide shows the powerful thanatos in man that how they felt shame on their work and committed suicide. In the novel two character committed suicide, Robson and Adrian Finn.
Suicide of Robson:
The first suicide in the novel was by Robson who is the student of science sixth and in the school of Tony. This narration comes in the first part of the novel which is the past of the narrator.
Robson was a boy of the corner who have not any good relationship with other students in the classroom. He committed suicide because he has done sex with his girlfriend and make her pregnant. This thing make his ashamed and he ends his life. After his suicide, friends of Tony , Alex, Colin and Adrian have done talk on the main reason of his suicide. All have interest in the girlfriend of Robson rather than his suicide that how he has a girlfriend and they have not.
Here the suicide of Robson presents the idea that how people have done wrong thing without thinking and after that they have no chance to escape from it, by the end they committed suicide. Robson can not tolerate the thing which he has done with his girlfriend and committed suicide which shows that he ran away from reality.
Suicide of Adrian:
In the novel another character who commit suicide after Robson was Adrian Finn , who was the friend of Tony.
“I Don’t envy Adrian his death, but I envy him the clarity of his life”
Above line was spoken by Tony Webster in the novel for Adrian.
The reason of Adrian’s suicide was known by anyone. His death leads Tony to his past and he was not able to solve the mystery of his past. There were so many questions behind Adrian’s suicide which was unanswered till the end. Adrian was the friend of Tony and one of the most intellectual student in his class. He had got admission in Cambridge and complete his further study. During this he had made relationship with Tony’s ex- girlfriend Veronica and after that he committed suicide. His dairy was with Veronica’s mother whish she send to Tony. One can not imagine the character of Adrian who commits suicide because he had more knowledge of philosophy ,History etc and have best carrier in life. Then what is the need of his suicide is an unclear idea.
So the another suicide by Adrian give twist to the novel and leads it towards another direction.
Suicide in literature:
There are so many literary works in which the concept of suicide presented by the writer. There are so many writes also who committed suicide by one or another reason like Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath.
There are different reason of suicide in literature. Some of them were lovers ,some of them have get failure in life and can’t tolerate it, some of have frustration in life etc. Here the idea of suicide is more controversial and symbolic also. In English literature so many writers and poets include the theme of suicide in their work.
Suicide in Shakespeare’s work:
There are so many works of Shakespeare in which he presents the idea of suicide of main characters. In Hamlet, Ophelia committed suicide, in love story, Romeo and Juliet committed suicide, Antony and Cleopatra also committed suicide. So, there were so many characters in literature who do this.
Suicide of Virginia Woolf:
Virginia Woolf was abused in her childhood and there were so many other reasons of her suicide. She left her home and left one note also to her sister and to her husband. In the note she mentioned that she was going to kill herself. She had not mentioned about how and where but she left the note to two people. She had committed suicide with drown herself in river. After that , so many news came about this and people have desire to know about the actual reason of her suicide. On websites or other sources the suicide note of Virginia Woolf is available.
Suicide of Sylvia Plath:
Sylvia Plath was also one of the writer who commits suicide. She gassed herself in kitchen. She has some marital problem with her husband Ted and she was not able to understand what to do, and at the end she committed suicide.
Suicide in Mourning becomes Electra:
In the play Mourning becomes Electra, two characters, Christine Manon and Orin Manon. The reason of Christine’s suicide was her daughter and her lover that the lover of her was killed by her son and she could not live without him. She have not found any way for living the life and committed suicide. Orin also lost the hope from life and can not tolerate the misery of his mother’s death and shoot himself. So it present the idea of suicide that how people become habituated with each other and can’t live without each other .
How and why people committed suicide:
There are so many reasons of suicide .The thing or incident make people unable to tolerate the damage done by this thing and they committed suicide. There are so many reference of literature which talks about suicide of the main character.
The reason of suicide is also different for all the people. Some of them get failure in life and committed suicide, some of them got rejecter by the lover and committed suicide, some of have got frustration in life at all stage and committed suicide. So here one can not give particular reason behind one’s suicide.
In many Movies also we can find the theme if suicide of main hero of lovers.
In Sense of An Ending also there is particular reason behind the suicide of character.
Conclusion:
So by the most important theme of suicide, the novel get turn. Robson’s suicide shows reason but there is not any reference about Adrian’s suicide in novel. By the theme of suicide Julian Barnes present the reality of society that how situation become strong on person and force them to die.
Work sited:
(htt1)
The sense of an ending (htt2)
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