Genre
Philosophical novel
Setting and Context
Amsterdam, 20th century
Narrator and Point of View
The story is written using the first-person narration – the classical method while writing in the style of “stream of consciousness”
Tone and Mood
The whole story is soaked with irony and absurd: thus the narrator shows his arrogant attitude to the surrounding life, to the world, in general.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Jean-Baptiste, the small piece of his heart which is still kind and sincere. And the antagonist is actually “the second” Jean’s essence – lecherous, without moral virtues.
Major Conflict
The major conflict takes place between two Jean-Baptiste’s essences. And the bad one “wins” actually – he falls (the name of the novel confirms it).
Climax
The story doesn’t have any particular moment which may be called “culmination”. But actually the turning point for the protagonist takes place when he realizes his sincerity and misery. From this time he begins to “fall” from his self-esteem “height”.
Foreshadowing
The narrator talks about different issues in his confession beginning with condemning of people’s duplicity and ending with moral slavery of society.
Understatement
N/A
Allusions
The author doesn’t often alludes to any sources, for example, to Bible (“prophet crying in the wilderness”)
Imagery
View the imagery section
Paradox
The narrator says that his happiness in life was authorized by some higher decree, but meanwhile he says that he doesn’t believe in any religion and God.
Parallelism
The narrator sometimes uses this method such as in the following phrase: “My profession is double, that’s all, like the human being.”
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
