The Pigeon
Encyclopedia
The Pigeon is a novella
by Patrick Süskind
about the fictional character
Jonathan Noel, a solitary Paris
ian bank security guard who undergoes an existential crisis
when a pigeon roosts in front of his one-room apartment's door, prohibiting him entrance to his private sanctuary. The story takes place in the span of one day, and follows how this seemingly insignificant event compounds to threaten Noel's sanity. The titular pigeon is a symbol for disorder intruding on the protagonist's meticulously organized existence. This book is Süskind's followup to his first novel, Perfume. The story resembles Edgar Allan Poe
's "The Raven
"
, grew up with his uncle. 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, later she left him for a Tunisian
fruit-dealer.
Madame Lasalle, the owner of Jonathan's room, his refuge. 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.
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
by Patrick Süskind
Patrick Süskind
Patrick Süskind is a German writer and screenwriter.- Life and work :The public knows little about Patrick Süskind. He has withdrawn from the literary scene in Germany and never grants interviews or allows photos. He was born in Ambach am Starnberger See, near Munich in Germany...
about the fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
Jonathan Noel, a solitary Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
ian bank security guard who undergoes an existential crisis
Existential crisis
An existential crisis is a stage of development at which an individual questions the very foundations of his or her life: whether his or her life has any meaning, purpose or value...
when a pigeon roosts in front of his one-room apartment's door, prohibiting him entrance to his private sanctuary. The story takes place in the span of one day, and follows how this seemingly insignificant event compounds to threaten Noel's sanity. The titular pigeon is a symbol for disorder intruding on the protagonist's meticulously organized existence. This book is Süskind's followup to his first novel, Perfume. The story resembles Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
's "The Raven
The Raven
"The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in January 1845. It is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man's slow descent into madness...
"
Characters
Jonathan Noel, lost his parents during the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, grew up with his uncle. 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, later she left him for a Tunisian
Demographics of Tunisia
The majority of modern Tunisians are Arab-Berber orArabized Berber, and are speakers of Tunisian Arabic. However, there is also a small population of Berbers located in the Jabal Dahar mountains in the South East and on the island of Jerba...
fruit-dealer.
Madame Lasalle, the owner of Jonathan's room, his refuge. 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
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
Jonathan works in.
Madam Roques, a senior cashier
Cashier
Cashier is an occupation focused on the handling of cash money.- Retail :In a shop, a cashier is a person who scans the goods through a machine called a cash register that the consumer wishes to purchase at the retail store. After all of the goods have been scanned, the cashier then collects...
of the bank.
Monsieur Roedels, the director of the bank. Jonathan has to open the door of his limousine
Limousine
A limousine is a luxury sedan or saloon car, especially one with a lengthened wheelbase or driven by a chauffeur. The chassis of a limousine may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coachbuilder. These are called "stretch" limousines and are traditionally black or white....
every day.