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He's suffering from the iron that has entered his soul, and it's you who are to blame!

This third installment of the Roads to Freemdom series does not impress me quite as much as The Age of Reason and The Reprieve but it is an astounding piece of literature still. The narrative focuses on the French condition after German occupation in 1940 so perhaps the war setting and the soldier's experience feels too heavy for me. As in the previous books, Sartre provides several perspectives from his characters but in a more traditional fashion as opposed to the Reprieve. Therefore, I feel it lacks the same kind of layering that immerses the reader in the essence of the ideas. I also miss the Mathieu of The Age of Reason as we follow his path as a soldier.

Characters like Mathieu, Brunet, Gomez, Sarah and Daniel must now put their thoughts and principles into action as France loses herself. All the nobility which compile her identity fails against the onslaught of Nazi Germany. Now she must choose who she is, what she will do and cope with the despair often paired with shattered meaning.

We begin with Gomez in New York, lost among Americans who willfully ignore news of the European conflict fearing its acknowledgment would transport it into their dream world across the Atlantic. Unexpectedly, Gomez finds connection with others through abandonment. Not like the truly abandoned Sarah who escapes Paris as part of a hoard of refugees void of individual humanity. Sartre's focus starts wide and, with each narrative section, brings the reader closer in proximity to the terror; like zooming in on Google Earth.

For the final time, Sartre contrasts Mathieu and Daniel. With Paris conquered and barren, Daniel finds freedom from the opporessive eyes of morality and gloats in the failure of his judges; though these presumed judges, like Mathieu, barely acknowledge his existence. Like a fallen Lucifer, he rejoices in the devestation and heralds the Fascist conquerors while Mathieu keeps his thoughts introspective and navigates his new life's dynamic. Not until the end does he commit to action and release his grasp on his precious analyses. Even still, I can't help but feel a despair for Mathieu that I think he finally escapes.

In Part Two, Sartre constructs his narrative as one massive paragraph. It does read like an unbroken stream but unfortunately the desired effect is countered by its length. Nevertheless, Brunet joins a mass of prisoners of war who nonchalantly accept their fate with hopes of human treatment and personal ends to fighting. However, Brunet fears this acquiescence will transform rebellious captives into thankful, subservient citizens depending, like sheep, on their captors. He forges a connection with Schneider with whom he argues for organized action through the tenets of the communist party. These scenes remind me of Viktor Frankl's Man’s Search for Meaning . Schneider seems interested in providing the POWs that personal Frankl meaning, even if illusory, while Brunet persists with organizing global political action. And yet at the end, any meaning found for humanity as a whole makes no difference to the personal conviction to freely determine one's own meaning and fate, especially when faced with internment camps.

As in the previous books, Sartre takes no shortcuts in disecting his ideas and exploring what his characters do with them. I do not want to spoil the joy of discovery in working through them yourselves. For now, I must cope with the end, the sadness in knowing that no other book follows this. But what a journey...