120:
being all part of a whole, they no longer feel such for the owner who had refused to acquiesce to their demands following their strike. The owner himself is not a bad person; it is stated that he treated his men well, even offering each man five bottles of vintage wine each new year. The owner even tried to reconcile with the men, saying that if they are to increase productivity and thus bring in more revenue he will not only increase their salaries but he will do so without being prompted. Nevertheless, the men are cold, and when the owner says goodbye to everyone at the end of the day, nobody reacts. The men themselves have preserved their own sense of fraternity, however, and despite the situation with the owner and his daughter, the men are warm and humane to each other. While as a whole the men seem morally unaffected by the situation, Yvers, the protagonist, can't stop thinking about the little girl. At the end of the story, Yvers breaks his silence and confides in his wife all that has happened in the course of the day, and concludes by uttering "Ah! it's his own fault!"
25:
148:
The owner treated the men well, but he stood firm during the strike. He told them to take it or leave it, and that his offer of work is a charity. When they were back to work, the doors were closed until all of them arrived, as he was emphasizing he had the upper hand. It is explained "that they were
119:
The silent men are the workers at a cooper's shop during the war in
Algeria. They have recently returned to work after a failed strike. When the owner's daughter has a serious, acute illness requiring an ambulance, the men do not offer any words of condolence. Where once there had been a sense of
133:
A common theme in the works of Camus is that death is the common fate of all. From the rich to the poor, privileged to the destitute, the guilty to the innocent, the old and sometimes the young. Death is inescapable and makes all equal in the end. Just like Father
Paneloux and the plague-stricken
149:
not sulking, that their mouths had been closed, they had to take it or leave it, and that anger and helplessness sometimes hurt so much that you can't even cry out." (Camus 406)
161:(Everyman's Library Contemporary Classics) (Hardcover) by Albert Camus (Author), David Bellos (Introduction), Stuart Gilbert (Translator), Justin O'Brien (Translator)
54:
527:
425:
256:
186:
76:
439:
405:
375:
208:
416:
320:
199:
398:
532:
474:
279:
217:
179:
37:
364:
47:
41:
33:
460:
453:
446:
293:
231:
58:
265:
172:
103:
384:
357:
336:
272:
481:
432:
350:
343:
300:
224:
140:, death belittles our other problems and emphasizes man's struggle to make sense of what he has.
136:
488:
307:
467:
391:
329:
505:
521:
245:
238:
195:
108:
98:
164:
101:
written in 1957. It is the third short story published in the volume
168:
159:
The Plague, The Fall, Exile and The
Kingdom and Selected Essays
18:
498:
415:
374:
319:
255:
207:
46:but its sources remain unclear because it lacks
180:
8:
187:
173:
165:
77:Learn how and when to remove this message
426:Christian Metaphysics and Neoplatonism
7:
14:
440:Neither Victims nor Executioners
406:Resistance, Rebellion, and Death
23:
1:
528:Short stories by Albert Camus
399:Reflections on the Guillotine
549:
475:Correspondance (1944-1959)
32:This article includes a
61:more precise citations.
266:Exile and the Kingdom
104:Exile and the Kingdom
385:The Myth of Sisyphus
337:The Misunderstanding
273:The Adulterous Woman
134:young boy in Camus'
482:Algerian Chronicles
461:Notebooks 1951–1959
454:Notebooks 1942–1951
447:Notebooks 1935–1942
433:Betwixt and Between
533:1957 short stories
351:The Just Assassins
344:The State of Siege
301:The Artist at Work
34:list of references
515:
514:
489:American Journals
365:Requiem for a Nun
308:The Growing Stone
87:
86:
79:
540:
189:
182:
175:
166:
82:
75:
71:
68:
62:
57:this article by
48:inline citations
27:
26:
19:
548:
547:
543:
542:
541:
539:
538:
537:
518:
517:
516:
511:
494:
411:
370:
315:
251:
203:
193:
155:
146:
131:
129:The common fate
126:
117:
83:
72:
66:
63:
52:
38:related reading
28:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
546:
544:
536:
535:
530:
520:
519:
513:
512:
510:
509:
506:Francine Faure
502:
500:
496:
495:
493:
492:
485:
478:
471:
464:
457:
450:
443:
436:
429:
421:
419:
413:
412:
410:
409:
402:
395:
388:
380:
378:
372:
371:
369:
368:
361:
354:
347:
340:
333:
325:
323:
317:
316:
314:
313:
312:
311:
304:
297:
290:
287:The Silent Men
283:
276:
261:
259:
253:
252:
250:
249:
242:
235:
228:
221:
213:
211:
205:
204:
194:
192:
191:
184:
177:
169:
163:
162:
154:
151:
145:
142:
130:
127:
125:
122:
116:
113:
91:The Silent Men
85:
84:
42:external links
31:
29:
22:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
545:
534:
531:
529:
526:
525:
523:
508:(second wife)
507:
504:
503:
501:
497:
491:
490:
486:
484:
483:
479:
477:
476:
472:
470:
469:
465:
463:
462:
458:
456:
455:
451:
449:
448:
444:
442:
441:
437:
435:
434:
430:
428:
427:
423:
422:
420:
418:
414:
408:
407:
403:
400:
396:
394:
393:
389:
387:
386:
382:
381:
379:
377:
373:
367:
366:
362:
360:
359:
358:The Possessed
355:
353:
352:
348:
346:
345:
341:
339:
338:
334:
332:
331:
327:
326:
324:
322:
318:
309:
305:
302:
298:
295:
291:
288:
284:
281:
277:
274:
270:
269:
268:
267:
263:
262:
260:
258:
257:Short stories
254:
248:
247:
246:The First Man
243:
241:
240:
239:A Happy Death
236:
234:
233:
229:
227:
226:
222:
220:
219:
215:
214:
212:
210:
206:
201:
197:
190:
185:
183:
178:
176:
171:
170:
167:
160:
157:
156:
152:
150:
143:
141:
139:
138:
128:
123:
121:
114:
112:
110:
106:
105:
100:
96:
92:
81:
78:
70:
60:
56:
50:
49:
43:
39:
35:
30:
21:
20:
487:
480:
473:
466:
459:
452:
445:
438:
431:
424:
404:
390:
383:
363:
356:
349:
342:
335:
328:
286:
280:The Renegade
264:
244:
237:
230:
223:
218:The Stranger
216:
196:Albert Camus
158:
147:
135:
132:
118:
115:Plot summary
109:Albert Camus
102:
94:
90:
88:
73:
67:October 2010
64:
53:Please help
45:
417:Non-fiction
144:The silence
99:short story
93:" (French:
59:introducing
16:Short story
522:Categories
225:The Plague
137:The Plague
392:The Rebel
294:The Guest
95:Les muets
468:Nuptials
330:Caligula
232:The Fall
499:Related
153:Sources
97:) is a
55:improve
376:Essays
209:Novels
124:Motifs
321:Plays
200:works
40:, or
107:by
524::
111:.
44:,
36:,
401:"
397:"
310:"
306:"
303:"
299:"
296:"
292:"
289:"
285:"
282:"
278:"
275:"
271:"
202:)
198:(
188:e
181:t
174:v
89:"
80:)
74:(
69:)
65:(
51:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.