In his novels and other writings, André Malraux defined himself personally and philosophically by challenging what he called “le destin”. In many of his works, this notion of destiny is graphically depicted in vivid battle scenes.

This paper will focus on a crucial, yet relatively neglected episode in La Condition humaine, the scene in which Hemmelrich, whose family has just been killed by Nationalists soldiers, defends the Communist insurgent headquarters in Shangai. Hemmelrich discovers the other side of war, its capacity to elicit fraternal love.

Much like the celebrated gassing scene in Les Noyers de l’Altenburg, the battle for Shangai episode stirs up intermingled emotions of vengeance, love, and fraternal compassion. Nonetheless, if war, the scourge of mankind and apparent nemesis of human happiness and joy, can be transformed into a potent symbol of reconciliation and brotherly love, as Malraux suggests, what does this have to say about our fate as a species?