Clamence is the narrator and protagonist of The Fall. He was an esteemed lawyer in Paris and moved to Amsterdam to become what he calls a “judge-penitent.” Jean-Baptiste Clamence is not his real name. “Jean-Baptiste” is an allusion to John the Baptist, the prophet who baptized Jesus. “Clamence” is a typical French name meaning clemency, or forgiveness and mercy. Clamence’s name is an ironic representation of his egotism and fall from grace.

Clamence struggles with his memory. Throughout his anecdotes and ramblings, he tells his friend about a particular evening and a laugh he heard. As he recalls the event over the course of five days, he remembers that it wasn’t a laugh but the cries of a drowning woman that he ignored. The misremembrance of her cries as laughter is vital to Clamence’s spiral into sin. He believes she was laughing at him, and he projects this laughter onto his friends after the incident traumatizes him. He believes everybody is laughing at and judging him.

The title of “judge-penitent” is an ironic one. A penitent is one who repents their sins and seeks forgiveness, usually from God, by performing symbolic actions. Clamence believes there is no God and that the “masters” of the world fill the role of God now by oppressing people, which he believes is a good thing.