The use of symbolic settings in The 400 Blows
Interior of school—A’s classroom
GOOD—sharing pin-up picture
BAD—A. is caught by the teacher and disciplined
Exterior of school—playground
Interior of school—A’s classroom
GOOD—A. pens a protest against his teacher
BAD—teacher punishes him further
BAD—a yoiung boy frenetically rips out pages of his tablet when he smears them with ink
Exterior of school—Rene and A. alone after school
GOOD—fraternity between them, A. can share his anger
Interior of family apartment—Dining area
Interior of family apartment—hallway where A. sleeps
BAD—when he overhears Mother and Father arguing
BAD—when mother has bathed him and now bribes him
Exterior: Paris streets
Interior of the Rotor
Exterior: Paris streets
BAD—A. spots his mother kissing someone else
Inteiror of family apartment—Kitchen
GOOD—Father/son scene of them cooking together
Interior of school—A’s classroom
BAD—Father and Mother come and father slaps his son
Interior of a printing plant
Exterior of Paris streets at night
BAD—loneliness, anxiety, fearfulness
Interior of school-principal’s office
BAD—mother working with authority figure to get rid of A.
Interior of apartment—A’s shrine to Balzac
Interor of apartment—dining area—
BAD—Fire in the shrine, Father’s anger at A.
Exterior of Paris—at night
GOOD: Family going to a movie together
Interior of Apartment
BAD—as soon as family returns, mood becomes negative
Interior of Rene’s apartment—big bedroom where Rene and A hang out
GOOD: Sanctuary for fraternity
Interior of Rene’s apartment—dining room with Father
Interior of cinema—Rene and A
GOOD—enjoying the movie
Interior of puppet theater
GOOD—enjouying the show
Interior of Father’s workplace—stealing typewriter
Exterior of Paris—Rene and A.
BAD—lugging typewriter around
Interior of police station—chief’s office
BAD—father dealing with authority figure who will send A. away
Interior of police station—hallways, ends in cage
Interior of police van
Interior of cage in jail
Exterior of Juvenile Delinquents center
Interior of cage on the grounds
Interior of dining hall at the Juvenile Delinquents center
BAD: A. slapped by the guard
Exterior of cell at the Juvenile Delinquents Center
GOOD: tough guy tells his story—I’d do it again
Interior of psychiatrist’s office at the Juvenile Delinquents Center
GOOD—revelation of the boy’s normalcy, his childhood desires
Interior of Visitor’s center at the Juvenile Delinquents center
BAD—Rene is turned away on his visit
BAD—Mother’s visit allows her to reject her son
Exterior—soccer field (from the road on which the boys were marching)
GOOD--escape
Exterior—road on which A. is running
GOOD—escape
BAD—where is he going to run?
Exterior—beach and the sea in the distance
BAD—nowhere to run
Notes written by Robert
E. Yahnke
Professor, General College, Univ. of Minnesota
Copyright by Robert E. Yahnke, ©
2001
Permission granted for reprinting for educational
use only