House of Incest: Analysis of Major Characters
"House of Incest" is a novella that explores complex emotional and erotic relationships through its major characters, who each embody distinct themes of love, desire, and self-identity. The narrator, who can be seen as a reflection of Anaïs Nin, introduces readers to her intimate yet tumultuous relationship with Sabina, a character who represents both passion and illusion, revealing the paradox of love without the ability to fully embrace it. The character of Jeanne is portrayed as a conflicted figure, grappling with her obsessive love for her brother while being trapped by her own insecurities and physical limitations. Another character, known as the paralytic, symbolizes the struggle of expressing the depth of human experience, highlighting the inadequacy of language to convey true emotion. The modern Christ character serves as an empath, suffering from heightened sensitivity that leaves him vulnerable to the pains of others. The narrative culminates with the dancer, who, after losing her arms in a desperate grasp for love, ultimately finds a path to recovery and evolution, seeking connections that transcend mere self-love. The interplay of these characters provides a rich tapestry that invites readers to reflect on the nuances of desire and the quest for authentic connection.
House of Incest: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Anaïs Nin
First published: 1936
Genre: Novella
Locale: Indeterminate
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: No particular time
The narrator, easily taken for Anaïs Nin herself. The narrator identifies herself in a poetic and mysterious fashion before introducing the novella's other characters and, ultimately, the House of Incest. She is much more than a bystander throughout the work; for example, she describes her highly erotic relationship with Sabina.
Sabina, the narrator's lover, though the physical consummation of their love is not made explicit. Sabina is portrayed as the complementary missing half of the narrator, capable of all the passions except love, whereas the narrator is capable only of love. Sabina is also a liar; she lies even to herself. She is still essentially innocent and needs the illusions she spins in order to survive psychologically.
Jeanne, a simultaneously imperious and crippled figure fascinated by her image in the mirror and tortured by the fact that she is in love with her brother.
The paralytic, a writer unable to record a single word because of the inherent failure of language to record accurately the full complexity of his inner life.
The modern Christ, an empath so sensitive to other people that he has been essentially flayed alive, “crucified by his own nerves for all our neurotic sins.”
The dancer, the novella's concluding figure. The dancer once lost her arms for clutching too firmly at everything she loved. Her arms are returned to her, and she dances toward an escape route from the House of Incest, seeking forms of love in which people do not merely love themselves in another.