CAMUS The Fall Chapters One and Two
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The Fall: Chapters One and Two
The novel "The Fall" by Albert Camus is set in Amsterdam and is narrated by a self-centered man named Jean Baptiste Clamence. The text flows through Clamence's dialog while he speaks to another man. Our first impression of Clamence is based on his criticisms of a Dutch bartender. He describes the man as an uncivilized ape who usually grunts when he refuses service to anyone. Clamence and the other man obviously speak French, and the criticism continues when Jean explains how the Dutch man develops a distrustful disposition as a result of not understanding what is being said in his presence. "With such duties wouldn't you think there might be some fear that his ignorance would be awkward? (Pg. 4). He proceeds by sharing that his communicative nature allows him to make friends easily; and that in fact, he seeks the company of intelligent men. His opinion is that their fellow citizens only have two passions in life: ideas and fornication...