The main theme of the novel is the unreliability of memory. The protagonist, Tony, is shown to have unconsciously manipulated his memories of the break up with Veronica and her subsequent involvement with his friend Adrian. Barnes introduces the idea early on in the book during a discussion in a history class, when Adrian raises “the question of the subjective verses objective interpretation” (p12).  One of the main questions that the book raises and forces the reader to consider is mutability and subjectivity of memory, and how it can edit what we remember of our earlier life.  

More widely, “The Sense of an Ending” invites us to re-examine our options and interpretations of history in general. Whether it is the “lies of the victors” or (or indeed and) “the self-delusions of the defeated” (p16). Either way, although history is usually considered fact the subject is, like personal memory, subjective and open to manipulation. Barnes shows how this idea is understood by Adrian, who argues that “we need to know the history of the historian in order to understand the version that is being put in front of us” (p12), while the others in the class merely argue about who should assume responsibility for the events of history.  

The idea of memory as unreliable may be disturbing for the reader as it is our individual memory that shows us who we are. This is also what disturbs Tony when his “younger self” comes back; in the form of the letter he once wrote “to shock my older self with what that self had been” (p98).

Although the book is entitled “The Sense of an Ending”, the actual ending of the book is more likely to leave the reader feeling confused rather than satisfied. “Barnes’s story is a meditation on the unreliability and falsity of memory; on not getting it the first time round-and possibly not the second time either” (thisislondon.co.uk). In this the reader and Tony are identical as both struggle to make sense of the story.

 “The Sense of an Ending” highlighted in the title is provided by the protagonist describing how he is moving “towards the end of life” (p149). However, following the novel’s postmodernist structure the audience aren’t provided with the answers to their questions about the relations between Adrian and the Ford family. This could leave them feeling unsatisfied by the ending, and needing to reread the book to try and comprehend the twists and turns of the story. The lack of a complete ending reflects how often life isn’t clear cut and is instead confusing and uncertain.

“The Sense of an Ending” has the power to unsettle its readers, as it makes them reconsider the certainties of their lives by presenting the ways in which memory can be subjective and selective and also by making them question the previous certainties of history.