All's Wall That Ends Wall

Also on the weekend at Montmartre, we saw this chap stuck in a wall, and with what I thought was a Freddy Krueger hand. Turns out the statue is depicting the story “Le Passe-Muraille” or in English “The Wall-Walker” by Marcel Aymé who lined in Montmartre, which is why the art piece (I was hesitating calling it a statue because it’’s half way up a wall) is here.

The story is about someone who finds they can walk through walls, and the hijinks that ensues. Petty crimes, escaping from prison and apparently an affair. His demise is caused by a cold remedy that he was offered by a doctor who thought it might “fix” his wall walking. Taking the medication for a cold just before he eloped, he tried to walk through the wall for one last time when the remedy kicked in and he remained in the wall. Needless to say there is tons of symbolism in this.

To explain the Krueger hand if it isn’t obvious. Despite this guy being tragically unlucky. Apparently rubbing his hand gives you good luck. So if you want some luck, head over to Montmartre.