The Fall

Jean-Baptiste Clamence is a judge-penitent who can be found sitting humbly at a sailor’s bar in Amsterdam. It would be fair to say that it is an absolute delight to be seated next to him as long as you have the fortitude to endure his uncensored and ruthless honesty about all things he wishes to speak about; the weaknesses and indulgences of man, the futility of life, candid narrations of horrifying accounts from history, just to mention a few. His unwavering confidence sways you, be it against your will. His observations and delivery of speech makes you cringe, possibly leave you speechless, yet his charm does not allow you to dislike him. Albert Camus has successfully managed to capture the essence of the human experience through the transparency of Jean-Baptiste’s fleeting thoughts. This allows us, the readers, a deep insight into the world around us. We understand that we are deeply flawed, as is everyone around us and should embrace this truth with much grace.