Learning a Lesson the Hard Way

Often while sitting in my World Literature class, our professor speaks to us in French.  Having taken Spanish in high school, I am always lost.  Thankfully, he usually tells us what he said in English.  A few weeks ago we read The Man who Walked Through Walls by Marcel Aymé.  This short story was originally written in French, but was actually translated into English by our professor! 

So the main character, Dutilleul was 43 when he finally realized that he could walk through walls.  I understand that this would definitely be a strange thing to discover, especially at this age.  So Dutilleul goes to the doctor where he is prescribed a pill to take twice a year as well as doing tiring exercise.  So he takes his first pill and puts the other in a drawer and sort of forgets about it.  One day after getting mad at his job and escaping to a closet, he goes through the wall.  You would think that after the events that follow here, he would realize that when he gets home he should take his pill to prevent his ability to go through walls.

So why didn't he continue to take his medication twice a year?  He obviously at first did not want to be able to walk through walls or he wouldn't have gone to the doctor to get medication to block his ability.  Then especially after realizing all of the benefits of his ability Dutilleul wouldn't want to go back to the time when he couldn't walk through the walls.  Getting revenge on co-workers, being considered a hero for committing robbery, and escaping from jail are definitely what he would consider positives.  Despite all of this, he is taught a lesson, and he teaches it to himself, which is what I think I enjoyed the most. 

He had never really used his ability for good or to benefit others, which is one of the reasons why he was taught a lesson.  It ended up that he was just being greedy with what he had.  After having a good night with a woman, Dutilleul has a headache and takes a random pill from the drawer (yep, the ones from the doctor that stop him from walking through walls), all so he won’t miss another night with the woman from the previous night.  Dutilleul goes to see the woman again, has a good night once again, goes to leave through the wall, but because of the combination of tiring exercise and the pill, gets caught in the wall.  Serves him right for being greedy and taking a random pill to guarantee he would feel better by evening.  This lesson should have taught him that he shouldn't have been greedy with his ability because now instead of possibly using it for good and being successful, he is stuck in the wall with absolutely nothing.