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Symbols
The ugly and distasteful bronze ornament that sits on the mantelpiece in the drawing-room of hell represents Garcin’s shifting conceptions of what, exactly, hell is. When Garcin first arrives, he calls the sculpture an “atrocity” and says, “I suppose there will be times when I stare my eyes out at it.” This statement indicates how eager Garcin is to anticipate the nature of his torture, though it isn’t until the end of the play that he truly understands what it will be like for him in hell. In the final moments of the play, he realizes that hell is “other people,” a realization he makes while “strok[ing]” the bronze ornament and saying, “This bronze. Yes, now’s the moment; I’m looking at this thing on the mantelpiece, and I understand that I’m in hell. I tell you, everything’s been thought out beforehand. They knew I’d stand at the fireplace stroking this thing of bronze […].” In this brief monologue, he finally grasps that he has no control over his environment. Everything in hell, Garcin understands now, has been thought out before his arrival, and the fact that he has this epiphany while staring at the ugly bronze sculpture suggests that the ornament itself symbolizes his newfound powerlessness. The ornament is too heavy to move, just as Garcin’s fate is also impossible to change.
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The Bronze Ornament Symbol Timeline in No Exit
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Bronze Ornament appears in No Exit. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
No Exit
...Garcin enters a drawing-room decorated in “Second Empire style,” with three sofas and a large bronze ornament placed on the mantlepiece. Garcin is surprised by his surroundings, saying, “Second Empire furniture, I...
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...to accept his new circumstances. All the same, he’s unable to ignore the ugliness of the bronze sculpture on the mantlepiece, determining that its presence must be part of his torture. Proud of...
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...nothing. Returning to the topic of lighting, Garcin asks what would happen if he took the bronze ornament from the mantlepiece and threw it on the lamp, but the valet assures him that...
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After Garcin stops trying to lift the ornament , the valet prepares to take his leave. Before he exits, though, Garcin notices a...
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Alone, Garcin touches the bronze ornament , sits on the couch, stands, and presses the bell. Nothing happens. Frantically, he tries...
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...will always see me?” he asks. “Always,” she answers. Breaking from Estelle, Garcin walks to the bronze sculpture and says, “I’m looking at this thing on the mantelpiece, and I understand that I’m...
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