'The Fall' by Camus

    It is a daunting task to dissect such a complex and contradictory work as this. The Fall is rich in concepts of confession which can be analyzed. Both sides of Peter Brooks' concept, 'Qui s'excuse, s'accuse,'or 'Qui s'accuse, s'excuse' are applicable here. Much of what the narrator Jean-Baptiste Clamence argues is the idea that by confessing, we incriminate ourselves; but he also exemplifies the conceit which can be gained through confession.
    Jean-Baptiste, by remaining ignorant of his own hypocrisy, led a happy life in the beginning; he had every success, and felt that he was doing everything he ought to lead a meaningful existence. But after recalling one fateful night when he let a woman drown in the Seine, he admits to himself his own awful nature, and from then on for the rest of his days he is subject to his own guilt, earning within himself the label of hypocrite and murderer which cannot be shrugged, even if on paper he has committed no crime.
    But just as this sentence would rule his life, he lets it benefit him just as he has every other success in his life. During his imprisonment in a Nazi camp, Jean-Baptiste names himself 'pope' among the other prisoners because he is the most reproachable, and happily accepts the power he has been given over the other men. His excuse is that there must be a pope living among the downtrodden, one whom all must forgive so that he may serve his purpose as martyr and benefactor. Quite simply, it is an abuse of his privilege, especially after Jean-Baptiste drinks a dying man's water so that he may continue to live for his subjects.
   Where another, more genuine man might fall to suicide in light of his grave misdeeds, Jean-Baptiste revels in his own guilt. And resolves to remain unchanged, because he knows that by confessing every so often for his wrongdoing, he does not have to change his ways. He can continue to wring guilt from other men, for the powerful feeling it gives him. As cruel a man but tactful man, Jean-Baptiste understands the power of guilt and of confession, even if he does abuse it.