The Confession of a Fool: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Confession of a Fool" offers a complex examination of its major characters, primarily through the lens of Axel, the narrator and protagonist. Axel, a librarian and aspiring playwright in his late twenties, embarks on an autobiographical journey that spans over a decade, revealing his intense obsession with Marie, a Baroness trapped in an unhappy marriage. Initially idealizing Marie as a pure figure, Axel's perspective shifts as he grapples with jealousy, paranoia, and the fear that her affections may be motivated by ambition rather than love. The Baron, Marie's first husband, is depicted as a disillusioned man, engaged in self-destructive behavior and infidelity, while Matilda, Marie's cousin, serves as a superficial foil, further complicating the dynamics among the characters. As Axel's mental state deteriorates, leading to a tragic unraveling of his marriage, the narrative raises profound questions about love, trust, and the nature of reality. This character-driven analysis invites readers to engage with themes of obsession, ambition, and the subjective nature of truth, making it a rich exploration for anyone interested in psychological narratives.
The Confession of a Fool: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: August Strindberg
First published: Die Beichte eines Toren, 1893; Le Plaidoyer d'un fou, 1895 (English translation, 1912; also as A Madman's Defense, 1967, and A Madman's Manifesto, 1971)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Stockholm, Sweden
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: The 1870's and the 1880's
Axel, the narrator of the novel and its protagonist. At the book's outset, he is in his late twenties, and his narrative, an autobiographical account of his first marriage, follows him through his early forties. Axel is a librarian at the Royal Stockholm Library, as well as an aspiring, and eventually successful, playwright. A small but intense man, he is interested primarily in scientific and aesthetic pursuits. He also may suffer from acute paranoia, and thus his chronicle forces the reader to question whether the novel is an accurate presentation of the facts or the lunatic ravings of a man who is, or is going, insane. Axel's problems begin when he is introduced to Marie, a Baroness with whom he immediately becomes obsessed. At first he idealizes her, imagining her to be a chaste, Madonna-like figure, and he shuns the thought of any romantic inclinations toward her. As it becomes clear that the Baroness is unhappy in her marriage to Baron Gustav—even so far as to condone the Baron's illicit affair with her young cousin, Matilda—Axel finds himself sexually attracted to her. He becomes so infatuated with her that the thought of living without her drives him to attempt suicide. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, the attempt fails, the Baroness's marriage collapses, and she and Axel become lovers and marry. Axel idealizes the beginning of their marriage just as he initially idealized the Baroness herself. His romantic bliss is soon shattered, however, when he begins to suspect that Marie had ulterior motives for marrying him. She has ambitions of becoming an actress, and because Axel has had some success as a playwright, he wonders if she married him simply to further her career. Furthermore, he imagines that she may have married him for what little money he has, because the Baron, despite his noble title, is in fact broke. These suspicions lead Axel to believe that Marie does not love him and that, therefore, she must be unfaithful. He becomes jealous of anyone or anything to which she devotes her time, even her dog. Axel is able, for very brief intervals, to cast aside his suspicions and to picture Marie as a loving and devoted wife. His doubts finally become so intense that he suspects Marie, who is conscious of his passionate love for her as well as his pathological jealousy, of trying to drive him mad with her constant flirtations. By the novel's conclusion, Axel's paranoia reaches such a crescendo that his marriage dissolves, and he resolves upon completion of his memoir to commit suicide.
Marie, a Baroness who leaves her husband to marry Axel. She is a petite, beautiful woman in her early thirties. If Axel's early narrative is to be trusted, she has an angelic quality. She is unhappy with her marriage to Baron Gustav because he is both poor and unfaithful but especially because she wishes to pursue her consuming passion to be an actress. Her marriage to Axel allows her to pursue this career, which falters either because she cannot act or because Axel, afraid of losing her and resentful of her success, does not offer sufficient help. If Axel's narrative is to be trusted, and this is doubtful, she is an adulteress, fickle to the extreme, a spendthrift, an unfit mother, and a bisexual. Moreover, he claims that she is intent on driving him insane with her flirtations. It appears that she really does care very little about motherhood and that she may have had one affair (among the hundreds of which she is accused), but given Axel's state of mind, it is impossible to be certain.
Gustav, a Baron, Marie's first husband. At thirty years of age, he is disappointed with his life and seems intent on dissipating in drinking, gambling, and womanizing. A Baron in title only, he has lost his fortune. He maintains his marriage to Marie merely for the sake of appearances; he is having an affair with Matilda, Marie's eighteen-year-old cousin. Marie eventually divorces him and marries Axel.
Matilda, Marie's pretty but empty-headed young cousin. When Axel is first invited to the home of the Baron and Baroness, he supposes that Matilda is Marie's companion. He eventually learns, however, that Matilda is invited there to continue her affair with the Baron, who has lost interest in his wife.