Work · Jean-Paul Sartre
Men Without Shadows / The Victors
Captured resistance fighters confront torture while the reasons for speaking or remaining silent change.
Understanding the text
First staged in 1946, the play returns after the Liberation to tortured resistance fighters and conflicts between solidarity, survival and heroic self-images.
Key points
- 01
Situation
New information changes the meaning of sacrifice.
- 02
Solidarity
Prisoners face different ordeals and possibilities.
- 03
Pride
Preserving a heroic image can conflict with another person's life.
How to read it
Avoid judging tortured people from an external position; follow shifts in the balance of power.
Editions & sources
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method ↗