The Silent Men by Albert Camus. Short summary

5 seconds

The workers of the cooperage shop went on strike, which did not yield the desired results. Now the men are immersed in cold silence, showing their displeasure to their boss.

1 minute

The cooperage workers are plunged into a grievous silence. Most recently, they went on strike, the outcome of which was unsuccessful. The owner of the factory did not comply with their demands. Now the men do not enter into dialogue with him or show any emotion, even when the owner’s daughter suffers from a chronic illness.

The owner himself is not a bad man, he treats his workers well and even gives them five bottles of wine for the New Year. He is burdensome because of a disagreement with the workers. The owner is ready to make advances to the men and increase their wages if the shop starts to bring in more income and his business gets better. But the men remain coldly silent and do not respond to his goodbye at the end of the day. Among themselves, the workers have maintained a team spirit and good relations.

Despite his outward coldness, Ivers, the protagonist, cannot forget his master’s young daughter. He tells his wife about the situation, but eventually comes to the conclusion that the factory owner is to blame himself.