The Wall

The Wall Summary | Detailed Summary

Narrated in the first person by a prisoner of war, Pablo Ibbieta, the story begins abruptly as he faces his sentencing hearing. He joins other prisoners in a bright room and one by one they are brought up to a table where four military men question them about their name and occupation. Sometimes they ask if the prisoner was involved in the sabotage of munitions, or for their whereabouts during the attack. Ibbieta notes that the men do not seem to be listening to the answers, but write notes on the desk in front of them.

The men ask a man Ibbieta knows as Tom if he has been involved with the International Brigade. He does not deny it because they have already found the papers in his coat. A very young man, known to Ibbieta as Juan, assures the men that his brother was the anarchist and that he himself has never been involved in politics. He reminds them that his brother is already dead before a guard silences him and takes him away.

When it is Pablo Ibbieta's turn, they ask him if he knows the location of a man named Raymond Gris. Ibbieta replies that he does not know Gris' location. The men declare that Ibbieta hid this man in his house for a period of thirteen days. Ibbieta denies it. He is taken into the corridor where Tom and Juan have been waiting with two guards. Tom asks one of the guards whether that was the cross-examination or the sentence and is told that it was the sentence. The guard informs him that their sentences will be read in their cell.

The cell is one of the hospital cellars, a constantly cold and drafty place where the men shiver endlessly. Ibbieta thinks about how he had spent the last five days in a cell in a monastery where he was locked up alone. Juan is silent, but Tom speaks Spanish well. Ibbieta describes the cell, which contains only a bench and four mats. He and Tom discuss the fact that they think they are doomed, but imagine that the kid will escape a death sentence. Tom describes how they kill prisoners in Saragossa by running over them with trucks to save on bullets. He says that they enjoy seeing the men suffer.

Ibbieta notices that he can see daylight coming in through the four air holes with a round opening in the ceiling. He imagines that this was normally covered by a trap and used to unload coal to heat the hospital. On the floor of the cell remains a large pile of coal dust from the time before the hospital was evacuated due to the war. Tom complains about the cold and tries to exercise to warm himself. Ibbieta describes him as carrying too much fat and imagines the bullets sinking into his flesh at execution. He too suffers from the cold.

Two falangistas arrive with a major. The major asks the guard for the prisoners' names. The major then informs the men that Steinbock and the others, as well, have all been sentenced to death. He tells them that they will be shot the following morning. Juan speaks up, saying that there must have been some mistake. The major assures him that his name is on the list indicating a death sentence. He then informs the men that a Belgian doctor will be spending the night with them.

Ibbieta admits to himself that though he feels he should pity Juan, he does not like the boy. He describes Juan as suffering and disfigured. He believes that the boy would never be young again even if they were to let him go. Ibbieta describes how the boy's skin has gone gray as he stares at the ground. Juan will not let himself be comforted when Tom attempts to reassure him.

Tom begins to talk, not waiting for anyone to answer. He tells them that he had killed six people. After a while, Tom stops talking and his face and hands go gray like those of the boy's. Ibbieta realizes night has begun. He can see a star through the opening in the ceiling.

The doctor arrives and offers his assistance to them in their time of need. Ibbieta asks him what he has come for. The doctor offers cigarettes, which no one accepts. Ibbieta confronts the doctor about his lack of genuine mercy, and tells him that he saw him with the fascists in the barracks when he was arrested. Ibbieta falls silent then, not caring to continue.

One of the guards brings over a lamp to light the doctor's cigarette. The doctor checks Juan's pulse, then asks Ibbieta if it seems cold in the cell. Ibbieta tells him that he is not cold, as he realizes that he is covered in sweat. He understands that this is his body's reaction to fear, to the knowledge of impending death. He is momentarily furious at the doctor for being so alive.

Juan asks the doctor if it hurts when you die. The doctor assures him that it is all over quickly. Juan asks if sometimes they have to shoot twice and the doctor corrects himself, noting that it only happens when they miss the vital organs. Ibbieta thinks about Juan's fear of suffering in contrast to his own emotions. Ibbieta rises to see the sky through the small holes. He notices that this time it does not evoke memories and returns to his seat.

