An unforgettable 9-11 essay

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The Falling Man
An unforgettable story.
by Tom Junod Published: Sep 9, 2021

In the picture, he departs from this earth like an arrow. Although he has not chosen his fate, he appears to have, in his last instants of life, embraced it. If he were not falling, he might very well be flying. He appears relaxed, hurtling through the air. He appears comfortable in the grip of unimaginable motion. He does not appear intimidated by gravity's divine suction or by what awaits him. His arms are by his side, only slightly outriggered. His left leg is bent at the knee, almost casually. His white shirt, or jacket, or frock, is billowing free of his black pants. His black high-tops are still on his feet. In all the other pictures, the people who did what he did—who jumped—appear to be struggling against horrific discrepancies of scale. They are made puny by the backdrop of the towers, which loom like colossi, and then by the event itself. Some of them are shirtless; their shoes fly off as they flail and fall; they look confused, as though trying to swim down the side of a mountain. The man in the picture, by contrast, is perfectly vertical, and so is in accord with the lines of the buildings behind him. He splits them, bisects them: Everything to the left of him in the picture is the North Tower; everything to the right, the South. Though oblivious to the geometric balance he has achieved, he is the essential element in the creation of a new flag, a banner composed entirely of steel bars shining in the sun. Some people who look at the picture see stoicism, willpower, a portrait of resignation; others see something else—something discordant and therefore terrible: freedom. There is something almost rebellious in the man's posture, as though once faced with the inevitability of death, he decided to get on with it; as though he were a missile, a spear, bent on attaining his own end. He is, fifteen seconds past 9:41 a.m. EST, the moment the picture is taken, in the clutches of pure physics, accelerating at a rate of thirty-two feet per second squared. He will soon be traveling at upwards of 150 miles per hour, and he is upside down. In the picture, he is frozen; in his life outside the frame, he drops and keeps dropping until he disappears...


***trigger warning***

...this essay and the accompanying photos is one of the most engrossing and engaging accounts of 9-11; so beautifully written with so many anguishing questions about that day. It is unrelentingly painful to read, though.

to read more: https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a48031/the-falling-man-tom-junod/

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1. I remember reading that...haunting images

[Hekate]

2. Thank you. I've never forgotten this outstanding essay. There was only one clanging misstep ...

And that was the overwhelming need of some to identify those who had jumped, and then intrude on their grieving families. “Look at this, Mr & Mrs Rodriguez. This is your loved one in the last moments of his life. Just before he goes splat. He jumped — on purpose. Aren’t you happy to have closure?” No, actually, they were not.

That was unfortunately as unforgettable to me as the rest of the essay.

The Falling Man is an outstanding essay, and answered questions I had for 20 years. It’s worthy of being reprinted every year.

[Hekate]

3. I am re-reading it now, and it simply takes my breath away