The Fall explores one’s man transformation from the blissful ignorance of self-serving hypocrisy to the internal angst of self-judgment and awareness. This transformation has less to do with discovering new information than with being willing or able to face what is already known. Truth, innocence, and freedom are reconsidered in the new light off self-examination. Interestingly, what this transformation provokes is a change in mindset, not a change in action – leading us to wonder how legitimate a shift it is.
Questions About Transformation
- Jean-Baptiste declares at the end of The Fall that he still acts exactly the same he did before his fall in Paris. If his actions haven’t changed, has he really experienced a transformation?
- Jean-Baptiste says that, before his fall, he has never learned how to live, but lived instinctively. How is it possible that knowing more makes living life more difficult?
- Jean-Baptiste declares that, if you come back to visit him again, you will find him unchanged. Does The Fall suggest that this is true?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
The disruption of time in Jean-Baptiste’s narrative allows the reader to experience his transformation the same way he did.