The Informer · Chapter
XIV explained
Gypo Nolan, condemned and locked in a cell, feigns rest while planning an escape.
What happens
Gypo Nolan, condemned and locked in a cell, feigns rest while planning an escape. Drawing on a strategy discussed with the executed Frankie McPhillip, he climbs to a stone ledge, finds an iron ring, and forces open a trapdoor covered with earth. Despite gunfire and pursuit, he fights off Dart Flynn and escapes into the night.
Themes in this chapter
Fate and Inevitability
Gypo's calm acceptance of his impending death and his reliance on a premeditated plan reflect a fatalistic view of his circumstances.
Violence and Revolution
The escape attempt is marked by gunfire, physical combat, and the constant threat of execution, underscoring the violent revolutionary context.
Characters to notice
- Gypo Nolan
Condemned to death, Gypo executes a pre-arranged escape plan, climbing to a trapdoor and fleeing under gunfire.
- Frankie McPhillip
Referenced as the source of the escape plan Gypo now uses; his earlier instructions guide Gypo's movements.
- Dart Flynn
Grapples with Gypo during the escape and is knocked unconscious.
Key passages
“McPhillip had at last made a plan. The door … the door … the door!”
Gypo recalls that Frankie McPhillip had devised an escape plan centered on the cell door.
Highlights the origin of Gypo's escape strategy.
“He was acting on the plan he and McPhillip had rehearsed.”
Gypo executes the escape exactly as he and Frankie had practiced.
Emphasizes the rehearsed nature of the escape.
“Two shots had thundered through the hole as he cleared it. They were after him.”
Guards fired at Gypo as he emerged from the trapdoor, signaling immediate pursuit.
Shows the danger and urgency of the escape.