Arch of Triumph (Remarque)
Short summary
Paris, 1939. Ravic, a German refugee surgeon, lived illegally in the city, performing operations under other doctors' names. One night, he encountered Joan Madou, a desperate woman contemplating suicide on a bridge. He helped her through the death of her companion and found her a place to stay.
Ravic worked secretly at hospitals, assisting French surgeons with difficult cases while avoiding police detection. He lived in a shabby hotel among other refugees, maintaining an existence without permanent attachments. His past haunted him - he had been tortured by Haake, a Gestapo officer, and witnessed the death of his lover Sybil in Nazi Germany.
Joan became a nightclub singer and they began a passionate affair. She moved in with another man for financial security but continued seeing Ravic. Their relationship was turbulent, marked by Joan's need for stability and Ravic's emotional detachment born from years of loss and displacement.
When Ravic was arrested and deported for practicing medicine illegally, Joan moved on with an actor. Upon his return three months later, Ravic found her living with this new lover. Despite their mutual attraction, their relationship became increasingly destructive as Joan struggled between her feelings for Ravic and her practical needs.
Ravic spotted Haake in Paris and carefully planned his revenge. He lured the Gestapo officer to a secluded area and killed him, finally avenging Sybil's death and his own torture. This act brought him a sense of closure and liberation from his traumatic past.
"You have made me live, Joan. I was nothing but stone. You have made me live—"
As war broke out in September 1939, Joan was fatally shot by her jealous actor lover. Ravic operated on her but could not save her life due to spinal damage. She died in his arms, and he was immediately arrested as an enemy alien refugee, facing internment as Europe plunged into World War II.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
Meeting Joan Madou and the beginning of their relationship
On a rainy night in Paris, Ravic encountered a distressed woman on a bridge contemplating suicide. He stopped her from jumping into the Seine and took her to a nearby bistro for drinks. The woman appeared lost and disconnected, repeatedly asking him to let her go.
The woman revealed she had nowhere to go after her companion died suddenly in their hotel room. She had fled without informing anyone, terrified and alone. Ravic helped her deal with the authorities, arranged for the body to be removed, and settled the hotel bill. He then found her accommodation at the Hôtel de Milan and learned her name: Joan Madou.
Ravic introduced Joan to Boris Morosow, who helped her find work at the Scheherazade nightclub. Their relationship deepened when Ravic spent the night comforting Joan in her hotel room, and later when she came to his room after he returned from a difficult operation that had ended in a patient's death.
Developing love amid Ravics dangerous medical practice
Ravic worked illegally as a surgeon, performing operations for doctors like Veber and Durant who exploited his skills while he remained in the shadows. He treated patients at various hospitals and brothels, always careful to avoid police detection. His undocumented status made him vulnerable to deportation at any moment.
His relationship with Joan intensified as they spent nights together drinking calvados and sharing intimate moments. Joan declared her love for him, though Ravic remained guarded due to his traumatic past and uncertain future as a refugee. He struggled with nightmares and memories of concentration camps.
"We are living in a dying age and this city quivers with life. We are torn from everything and we have nothing left but our hearts."
Ravic treated Kate Hegstroem, discovering during surgery that she had terminal cancer. He concealed the diagnosis from her while she made plans to travel to Florence and eventually America. The weight of keeping such secrets added to his emotional burden.
Romantic escape to Antibes and growing attachment
Ravic and Joan traveled to Antibes for a romantic getaway, staying at a luxurious hotel by the Mediterranean. They spent eight blissful days together, gambling at casinos, swimming, and enjoying the coastal atmosphere. The light on the coast transformed Joan's appearance, making her even more beautiful in Ravic's eyes.
Joan expressed her desire for a simple, secure life with Ravic, dreaming of marriage and children. She envied previous generations who had lived without the constant threat of war. However, tensions arose when she began spending time with other guests, including wealthy socialites who offered her a taste of the glamorous life she craved.
"I love you and I'll love you until the end of my life... You are the horizon and all my thoughts end in you."
Their idyllic time was marred by arguments and Joan's growing restlessness. She was torn between her love for Ravic and her attraction to a more glamorous lifestyle. Despite their passionate reconciliations, cracks began to show in their relationship. They returned to Paris as war clouds gathered over Europe, with their relationship forever changed by the intensity and complications of their time together on the Riviera.
Separation, Joans affair, and Ravics solitude
Ravic was arrested and deported after helping at an accident scene where he provided medical assistance. A suspicious police official questioned his identity and status, leading to his imprisonment and eventual deportation. He spent three months away from Paris, during which time Joan left the Scheherazade and began an affair with an actor.
"A piece of paper! To have it or not to have it... even Christ without a passport—nowadays he would perish in a prison."
When Ravic returned to Paris, he discovered Joan's new living situation in an apartment provided by her actor lover. She tried to maintain relationships with both men, claiming she needed time to break things off with the actor. Ravic, hurt and disillusioned, refused to share her and struggled with his feelings of betrayal and loss.
Kate Hegstroem returned from Florence, disillusioned by the rise of fascism there. She described Vienna as transformed into a military barracks under Nazi influence. Ravic continued to conceal her terminal diagnosis while she made plans to return to America. Their friendship provided him some comfort during his separation from Joan, though he carried the burden of knowing her fate.
