Garlands of stars hung down from the black sky over the palm trees and houses. She ran along the short avenue, now empty, that led to the fort. The cold, no longer having to struggle against the sun, had invaded the night; the icy air burned her lungs. But she ran, half blind, in the darkness. At the top of the avenue, however, lights appeared, then descended toward her zigzagging. She stopped, caught the whir of turning sprockets and, behind the enlarging lights, soon saw vast burnooses surmounting fragile bicycle wheels. The burnooses flapped against her; then three red lights sprang out of the black behind her and disappeared at once. She continued running toward the fort. Halfway up the stairs, the air burned her lungs with such cutting effect that she wanted to stop. A final burst of energy hurled her despite herself onto the terrace, against the parapet, which was now pressing her belly. She was panting and everything was hazy before her eyes. Her running had not warmed her and she was still trembling all over. But the cold air she was gulping down soon flowed evenly inside her and a spark of warmth began to glow amidst her shivers. Her eyes opened at last on the expanse of night.

See there's another thing

Not a breath, not a sound

[quote="WildCityWoman"]Did Janine need a child? Why is it assumed that every woman needs a child? Maybe Camus saw it that way; guess he did

Well, I can't speak for myself - I have two children - daughters, who are now mothers themselves.

I didn't have a child until I was going on 28 - before then, I wasn't that worried about it.

I guess some women feel the childless situation more than others.

So you're saying it wasn't necessarily Camus's opinion - it was the general view of the time and place?

Not really. Yes, I agree that children--and lack of children--can mean many things personally. I just suspect that Camus is not talking about Janine's maternal instincts so much as he is using children as a symbol for something bigger. When she's on the fort for the first time:

"It seemed to her that the turning Earth had simply stopped, and that from now on no one would grow old or die. Everywhere, henceforth, life was suspended, except in her heart, where at that very moment someone was weeping with pain and wonder" (19).

The desert can be a great symbol of constancy, of a kind of immortality where life is suspended in an imitation of death. Having no children (in stories, at least) is a similar suspension of the natural cycle of life. It's almost like Janine believes she can live forever in that moment--it's almost like they don't need children, or death. But then the moment is gone. So the couple's barrenness just adds a more concrete edge to that feeling she has.

Do you think Camus, in this particular story, deliberately used the desert as a symbol?

Well, I'm not saying he picked the desert because he wanted to use it as a symbol. He was probably familiar with the Algerian landscape. But I think on the roof of the fort, the desert becomes much more than just another setting. At least in Janine's mind, it takes on a significance that may not be connected with its reality. Powerful images like that tend to take on lives of their own (kind of like the sea)--even if the author doesn't prescribe a given meaning onto them. I'm not saying we should read the desert as a straight "symbol" for any one thing, either; but it does serve a function other than just giving the characters a place to say their lines.

Yuvie, just wanted to say that I'm enjoying your sensitive and perceptive posts on the stories.
DWill

People perceive things differently - better to say what you think, rather than what 90% of the room is thinking . . . I think - heh! heh!

I've yet to read all your posts to this short story thread, but before I hit the sack I thought I would make a quick comment. Camus is a talented writer, but in this story I was left scratching my heading wondering what he was talking about repeatedly. Maybe tomorrow when I'm not half asleep I'll post about my feelings.

But for now....

I'm a bit annoyed with her husband for being completely blind to her very human needs. It is selfish. Camus really is a master at describing the emotions that she felt from one moment to the next. I really felt like I was seeing and smelling and tasting everything she experienced.

Damn I'm tired.