The Anatomy of Desire by John L'Heureux
"The Anatomy of Desire" by John L'Heureux is a poignant exploration of longing and the complexities of human connection against a backdrop of trauma and war. The narrative follows Hanley, a soldier who suffers horrific injuries, leaving him flayed and isolated from his family. Despite his physical suffering, Hanley forms a unique bond with a compassionate nurse, referred to as "the saint," who provides care and emotional support. Their relationship evolves into a deep, yet complicated, desire for intimacy. Hanley's struggle illustrates a broader theme of yearning—not just for physical closeness, but for a deeper connection and understanding of love. The story juxtaposes Hanley’s experiences with that of a general who, despite his power and status, grapples with his own sense of emptiness and desire for the soldier. Ultimately, Hanley’s quest for possession culminates in a realization about the nature of desire itself, revealing that true fulfillment may remain elusive. This narrative invites readers to reflect on the intersections of love, identity, and the scars—both physical and emotional—that shape human experience.
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The Anatomy of Desire by John L'Heureux
First published: 1981
Type of plot: Fantasy
Time of work: An apocalyptic future
Locale: Unspecified
Principal Characters:
Hanley , a victim of warThe nurse , also known as the saint, who loves HanleyThe general , who orders Hanley's flaying
The Story
Hanley has been flayed by the enemy and is unable to find anyone to love him; not even his wife and children will spend time with him because he is raw, and he will never be any better. Only one nurse, known as the saint, stays with him and applies blood retardant to his flesh. Although he does not find the woman pretty, he does find her saintly. He asks her to love him, to possess him. She says that she will perhaps love him if sometime she finds out that she must.
The narrator recalls how Hanley's flaying occurred. He was sleeping in a trench when soldiers found him and brought him back to their camp to serve as an example of what happens to infiltrators. When Hanley was taken to the general's tent, he captivated the general, who caressed his skin, saying that he had a beautiful face. He apparently performed a sexual act with his prisoner. When Hanley was led out for his punishment, the general told the men who carry the knives to spare Hanley here and there because he could be his own son. Hanley's face and genitals were spared but the rest of his skin was flayed and hung on the barbed wire. Hanley was left to die, but after the enemy retreated, he was taken by his own unit to the hospital, where he met the nurse.
After some time passes, the nurse agrees to make love with Hanley. While they are in bed, he decides he does not miss his wife and children; in fact, he does not even miss his skin. The nurse, meanwhile, whispers to Hanley that she cannot live without him, after he wakes her to apply some blood retardant on his body.
Hanley soon recognizes that he wants more from the saintly nurse. He is in love and is loved, and wonders why that is not enough. The nurse replies that nothing is ever enough. After making love, Hanley recognizes that even sexual intimacy is not enough; it is only a metaphor for what he wants.
At the close of the war, the general is made mayor of the capital city by the occupying forces, and then he is elected senator and made a trustee of three nuclear arms conglomerates. Despite his achievements, he feels an absence. He longs for Hanley: "I wake in the night and see your face. . . . You could have been my son. . . . I can endure no more. I am possessed by you."
Hanley finally recognizes what it is that he wants from the saint: He asks for her skin. Feeling resigned, even satisfied, she consents. Hanley, for a brief moment, feels completely fulfilled. Just as the general gazed deeply into his eyes, traced the lines of his eyebrows, and pressed his palms lightly against his forehead before he ordered Hanley's skin to be removed, so too Hanley, wearing the saint's skin, now gazes deeply into her eyes, traces the lines of her eyebrows gently, and presses his palms lightly against her forehead.
Hanley's happiness soon shifts to sadness and tears because he recognizes that despite the love he feels from the saint, there can never be possession, only desire.