The End of the Affair Themes

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…

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…

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…