Malone Dies depicts the intellectual dilemma of a compulsive thinker. Beckett wrote the novel originally in French as Malone Meurt in 1951, and later translated it into English. It is the second narrative in the trilogy that begins with Molloy and concludes with The Unnamable.
The narrator, Malone, is on his deathbed. The eighty-year-old lies alone in a dark cell, naked and unable to move. As he waits for the inevitable, he tells himself stories to alleviate his anxiety. Perhaps the stories are related to his life, or they may be a figment of his imagination. From time to time, he goes through his belongings, a book in which he writes, a worn down pencil, a tobacco pipe, soup bowls, and chamber pots. He uses a stick to bring other objects closer to him or move them away.
Malone speaks of a boy, Sapo, and later changes his name to Macmann (who seems like Malone’s alter-ego). The narrative includes an account of the Lamberts. It describes a 'conventional' family, a man, his wife, and two children. The story proceeds to unravel the dark, disturbing, and dysfunctional aspects of human relationships. When Macmann is at an institution, a nurse called Moll attends to his needs. The awkward intimate encounters between Macmann and Moll are devoid of romance or sensuality. Their relationship symbolizes the 'parody of love.’ When Moll dies, a man called Lemuel takes over her duties. The narrative ends with a picnic in which Lemuel (or Malone) kills six people. The unfinished stories highlight the imperfections and the harsh realities of existence. Malone’s monologue transcends the boundaries of form and convention. At times, it is incoherent and devoid of logic. At times, it is profound and ingenious.
Malone Dies is another of Beckett’s attempts to understand the essence of the self. The novel has a disquieting mood, and it is replete of wordplays. Beckett illustrates the agony and despair of a man who is waiting for death to happen. He is constantly aware of the humiliation that accompanies the inability to perform simple tasks. The central theme of the novel seems to be 'death,' but it is, in fact, a book about life.
