Psychological Character Interpretation of Tony in Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending

Abstract

This paper offers a psychological interpretation of the character Tony in Julian Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending. The study is divided into two sections. In the first section, the character of Tony is analyzed using Freud's theory of psychoanalysis, focusing on the id, ego, and superego and how Tony’s id has prevailed over his superego in most of the actions in the first part of the novel. It presents a big store of aggression and conflicting ideas. Some examples are provided in evidence of how the ego tries to solve the conflict between the id and the superego and supports the superego over the id. The second section of the study interprets some psychological core issues developed and manifested in the life of Tony, such as fear of abandonment, fear of betrayal, insecure or unstable sense of self, and low self-esteem. Throughout the analysis, the objective is to shed light on the character’s psyche in order to interpret his personality and self-destructive behavior using Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis.