The Enormous Room · Chapter
II: En Route explained
The narrator is transported by train to prison, accompanied by gendarmes and a fellow prisoner—a Belgian 'deserter' who shares his wine and sausage.
What happens
The narrator is transported by train to prison, accompanied by gendarmes and a fellow prisoner—a Belgian 'deserter' who shares his wine and sausage. The narrator draws caricatures of the guards to distract them. Upon arrival at a prison yard, he encounters a chaotic scene of desperate prisoners behind bars, including a charismatic figure he calls the 'angel-monkey' who asks for cigarettes. He is then led to his cell.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the narrator directly confronts the paradox of his own freedo…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Freedom vs. Imprisonment
The narrator is physically transported to prison, yet finds moments of human connection and defiance through art and shared wine.
- Bureaucratic Absurdity
The Belgian is labeled a deserter for overstaying leave by one day, highlighting the arbitrary nature of military rules.
- Human Dignity and Community
Despite being prisoners, the Belgian shares food and wine, and the narrator gives cigarettes to the desperate men behind bars, showing solidarity.
Characters to notice
- Narrator
The narrator is the central figure, traveling under guard, drawing caricatures, and interacting with fellow prisoners and gendarmes.
- B.
B. is not present in this chapter; the narrator travels alone with gendarmes and other prisoners.
- The Belgian
A Belgian prisoner who shares wine and sausage with the narrator on the train; he is a 'deserter' who overstayed his leave.
- Jack
The 'angel-monkey' prisoner who calls out for cigarettes from behind bars; he distributes them to others.
- The French
The gendarmes and guards who escort the narrator and oversee the prison.
Key passages
“He smiled as he told me he was getting ten years. Three years at solitary confinement was it, and seven working in a gang on the road? That would not be so bad. He wished he was not married, had not a little child. 'The bachelors are lucky in this war'—he smiled.”
The Belgian prisoner calmly describes his ten-year sentence, noting that solitary confinement and hard labor are bearable, but he regrets leaving a wife and child behind.
Reveals the prisoner's stoic acceptance and the personal cost of war.
“I would save the blanket-cover by drawing these brigands' attention to myself. At the same time I would satisfy my inborn taste for the ridiculous. 'Have you a pencil?' I said. 'Because I am an artist in my own country, and will do your picture.'”
The narrator distracts the gendarmes by offering to draw their portraits, using art as a means of protection and amusement.
Shows the narrator's resourcefulness and use of art as resistance.
“Trillions of hands. Quadrillions of itching fingers. The angel-monkey received the package of cigarettes politely, disappearing with it into howling darkness. I heard his high boy's voice distributing cigarettes.”
The narrator describes the chaotic scene of prisoners reaching through bars, and the 'angel-monkey' who takes the cigarettes and shares them with others.
Highlights the dehumanizing conditions and the small acts of generosity among prisoners.
