The Wall

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The Wall
Study Questions Answers
Pablo is the narrator of the story. He is being held in a cell because he is a member of the rebellion forces. The officials want the location of the rebellion leader, Ramon Gris. They are being held in a hospital cellar that acts as a cell. Prior to being held in the cellar, the narrator was being interrogated in the interrogation room. Juan refused to give out Ramon`s location. The quote means that the knowledge of their impending death had completely changed his perception of life. It was an experience that changed his life. The narrator shivers and sweats at the anticipation of death. The wall represents death. Tom wishes to move the wall to postpone death but it is impossible. The Belgian comes to provide them the company and console them as they wait for their execution. Juan bites the doctor`s hand. Pablo is facing death and still cannot find his purpose in life. Pablo gives the guards a false location for Ramon but they find him at the location given. Despite all his efforts to stand his ground and protect his beliefs, things unfold in an unpredictable manner. Pablo was interested in saving his life. Pablo realized that sticking to his beliefs and dying was more or less the same thing. Tom is a member of the International Brigade from Ireland. He has strong beliefs and is ready to die for them. Garcia the baker was arrested at the location Pablo gave the officials after they had killed Ramon.

Why it is an Existential Story
Pablo is the main character in the narrative. He is filled with firm belief and a strong sense of purpose, a purpose he is ready to die for. The goal of existentialism is to find a strong sense of meaning to one`s life. Another aspect of existentialism is anxiety in the face of death or extreme situations. Pablo is captured and realizes that he faced the threat of non-being (Geuens, 320). Pablo is forced to think and reason about his impending demise. Additionally, he realizes that his life had to be for nothing and even gets angry with the doctor for not understanding this scenario. Even the sky feels better with the knowledge that what lies ahead is nothing
Another element of existentialism is that human beings should not act in bad faith. Pablo considers that we are all fated to die at some point, and he will be executed shortly. There is no escape from death. He accepts his limitations as a human being and decides not to act in bad faith. Consequently, Pablo decides to face the situation head-on and make a courageous decision to give out false information because it is the only thing to do.
Work Cited
Geuens, Jean-Pierre. “The dismantling of the fourth wall.” Quarterly Review of Film and Video 32.4 (2015): 314-328.