The Day of the Jackal

In Part 2, the Jackal seduced and murdered Madame la Baronne de la Chalonniére. What began as an amorous diversion as he made his way slowly to Paris became—in the context of Lebel’s pursuit—a hiding place. In Part 3, the Jackal repeats this maneuver in a darker, more cynical fashion. This time, posing as an American student, he allows a middle-aged man to take him home, hinting at the possibility of a romance between them. The Jackal’s willingness to exploit human vulnerability aligns with the theme of The Rise of Meticulous Men, showing how he manipulates situations with ruthless precision. Whereas the Jackal was sincerely interested in Madame la Baronne de la Chalonniére, at least at first, his brief relationship with Jules Bernard is pure cynicism. He needs somewhere to hide until Liberation Day and kills Jules as soon as the news report comes on the screen. The first romantic dalliance is enjoyable before it becomes desperate, while the second is desperation alone. In both instances, the Jackal’s actions reflect his political detachment and self-serving motivations, illustrating the consequences of a life lived with no emotional connection to others. Other human beings are simply a means to an end. Jules barely even merits a pause in the Jackal’s thoughts; the Jackal hides his body and then begins to eat his bread, forgetting immediately about the man who welcomed him into his home. These people are as disposable as the false identities and the rented car, just tools to be used up and discarded as soon as they no longer perform their function. The Jackal’s callous disregard for human life and his purely transactional approach to relationships highlight a thirst for power transforming into extreme personal detachment. In this way, the Jackal demonstrates his heartlessness.

On the final day, the Jackal assumes his final identity, his most ambitious identity yet. He poses as a French soldier who was wounded in the war. Not only does this require him to bend his leg and strap it up in a painful fashion, but he must present himself as an authentic French person to other French people. This careful attention to detail reflects his characteristic meticulousness, while also hinting at the theme of The Consequences of Hubris, as he becomes increasingly confident in his ability to deceive. Whereas he has previously posed as an Englishman, a Dane, and an American, this final identity demonstrates the Jackal’s overconfidence: He has become so convinced of his own talent during his journey that he believes that not even a French person will be able to notice his disguise. The Jackal comes close to being vindicated. Valremy is convinced by his disguise, which is good enough to pass through the busy streets of Paris unnoticed and to get him into the house from which he plans to shoot de Gaulle. The success of this disguise, however, only fuels the Jackal’s hubris. His increasing self-assurance, combined with his desire for a seamless identity, underscores the idea of individuals becoming trapped by their own pride and ambitions. He is so convinced by his methodical approach and his success that he forgets about a small but fundamental part of French culture: de Gaulle bows to kiss the veteran in the traditional French manner, and the Jackal’s bullet passes over his head. For all his efforts to pass as a Frenchman, the Jackal is undone by a small cultural detail. His disguise, his documents, and his planning mean nothing due to this small, overlooked detail. The nuance leads to his missed shot, turning his greatest success into his greatest failure.

Lebel bursts into the room and shoots the Jackal. The assassin dies and he is buried in an unmarked grave. Lebel’s final confrontation with the Jackal showcases the clash between meticulous professionalism and unchecked ambition, with Lebel’s steady persistence triumphing over the Jackal’s reckless overconfidence. On a macro level, Lebel has succeeded. He has protected Charles de Gaulle from the plot on his life, and he has done so in a manner that has not caught the attention of the media. He has done the impossible, and delivered far more than could reasonably have been expected of him. Yet his success is undergirded by a hint of failure. At the beginning of his assignment, Lebel set up to learn the Jackal’s identity. He believed that the right name could lead him to his target. Through his cleverness, he learned the names of the false identities that the Jackal adopted. This was made possible through a bit of luck, however, as the revelation about the real Charles Calthrop suggests that the fundamental premise of Bryn Thomas’s investigation was flawed. As such, Lebel never truly knew the Jackal’s identity. The assassin is buried in an unmarked grave, taking his true name with him. Lebel goes to the funeral to mourn not only a worthy opponent, but also any chance that he will ever know the man’s name. Lebel succeeded in preventing the assassination, but he failed in uncovering the Jackal’s true identity. For a meticulous professional like Lebel, this small failure means much more than any success.