Susan’s phobia derails the escape plan
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Susan and Barbara discuss being captured and their unexpected hunger, now that the initial shock has worn off. Susan attempts to return to digging but suddenly shrieks.
Susan panics, revealing the presence of rats in the hole they've been digging as part of their escape attempt. Overwhelmed by fear, Susan declares she can't continue with the escape plan.
Barbara tries to reassure Susan, promising they won't dig any further and will remain where they are, attempting to quell Susan's fear and despair. This moment underscores Barbara's determination to maintain hope.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Concerned yet resolute, masking her own fear to prioritize Susan’s well-being. A flicker of despair surfaces as she accepts the collapse of their escape plan.
Barbara, mid-bite into her meager prison rations, pauses to reassure Susan before the latter’s sudden scream interrupts the fragile calm. She turns sharply toward the tunnel, her expression shifting from concern to alarm as Susan’s panic unfolds. Barbara’s voice remains steady, but her body language betrays tension—she reaches out to comfort Susan, her hands trembling slightly as she acknowledges the rats. Ultimately, she abandons the escape attempt, her protective instincts overriding her own desperation for freedom.
- • To reassure Susan and mitigate her panic attack, even at the cost of their escape.
- • To maintain a semblance of control in the face of their dire circumstances, ensuring Susan does not spiral further.
- • That Susan’s emotional state is more critical than their physical escape in this moment.
- • That the rats pose an immediate, insurmountable obstacle to their plan, making further digging futile.
Overwhelmed by primal fear, her panic eclipsing all rational thought. A deep sense of failure and helplessness follows as she realizes her phobia has doomed them both.
Susan, already on edge, is mid-sentence about resuming their escape when the sight of rats in the tunnel triggers a visceral, uncontrollable reaction. Her body jerks back, her voice rising in a shriek before dissolving into frantic pleas. She clutches at Barbara, her eyes wide with terror, unable to articulate anything beyond her phobia. The panic attack leaves her trembling, her resolve shattered, as she collapses into Barbara’s arms, her earlier determination replaced by helpless despair.
- • To escape the rats at all costs, even if it means abandoning the tunnel entirely.
- • To cling to Barbara for safety, seeking comfort in the midst of her breakdown.
- • That the rats are an immediate, existential threat—more pressing than their imprisonment or execution.
- • That she is incapable of overcoming her phobia, rendering her useless in their escape attempt.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The tattered prison blankets, initially used to cover the tunnel and obscure their digging, become a cruel irony in this moment. When Barbara moves them to reveal the rats, the blankets symbolize the fragility of their plan—easily disrupted by forces beyond their control. Their disarray on the cell floor mirrors the chaos of Susan’s panic, and their soiled state underscores the hopelessness of their situation. The blankets are both a tool and a barrier, their movement exposing the rats and sealing the fate of the escape attempt.
The meager prison rations serve as a bitter catalyst for the unraveling of Barbara and Susan’s escape plan. Though initially a source of temporary sustenance, the food’s scent lures rats into the tunnel, exposing the hole and triggering Susan’s phobia. The rations symbolize the prisoners’ desperation and the squalor of their confinement, their consumption marking a fleeting moment of respite before the collapse of hope. The object’s role is dual: it sustains them physically but dooms them psychologically by attracting the rats.
The dug escape tunnel, a symbol of Barbara and Susan’s defiance and ingenuity, becomes the stage for their undoing. Initially a narrow but promising passage to freedom, it is revealed to be infested with rats—a discovery that shatters Susan’s composure. The tunnel’s darkness and the scuttling of the rats within it amplify the horror of the moment, turning their hard-won progress into a nightmare. Its exposure marks the end of their escape plan, as the rats render it unusable and Susan’s phobia makes further digging impossible. The tunnel’s role shifts from hope to despair in an instant.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The squalid women’s cell of the Conciergerie Prison serves as a claustrophobic, oppressive backdrop for the unraveling of Barbara and Susan’s escape plan. Its damp stone walls and flickering torchlight cast long shadows, amplifying the sense of entrapment. The cell’s confined space forces the women into close proximity, making Susan’s panic attack feel even more suffocating. The air is thick with the scent of dirt, rats, and despair, and the distant echoes of other prisoners’ cries reinforce the inevitability of their fate. The cell is not just a physical barrier but a psychological one, stripping away hope and exposing the fragility of human resolve.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"The appearance of the rats crushes Susan's spirits, but the discovery of the rats, stopping their escape attempt, and the resulting inaction leads directly to their being led away for execution."
Execution order delivered, Ian sparedThemes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"SUSAN: Rats!"
"BARBARA: Rats?"
"SUSAN: They must have smelt the food. Barbara, there's rats down there."
"SUSAN: Barbara. I can't do it anymore. Not with those down there. I can't do it! I can't!"
"BARBARA: They won't come in. Not now. We won't do any more digging. We'll just stay where we are."