Analysis Of Graham Greene's The End Of The Affair

Graham Greene’s book The End of the Affair is a unique novel written in first person. The book includes multiple examples and lessons based on the realities of life. It is one of the most forensic and honest analyses of love. The novel enlarges the reader's understanding of love; passionate and cerebral, its prose meticulously reflects the mind of its narrator. Within the book, Greene uses nonlinear narrative, foreshadowing, Bendrix as first-person narrator, and multiple other narrators. Nonlinear narrative is significant to the novel in many ways. The book exhibits a time manipulation. To start off, at the beginning of the book Bendrix has a past affair that is mentioned right away. He is then confronted with Sarah’s husband Henry, bringing

The theme bestowed is the way Bendrix lives. In more detail, it involves his experiences with memories and time. There is an introduction based on Bendrix’s involvement with Sarah in the past and how that plays a role in his present and future life. The affair took place in the past but recurs again when Sarah is brought back into Bendrix’s life. However, this time it is more involved than before.

Bendrix not only struggles with his past but also with his current situation involving Sarah and Henry. He experiences many unfortunate things that were essentially brought upon himself. Not only did he have a deceitful affair a couple of years back, he reopened the affair yet again, pursuing his selfish desires. Over time, his lies and deceptive behavior catch up to him. Gradually, the story reveals itself as the narrative moves back and forth through time. There are a few examples of foreshadowing in the novel. One of the first examples is in the beginning of the novel when Bendrix crosses paths with Henry. Right away Henry invites Bendrix over to his house to have a drink and catch up. Immediately readers can assume that interactions with Henry and other characters of the book will continue throughout the

Henry’s desires involve the help of Bendrix. Even though Bendrix wants to help only for his personal intentions, he agrees to help Henry. This leads readers to believe that further into the book Bendrix will be involved in Henry’s life, and especially Sarah’s life. Considering that Bendrix is apart of their lives again, readers are faced with many questions about what will happen in the future from that point on. Graham Greene wrote this novel mostly in the first person through the eyes of Bendrix, but also included a section through the lens of Sarah. Writing the novel mostly in first person was brilliant, but at the same time had some negative effects. It creates an easier connection and understanding for readers to see the book through Bendrix’s point of view. The only problem being is that it lacks viewpoint from other characters in the novel. The book is almost entirely perceived through Bendrix’s personal