''The Pigeon'' (German: ''Die Taube'') is a 1987 novella by German writer

Patrick Süskind Patrick Süskind (; born 26 March 1949) is a German writer and screenwriter, known best for his novel '' Perfume: The Story of a Murderer'', first published in 1985. Early life Süskind was born in Ambach, Bavaria. His father was writer and jo ...

. Taking place in a single day, the story follows a solitary

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

ian bank security guard who undergoes an existential crisis when a

pigeon Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

roosts in front of his one-room apartment's door, prohibiting him entrance to his private sanctuary. The book was Süskind's follow-up to his nine-year bestselling

first novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

, ''

Perfume Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. Th ...

'' and drew comparisons to the work of

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ...

and

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

Plot

Jonathan Noel is a tidy and solitary man: he is nearing retirement and has never failed at his job as a security guard at the bank near his home in Paris. He has only one aspiration: to live a quiet recluse life without being paid attention to. His youth, which was not the most pleasant, explains to a large extent this withdrawal: in 1942, his mother was deported to the Drancy concentration camp; in 1953, he went to war in

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

and in 1954, his uncle persuaded him to marry Marie Baccouche, who was unfortunately already five months pregnant and in love with another man with whom she later fled. He lives in a small maid's room on the top floor of a bourgeois house, sheltered from the world. He loves his simple room so much that he will soon buy it for himself so that nothing can separate them any more and he can end his life by continuing his daily routine. In a way, as the narrator says, his little room is 'his mistress, for she tenderly welcomes him into her'. But one morning, when he goes out to relieve himself in the little toilet upstairs, after listening carefully to make sure he doesn't meet anyone, he comes face to face with a pigeon. Panic-stricken, he locks himself in his room. Only with a great burst of courage does he manage to get out of his room and go to work. He was determined to leave his room so that he would not have to see the pigeon again. Throughout the day he fails to follow his usual routine and thinks he is finished. He commits a few blunders on his morning shift and unintentionally tears his trousers during his lunch break: these events, which are of no major importance, take on the dimension of a drama in his eyes. He goes so far as to envy the tramp he has been seeing every day for years, who seems at that moment to embody a model of carefreeness and freedom, far removed from his own anxieties. That evening he goes to sleep in a hotel with his savings so as not to have to see him again. He spends a tormented night, a storm provokes a reminiscence of his painful childhood memories. But the next day, when he decides to return home, he seems at peace. Just as he did the day he discovered his mother's disappearance in 1942, he enjoys walking through the puddles. The end of the story is thus linked to the evocation of his youth in the incipit. When he returns home, Jonathan is relieved to discover that the pigeon is gone and the hallway is clean.

Characters

* Jonathan Noel – lost his parents during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and grew up with his uncle. He was married, but his wife abandoned him, and he decided to spend his life alone without drawing anyone's attention. * Marie Baccouche – Jonathan's wife, she was already pregnant when she met him and later left him for a

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

n fruit-dealer. * Madame Lasalle – the owner of Jonathan's room. Eventually, she consents to sell him the room. * Madame Rocard – a concierge of the house, which Jonathan lives in. He had never spoken to her before the incident with the pigeon occurred. Jonathan considers her too curious. * Monsieur Villman – the deputy director of the bank Jonathan works in. * Madam Roques – a senior cashier of the bank. * Monsieur Roedels – the director of the bank. Jonathan has to open the door of his limousine every day.

Analysis

The titular pigeon can be a symbol for disorder intruding on the protagonist's meticulously organized existence, and may be seen as similar to

's 1845 poem ''

The Raven "The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a myst ...

'', which features its titular bird perched over its protagonist's door instead of Noel's pigeon.

Adaptations

The novella was adapted for the stage in a play that premiered in May 1993 at the BAC Theatre in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

References

1987 German novels Existentialist novels German novellas Novels by Patrick Süskind Novels set in Paris {{1980s-novel-stub

Plot

Characters

Analysis

Adaptations

See also

References