Love and Hatred
Throughout The End of the Affair, the only thing that compares with the love Bendrix feels for Sarah is the hatred he also has for her. Constantly toeing the line between love and hatred, Bendrix is entirely consumed by his affair with Sarah even after it ends. Sarah, too, goes through periods in which she hates Bendrix and writes in her diary, “I’ve hated Maurice, but would I have hated him if I hadn’t…
read analysis of Love and Hatred
Faith, Acceptance, and the Divine
The existence or nonexistence of God or some other supreme deity is something that Bendrix and Sarah are initially indifferent about when they begin their passionate love affair in The End of the Affair. To them, it doesn’t matter whether or not God exists; they are entirely wrapped up in each other, even though Sarah is still married to a kind but passionless man named Henry. However, when Sarah discovers Bendrix’s lifeless body…
read analysis of Faith, Acceptance, and the Divine
Jealousy and Passion
In The End of the Affair, Maurice Bendrix and Sarah Miles engage in a passionate love affair that turns toxic due to Bendrix’s intense jealousy. Sarah, on the other hand, is never jealous and struggles to understand Bendrix’s feelings as his insinuations and insults make it harder and harder for them to be happy together. Sarah, who is married to a passionless man named Henry, has had affairs before, and none of her…
read analysis of Jealousy and Passion
Adultery, Deception, and Honesty
The End of the Affair follows Bendrix and Sarah as they begin an extramarital affair in the early days of World War II. Bendrix is a single writer, while Sarah is married to a simple, honest man named Henry, who loves and trusts his wife wholeheartedly—even though it’s revealed that she has actually had multiple affairs throughout their marriage. The relationship between Bendrix and Sarah ends when Bendrix is knocked unconscious during an air…
read analysis of Adultery, Deception, and Honesty
