Germinal, Part 5, Chapter 4 summary

What happens

1. Étienne diverts the hungry marchers away from Gaston-Marie, protecting its pump, but Father Quandieu blocks their attempt to stop work at Mirou.
2. The expanding crowd attacks workers at Madeleine and Crévecœur, damages equipment, and avoids other pits after rumors of armed forces.
3. At the deserted Victoire, strikers wreck rails and lamps, loot a stall, and drink its gin without finding bread.
4. Drunk and angry at Chaval’s attempted escape, Étienne leads the crowd back to Gaston-Marie, where the strikers destroy the pump.
5. The crowd humiliates Chaval, but Catherine shields him when Étienne proposes a knife fight, and Étienne releases them both.
6. A peddler reports approaching soldiers, and the crowd heads toward Montsou, demanding bread and seeking the manager.

In this chapter

What to notice

The sentence marks Étienne’s reversal from restraint to destruction. His drinking accompanies his loss of control over both the march and his anger.

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