THE WALL

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THE WALL

• By Jean-Paul Sartre

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Historical Context

• During the 1800s
• Spain has lagged behind other Western European
  countries in economic developments.
• It has been politically unstable, experiencing
  violent strikes, assassinations, military plots
  and separatist movements throughout the early
  1900s.

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Historical Context

• After World War I, a Spanish general, Primo,
  established himself as a military dictator.
• Primo lost power in 1930.
• New government wanted to lessened the power of
  the church. The Falangists wanted to preserve
  the power of the church. Here the war is brewing.

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Historical Context

• Spanish Civil War

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Author

• Born in 1905
• A teacher
• Taught philosophy
• First publication was The Wall and Other Stories
• Explored the ideas of bad faith or what happens
  when people deny moral responsibility for their
  behavior

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The Story

• First published in 1937
• Best known of Sartres five short stories
• Was his personal response to the Spanish Civil War

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Annotations
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Discussion Questions

• Compare the reactions of the three condemned men
  to their imminent execution.
• How is the ending ironic? How does the ending
  relate to existentialism?
• One of the themes is death. What do you think
  Sartre is conveying about death?
• What does the wall symbolize?