Joan made several attempts to reconcile with Ravic, visiting his hotel room and pleading for another chance. Their encounters were passionate but destructive, as neither could fully commit to the other while Joan remained involved with the actor. Ravic recognized the toxic nature of their relationship but found himself unable to completely let go.
Confronting the past: the hunt for Haake
Ravic spotted Haake, the Gestapo officer who had tortured him and killed his lover Sybil in Germany. The encounter at Fouquet's restaurant triggered intense memories of his past trauma and imprisonment. Haake was in Paris on Nazi business, unaware that his former victim was watching him.
"Those dreams, filled with the horror of the concentration camps, full of the torpid faces of slain friends, full of the tearless, petrified pain..."
Ravic began stalking Haake, who was in Paris seeking entertainment at brothels and restaurants. Morosow advised caution and careful planning, warning Ravic against impulsive action that could lead to his arrest. Ravic's obsession with revenge consumed him, affecting his relationship with Joan and his medical practice. He prepared meticulously for the confrontation.
After weeks of waiting and planning, Ravic finally encountered Haake at the Osiris brothel. He lured Haake into his car under the pretense of taking him to another establishment, then drove him to the Bois de Boulogne. In the secluded woods, Ravic attacked Haake with a wrench, then strangled him to death.
Ravic buried the body and destroyed all evidence, finally achieving the revenge that had haunted him for years. He burned Haake's identification and personal effects, threw his keys and revolver into the Seine, and carefully covered his tracks. The act brought him a sense of closure and release from his traumatic past.
"Fate was never stronger than the serene courage with which one faced it. If one could no longer stand it, one could kill oneself."
After killing Haake, Ravic felt liberated from the ghosts of his past. He was able to remember Sybil as she truly was, rather than as a victim of Nazi brutality. The rigid image of her horror began to move, and he remembered her as she was before, releasing him from years of torment.
War approaches as Paris changes
As 1939 progressed, the atmosphere in Paris grew increasingly tense with the approach of war. Refugees began leaving the city in droves, and Ravic witnessed the departure of several families from his hotel. The Stern and Wagner families emigrated to America, while others sought refuge in Portugal or South America. Kate Hegstroem decided to return to America before it was too late.
Ravic accompanied Kate to Cherbourg, where she boarded the Normandie for America. Despite her terminal illness, she maintained her dignity and grace until the end. The ship's departure symbolized the separation between Europe and safety. Ravic returned to Paris knowing he would likely never see her again, driving through the night with a strange sense of peace.
The city began implementing blackout procedures and mobilizing for war. Ravic encountered columns of soldiers and horses, signs of the coming mobilization. As an undocumented refugee, he knew he would be arrested and sent to an internment camp once hostilities began. He prepared for this inevitability with resigned acceptance.
Despite the approaching danger, Ravic chose to remain in Paris rather than flee. He had found a kind of peace after killing Haake and felt ready to face whatever fate awaited him in the dying world of pre-war Europe. He continued his medical practice, knowing each operation might be his last.
"Help when you can; do everything then—but when you can no longer do anything, forget it! Turn away! Pull yourself together."
Ravic found solace in his work and in his friendship with Morosow, who remained loyal despite the growing dangers. He reflected on his life, his loves, and his hatreds, feeling a sense of completion and acceptance. He acknowledged the coming destruction but found strength in his experiences.
Final reunion, Joans death, and the outbreak of war
Joan called Ravic desperately for help after being shot by her actor lover. Despite his initial skepticism due to her past manipulations, Ravic rushed to her apartment and found her critically wounded with a bullet lodged in her spine, causing paralysis. The actor claimed it was an accident, but the damage was irreversible.
At the hospital, Ravic worked with Veber and Eugénie to stabilize Joan, but he realized her condition was hopeless. She would never walk again and faced a slow, painful death. He administered pain medication and oxygen, knowing he could only make her comfortable. In their final moments together, Joan confessed that she had always loved only him.
Joan reflected on her desire to change her life and acknowledged Ravic's importance to her. She drifted in and out of consciousness, speaking in her native Italian. When she asked if he loved her, Ravic assured her of his profound affection. As her condition deteriorated and she struggled to breathe, Ravic made the difficult decision to end her suffering.
"Strange—that one can die—when one loves—"
As Joan lay dying, Germany invaded Poland and war was declared. Veber informed Ravic of the momentous news while they stood over Joan's body. Ravic administered a final injection to end Joan's suffering, then left the hospital knowing his time was up. He performed one last Caesarean section, met with Morosow who offered him forged papers to escape, but Ravic refused. He was arrested at the International Hotel along with other refugees as the world plunged into the darkness of World War II.
Throughout his time in Paris, Ravic had dealt with various characters who exploited his illegal status. Durant, the elderly surgeon, had relied on Ravic for difficult operations while paying him poorly and eventually betraying him to the authorities. Lucienne Martinet, a young woman Ravic had saved from a botched abortion, later became a prostitute, representing the cycle of desperation among the city's vulnerable population.
Rolande, the madame of the Osiris brothel where Ravic provided medical services, represented another aspect of Parisian life during this tumultuous period. She eventually left to open a café in Tours, symbolizing the dispersal of the community that had formed around the margins of society. The novel concluded with Ravic's arrest, bringing his story full circle from refugee to prisoner, as Europe descended into the chaos of war. His journey through love, revenge, and loss reflected the broader human experience of displacement and survival in a world on the brink of destruction.