Tom begins talking in a low voice to no one in particular, each not wanting to look at the other to see his own suffering mirrored. Tom talks about the details of the execution, trying to understand the scenario to gain some control over it. He describes the feelings in detail, standing against the wall, the pains that he has had already where his body anticipates the wounds. Tom describes the difficulty in comprehending the cessation of one's own existence.

Ibbieta notices a foul smell about Tom. Ibbieta confesses that he is glad that he has no connection to either Tom or Juan. If he were to suffer with Raymond Gris, he would perhaps feel more. He describes how days ago he and Tom had nothing in common, but now look like twins because they share the same fate and will die together.

The three prisoners watch the doctor. They do not care to interact with him, but rather stare at him, envying his aliveness. The doctor attempts to comfort Juan, caressing his neck, but the boy grabs his hand away and looks at it strangely before biting into it. The Belgian doctor pulls away in horror. Ibbieta laughs. He describes how he imagines his execution in detail repeatedly throughout the night. He decides not to sleep so that morning does not take him by surprise. His mind is flooded with memories. He thinks about how he took his life so seriously, as if he were immune to death. He imagines his life like a bag in front of him that has already been tied closed though everything inside it is unfinished.

The doctor offers to send a message back to loved ones. Ibbieta refuses. He thinks about Concha, of whom he had spoken of to Tom the night before. He thinks about his love for her from which he now feels so detached. Seeing Tom touching the bench with peculiar interest, he notices that how everything looks different now, less solid. The Belgian announces that it is three-thirty in the morning.

Juan continues suffering and Ibbieta realizes that he wants to die cleanly. Time slides by quickly and soon it is morning. They can hear shots at regular intervals in the courtyard.

A lieutenant and four soldiers arrive to escort Tom and Juan away. Juan has to be carried under the armpits because he cannot stand. Ibbieta is told to wait for an hour for them to retrieve him. He continues to listen to the shots fired.

An hour later the soldiers reappear and lead Ibbieta to a room on the first floor where two officers sit smoking cigars. They ask him again where Raymond Gris is. He replies that he does not know. One of the officers pulls Ibbieta close and pinches his arm, trying to intimidate him. He asks him again and Ibbieta replies that he thought he was in Madrid. The men decide to give him fifteen minutes to think about his options before asking him one last time. They lock him in the laundry and threaten to shoot him on the spot if he continues to lie. Ibbieta understands the game. He thinks about how Gris is hiding with cousins just outside the city. He is sure that he will not reveal the man's whereabouts unless he is tortured. He remembers how his friendship with Gris died earlier that morning along with his love for Concha and his desire to live. Ibbieta laughs when he realizes that he must be stubborn. The officers return and ask him again. Ibbieta replies that Gris is hidden in the cemetery in a vault or the gravedigger's shack. He thinks about this joke, how they will run around and give each other orders and return even angrier when they do not find Gris. He finds the whole thing incredibly funny.

When the officer returns, he orders Ibbieta to be taken to the courtyard with the others. He informs him that after the military operations, a regular court will decide his fate. Ibbieta questions whether or not they are still going to shoot him. The officer tells him that they will not. The soldiers lead Ibbieta to a courtyard filled with prisoners: women, children, and old men.

After some time he recognizes Garcia, the baker, who is shocked to see him alive. Ibbieta asks why he was arrested, knowing he had nothing to do with politics. Garcia admits that he does not know and then tells him that they got Gris. Ibbieta begins to shake, asking when it happened. Garcia tells him that it happened that morning because Gris messed up. He explains that Gris had gotten into an argument with his cousin and because he did not want to owe anything to anyone, he decided to hide in the cemetery. When the guards found him in the gravedigger's shack, he shot at them and they got him. Ibbieta's world spins and he sits down on the ground, laughing so hard that he begins to cry.