“Like a condemned man, I live between the last minute and the next.”
Chapter 1: Arrest and Imprisonment
Cincinnatus C., the protagonist, is sentenced to death for the crime of “gnostical turpitude”—an opaque charge reflecting his perceived difference from others. He is imprisoned in a fortress where the absurdity of his trial and the indifference of his jailers underscore the novel’s surreal tone. Cincinnatus struggles to maintain his sense of self amid the illogical proceedings.
Chapter 2: The Absurd Trial
The trial is a farce, with no clear evidence or coherent charges. The judge, lawyers, and spectators treat the proceedings as entertainment. Cincinnatus, isolated and bewildered, realizes his fate is predetermined. His attempts to assert his innocence are dismissed, reinforcing the novel’s themes of authoritarianism and existential futility.
Chapter 3: Life in the Cell
Cincinnatus spends his days in a dimly lit cell, visited by his indifferent wife, Marthe, and her family, who seem more concerned with social appearances than his plight. The jail director, Rodrig Ivanovich, feigns sympathy while treating Cincinnatus’s execution as a bureaucratic formality. The protagonist’s introspection deepens as he grapples with his impending death.
Chapter 4: The Executioner’s Arrival
Monsieur Pierre, the executioner, arrives disguised as a fellow prisoner. He ingratiates himself with Cincinnatus, pretending friendship while preparing for the execution. The line between reality and performance blurs as the prison’s inhabitants—including guards and fellow inmates—seem to be actors in a grotesque play, heightening the novel’s dreamlike atmosphere.
Chapter 5: The Final Days
As the execution date nears, Cincinnatus experiences fleeting moments of clarity, questioning the nature of his existence. He writes secretly, attempting to preserve his thoughts. The prison’s absurdity intensifies: walls dissolve, time distorts, and characters behave erratically. Cincinnatus remains an outsider, unable to conform to the world’s arbitrary rules.
Chapter 6: The Execution
On the day of his beheading, Cincinnatus is led to the scaffold. At the last moment, he asserts his autonomy, refusing to play along with the spectacle. The execution becomes a farce as the mechanism fails. In a final act of defiance, Cincinnatus walks away, leaving his captors in confusion—a symbolic rejection of their oppressive reality.
Key Ideas
- Absurdity of authoritarian systems and arbitrary justice.
- Struggle for individuality in a conformist society.
- Blurring of reality and performance in a surreal narrative.
- Existential dread and the search for meaning.
- The power of defiance in the face of oppression.
Who should read this book?
- Fans of existential and absurdist literature.
- Readers interested in dystopian narratives with philosophical depth.
- Those who appreciate Nabokov’s lyrical prose and surreal storytelling.