The Fall, From King to Peasant

In the final chapter of Albert Camus' The Fall, Jean-Baptiste begins to narrate his life during World War II. He spoke very fondly of his career and how humbly he lived in Paris. He talked of his life lived in debauchery whilst in his crisis, and now he finds himself speaking about the remaining time in Amsterdam, or “the circles of hell”.

While Jean-Baptiste was captured and held captive by the Germans in Africa, he met a man by whom he referred to as Du Guesclin. Du Guesclin lost his faith in the Catholic Church, but still believed there should be a pope. Not the type of pope who prayed on the throne, but lived among the wretched (125). In order to find this new pope the man who was chosen had to be of the most failings (125). “As a joke, I raised my hand and was the only one to do so... the others agreed, in fun, but with a trace of seriousness all the same” (125). This reference reestablishes that even though Jean-Baptiste thought it might be a joke, it turns out his past really proves him to be the one with the most failings. His life's plan had all but failed therefore he should remain the pope.

In the next interesting piece of the final chapter, Jean-Baptiste declares to his guest that he has in his possession a famous fifteenth century painting known as The Just Judges. He goes about telling the man how he came into possession of it, and though he had not been the one to steal it, he still felt as if the blame should land on him. The Just Judges is his method of explaining how he is a “judge-penitent”. Jean-Baptiste's argument comes down to how there is a hope of finding freedom. A freedom that may be found only if one gives up oneself to something greater than their own (132). Jean-Baptiste believes that his work is to teach others such as his guest and those who come to Mexico City that their freedom would be reach if they met their unconditional guilt.

In the end, Jean-Baptiste wishes only to replay what has happened in the past (147). He would like for nothing more than to jump in after the girl knowing it would be too late. His ending has a unique exclamation; he feels as though being too late is fortunate. Perhaps he feels this way because his misery and suffering would not exist if he ceased to live. 

A Social Realization in a Philosophical Solipsism

The chapter begins as Jean-Baptiste wishes to speak further with the reader regarding his affairs in Amsterdam. The narrator recalls the beauty of his Greek vacation while sailing the foggy Zuiderzee. The sea represents a constitutive experience. The thick fog of the sea juxtaposed with an island vacation presents a stark contrast. He remembers men holding hands in public while women remained indoors. Such an open display of affection shifts his attention towards his experiences with women. Jean-Baptiste yearns to reenter such an existence but his experiences with men have remained professional. He then seeks refuge among women. One of these women whom he calls a “parrot” threatened to starve herself. He soon lost all passion for the music he once loved. He makes a vow of chastity.

Jean-Baptiste soon finds himself caught up in a debaucherous orgy. Once a forbidden fruit, sex becomes a hedonistic refuge. He is driven by an insatiable desire he believes will lead him towards true happiness. Jean-Baptiste enters a thirty year self-engagement following what seems to have been a perpetual failure. He writes “Alcohol and women provided me, I admit, the only solace of which I was worthy. I’ll reveal this secret to you, cher ami, don’t fear to make use of it. Then you’ll see that true debauchery is liberating because it creates no obligations. In it you possess only yourself; hence it remains the favorite pastime of the great lovers of their own person.” (103) Jean-Baptiste’s alter ego sees happiness as the road to freedom. Once his narcissistic personality clashes with that of his lover his happiness quickly turns into feelings of betrayal and jealousy. These moments of self-judgment and detachment have only led to months of hedonistic orgies. There is no redeemable end in sight. Jean-Baptiste turns his attention away from his failed love life.

Jean-Baptiste searches his own mind for anything that might have given him an existential experience. At work he is resigned to boring tasks. There is yet another incident when he was plagued with indecision. He remembers ignoring a black speck in the water during a trip. He wonders whether this resignation has withdrawn him into a period of confinement. It is a rather absurd notion to suggest a man who is not guilty is struggling between innocence and judgment. He believes one might compare this to being spit on the face in a medieval oubliette awaiting justice. This is an awfully strange comparison. Jean-Baptiste has a tendency to blame man for the sins of mankind simply because there is no clear distinction between guilt or innocence. It is a commonly held belief that divine power passes judgment. Therefore, by acting as a judge-penitent Jean-Baptiste has assumed the role of God.

Religion plays a critical role in the solipsistic philosophy of Jean-Baptiste. He is well-versed in scriptures. Jean-Baptiste draws parallels between the Slaughter of the Innocents and post-WWII sentiments. He believes the Synoptic Gospels clearly demonstrate the importance of self-judgment by using a first-hand account of the life of Christ. The Confession of Peter refers to an episode in the New Testament where Peter proclaims Jesus Christ the messiah and Son of God. The Fall is essentially a long confession in which Jean-Baptiste proclaims himself judge-penitent. He does not mention whether God is the one dictating his philosophy on life. Jean-Baptiste maintains the continuity of his existence relies on his ability to cope with such parallels. Which leads us to wonder: Does Jean-Baptiste take the role of judge-penitent because he would gain more freedom of thought or does he desire to detach himself from reality as he has in the past?

A Night On The Seine

In The Fall, Camus writes an important passage that takes place along the River Seine and though open to interpretation, needs further clarification. The passage in the novel highlights issues of morality, guilt, complicity, and a particular view of what it means to be human which are all major themes of the novel itself.

Jean-Baptiste, after leaving a mistress, walks home in the middle of a November night (The Fall 69). He steps onto the Pont Royal, making his way to the Left Bank and in the process he notices a youthful woman dressed in black leaning upon the bridge railings. He walks on past her and hears the sound of the woman falling into the river waters and screaming as she floats downstream. The sounds of the screaming girl resonate with him until all he hears is an “interminable” silence (70). Though he stops at the sounds he does not turn around and after the silence he states, 

           “I wanted to run…yet…didn’t. I told myself I had to be quick…(then) an irresistible weakness steal over me" (70).                   

After this he forgets what he thought next and makes his way home to Blvd St. Michel and informed no one of the incident (70).

Jean-Baptiste, our modern day John the Baptist, has a chance to literally save the woman from a possible drowning. Interpretively he has a chance to be her savior and bring her out of the waters that she was plunged into. But Jean-Baptiste does not budge a muscle, instead his struggle is one of the mind. He wants to run; yet it seems not to the girl but rather away, underscoring a sense of guilt and shame. He trembles and has the thought of what to do, of what would be morally “right” but then has perhaps a moment of akrasia.

Finally the “irresistible weakness” overtakes him, but why a weakness? If you did not have a moral sense of right would it still be considered a “weakness”? The fact that in the aftermath he decides not to look over the newspapers for a few days may be a clue to his lingering guilt over the incident. For although there is no law that says he must save her and though he did not kill or harm her, he did nothing either to help prevent it.

In one brief instant Jean-Baptiste considers the morality of the situation, he experiences guilt, and in his decision he displays a sense of complicity. He had a choice in the matter and displayed an array of self-interruption dealing with that choice.  In that very instant Jean-Baptiste Clamence defined what it is to be human.