The Important Thing Was That We Were Alive...

This is a story of survival.

It is a story of false accusations; harsh punishments; true friendship; loyalty; escape, capture, and escape again. And it is a true story. This is the story of Papillon.

The Story

Henri "Papillon" Charrière lived a life in the Paris underworld with thieves, prostitutes, and criminals. He was a decent man, was honest and true to his word, and never hurt others. For being part of the criminal underworld, he was a good man. 

Then, on October 26, 1931, all of that changed. Papillon was wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to hard labor for life on the French penal colony of Cayenne, off the coast of French Guiana. It was an extreme sentence in any case, but particularly for an innocent man. The main reason for this was that the government officials wanted to keep men like Papillon off the streets, away from "normal" citizens. They didn't want to taint their towns. So, rather than rehabilitating criminals, they simply sent them away and didn't care about what happened to them. Plus, there was some inner-department bribery and lying going on that brought forth false witnesses against Papillon. 

From the moment he was locked up, Papillon set his heart on escaping. His first plan consisted of escaping, returning to Paris, and seeking his revenge on those who convicted him. As time went on, and as Papillon got more and more desperate for escape, his plan changed more to simply escaping his prison and living out the rest of his life as a peaceful, normal, and respected citizen. He simply wants to "prove that I can be, that I am and will be, a normal person. Perhaps no better, but certainly no worse than the rest." 

The book covers Papillon's life over the next 14 years as he struggles to escape and restart his life. Throughout the story, Papillon becomes instantly respected among the other prisoners, as well as the wardens and prison guards. Of course, he still makes some enemies along the way, but people come to know him as a trustworthy and honest man. 

In a matter of months, Papillon succeeds in his first escape, and he ends up living with a group of indians for about seven months in South America. Eventually, he is recaptured and sent back to French Guiana. Over the course of the next 13 years (roughly), Papillon endures years in solitary confinement and makes more than 10 escape attempts -- all of which fail. The more times he fails, the more he feels that God has abandoned him, that luck is not on his side. But, "wherever there is life, there is hope." As long as Papillon was alive, he was going to do all he could to escape, or at least die trying. 

Eventually, Papillon escapes from Devil's Island, the smallest of the three islands in the Islands of Salvation cluster where he was held prisoner. Not only is this island surrounded by rocky cliffs, but it is considered inescapable, and no one has ever escaped from it...that is, until Papillon does. He eventually reaches Venezuela, where he becomes a citizen and lives out the rest of his life in peace. 

As Papillon reflects on his final escape, he states, "I had sensed Him at night during the thousands of hours I had spend buried alive in dank dungeons without a ray of sunshine; I touched Him today in a sun that would devour everything too weak to resist it. I touched God, I felt Him around me, inside me. He even whispered in my ear: 'You suffer; you will suffer more. But this time I am on your side. You will be free. You will, I promise you.'" 

Papillon suffered more than any man should ever have to, especially because he was innocent of his charge. But, "sometimes God wills for one of his children to experience human wickedness so that he will emerge stronger and nobler than ever." And that's just what Papillon did. 

A Man of Honor 

Something that I really enjoyed about Papillon's story was the insight you get into his true character. Throughout his many escape attempts and time in prison, Papillon had almost endless chances to kill people who got in his way. Granted, there is one time where he does so, but generally speaking, Papillon is a good guy who doesn't want to harm anyone. In most escape stories, people are so desperate to get out that they don't care about others. Papillon is not that way, and I appreciate his honor is many times having someone else's life in his hands but choosing not to take it. However, he was still not someone to mess with.

Something else that I enjoyed was Papillon's relationship with his friends. Some he knew from the outside world, and others he met in prison. But, when Papillon felt that someone was a man of honor, he would step in and help protect them. He would negotiate on their behalf to prevent fights with other convicts or ease their punishments. Papillon was also generous to those who helped him escape. He paid them money, or made his plan in a way that would make it so that others who were involved would not be caught and punished. In return, his friends made it possible for him to come out of solitary alive and healthy, and made it possible for him to eventually escape for good. 

Because Papillon is such a decent guy, I found myself rooting for him. He becomes an endearing character that you recognize as just trying to get his life back. Mr. Charrière tells his story in such a way that you feel like you are there with him, experiencing the same emotions and physical strain that he is. 

Side note: I will admit that, while reading through his story, I did get a little confused every now and then about who was who. There are so many different characters and friends that I sometimes found it difficult to keep them straight. But, that's probably just me. The story is still incredibly well-written and clean. 

A True Story

The book Papillon is based on Henri Charrière's actual story. Granted, many people claim that he took parts of his story from others' stories, and he is known to be an elaborate storyteller. However, Henri was actually convicted of murder and sent to French Guiana, from where he did eventually escape and live in Venezuela. The details of the story may or may not be 100% true, but does that really matter? Papillon is an inspiring tale that has touched the hearts of millions of people over many decades. 

The Film 

Papillon was turned into a major motion picture in 1973, and it starred Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. Growing up, my family watched old, classic movies all the time, and Steve McQueen is one of my all-time favorites. But, for some reason, I've never seen this movie! I've known for years that McQueen was in this movie, and I actually own a copy! But, I've never watched it. Until now. Now that I know the story, I can't wait to watch the movie. Henri Charrière was actually on set of this film as an advisor, so I'm hoping it's a fairly accurate portrayal of his story.