Skip to content
Readipedia
Open Readify
The Suicide of the Young Woman on the Pont Royal from "The Fall". Clamence recalls a night on the Pont Royal when he passed a young woman in black leaning over the railing. After a moment's hesitation, he continued walking.

two or three years before the laugh on the Pont des Arts

The Suicide of the Young Woman on the Pont Royal

Clamence recalls a night on the Pont Royal when he passed a young woman in black leaning over the railing. After a moment's hesitation, he continued walking. He then heard the sound of a body hitting the water and a cry that was repeated several times before ceasing. He stood frozen, feeling a weakness, and then walked away without informing anyone. This event, which he had long suppressed, becomes the central, unacknowledged crime of his life, the source of his profound guilt.