Member-only story

Journey to the End of the Night: A Journey into the Dark Side of Human Nature

Brady Mitchell

·18.5k Followers· Follow

Published in Journey S End (Penguin Modern Classics)

6 min read

176 View Claps

17 Respond

Save

Listen

Journey to the End of the Night is a novel by French writer Louis-Ferdinand Céline, first published in 1932. The novel follows the life of Ferdinand Bardamu, a young man who experiences the horrors of World War I and the subsequent social and political turmoil. Journey to the End of the Night is a powerful and moving novel that explores the dark side of human nature. It is a classic of modern literature and has been translated into more than 40 languages.

Journey to the End of the Night is a semi-autobiographical novel that follows the life of Ferdinand Bardamu, a young man who grows up in a poor family in France. Bardamu is a bright and ambitious young man, but he is also disillusioned with the world around him. He joins the army to fight in World War I, but he is quickly disillusioned by the horrors of war. After the war, Bardamu returns home to France, but he finds that he cannot adjust to civilian life. He drifts from job to job and becomes increasingly alienated from society.

Bardamu eventually meets a woman named Lola and falls in love with her. Lola is a prostitute, but Bardamu does not care. He sees Lola as a symbol of the beauty and innocence that has been lost in the world. Bardamu and Lola live together for a while, but their relationship is doomed from the start. Bardamu is too damaged by his experiences in the war, and Lola is too addicted to drugs.

Journey's End (Penguin Modern Classics)

by R. C. Sherriff

4.6 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1415 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Print length	:	100 pages

Lola eventually dies of an overdose, and Bardamu is left alone. He wanders the streets of Paris, lost and despairing. He eventually meets a man named Robinson, who takes him to a flophouse. Bardamu lives in the flophouse for several months, and he slowly begins to recover from his grief. He meets a young woman named Mouchette, and he falls in love with her. Mouchette is a kind and gentle woman, and she helps Bardamu to find hope again.

Bardamu and Mouchette eventually leave the flophouse and start a new life together. They move to the country and buy a small farm. Bardamu works hard to support his family, and he slowly begins to find peace. However, Bardamu's past always haunts him, and he is never able to fully escape the darkness that he has seen.

Ferdinand Bardamu: The protagonist of the novel, Bardamu is a young man who experiences the horrors of World War I and the subsequent social and political turmoil. He is a complex and contradictory character, capable of great love and compassion as well as great cruelty and violence.
Lola: A prostitute whom Bardamu falls in love with, Lola is a symbol of the beauty and innocence that has been lost in the world. She is a tragic figure, addicted to drugs and unable to escape her fate.
Robinson: A man whom Bardamu meets in a flophouse, Robinson is a kind and gentle man who helps Bardamu to find hope again.
Mouchette: A young woman whom Bardamu falls in love with, Mouchette is a kind and gentle woman who helps Bardamu to find peace.

The horrors of war: Journey to the End of the Night is a powerful indictment of war. Céline depicts the horrors of war in graphic detail, and he shows how war can destroy people's lives.
The alienation of modern life: Bardamu is a deeply alienated character, and he feels lost and disconnected from the world around him. This alienation is a common theme in modern literature, and it reflects the growing sense of isolation and loneliness that many people feel in the modern world.
The search for meaning: Bardamu spends his life searching for meaning, but he never finds it. This is a common theme in existentialist literature, and it reflects the belief that there is no inherent meaning to life.

Journey to the End of the Night is written in a raw and powerful style. Céline uses a stream-of-consciousness technique to explore Bardamu's inner thoughts and feelings. The novel is full of vivid imagery and strong language, and it is a challenging but rewarding read.

Journey to the End of the Night was a critical and commercial success when it was first published. It has since been translated into more than 40 languages and has become a classic of modern literature. The novel has been praised for its powerful storytelling, its vivid imagery, and its insights into the human condition.

Journey to the End of the Night is a powerful and moving novel that explores the dark side of human nature. It is a classic of modern literature and is a must-read for anyone interested in the human condition.

Journey's End (Penguin Modern Classics)

by R. C. Sherriff

4.6 out of 5