Journey to the End of the Night Summary
Louis-Ferdinand Céline

Journey to the End of the Night Summary

The novel opens in Paris, near the time of World War I, in 1914. Surrounded by the music of a military parade, a young Frenchman, Ferdinand Bardamu, decides, in a moment of heroism, to enlist in the army and join the fight against the Germans. Once at the front, faced with the horrors and absurdity of war, he quickly loses his enthusiasm. Bardamu cannot understand why he is supposed to shoot at the Germans, who have never personally harmed him. Bardamu also realizes he is, in the eyes of his countrymen, something of a coward.

Ferdinand Bardamu is given a reconnaissance mission, during which he meets a fellow soldier named Robinson, who is looking for a way to desert the army. They make plans to escape together, but their efforts fail. Wounded and traumatized by the war, Bardamu returns to Paris for treatment and is given a military medal. This... View more of the Journey to the End of the Night Summary