In the Labyrinth: Analysis of Major Characters
"In the Labyrinth: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the intricate relationships and dynamics between key figures in a war-torn setting, specifically focusing on a lone soldier navigating a snowy northern French city just before an invasion. Lacking a name and physical description, the soldier represents anonymity and universal struggle as he grapples with the weight of his mission—delivering the belongings of a deceased comrade to a possibly grieving father. His journey introduces us to several pivotal characters, including a compassionate woman who aids him with food and shelter, and her son, a young boy eager to assist the soldier despite his mother's concerns.
The narrative also features a lame man, who may be dodging military duty, and a doctor who offers medical support but remains emotionally distant. Each character embodies different responses to the chaos of war, highlighting themes of survival, duty, and human connection. The interactions among these figures provide a lens through which readers can explore the complexities of loyalty and the impact of conflict on personal relationships. This analysis invites those interested in character studies and the human experience in wartime to delve deeper into the narrative's poignant exploration of its characters and their intertwining fates.
In the Labyrinth: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Alain Robbe-Grillet
First published: Dans le labyrinthe, 1959 (English translation, 1960)
Genre: Novel
Locale: A French city
Plot: New novel
Time: World War II
A lone soldier, a figure who arrives late at night in a snowy northern French city, just ahead of invading enemy troops. He has no name, and no physical description is provided. He spends one night in a barracks, or aid station, where he exchanges his wet uniform for a dry one. The number on the new uniform, now his only identifying mark, is 12,345. He also is treated for fever by an army medic. He is carrying the effects of a dead comrade and is to give them to a man about fifty years old who may or may not be the dead soldier's father. He sees a man of approximately the right age but is fearful of speaking to him. He spends much of his time either looking for a street whose name he cannot remember or in a café. Hanging on the wall of the café is a graphic representation of a café scene. The soldier is able to pass with ease from one to the other. It is in the café that he sees two people who will be part of his story: the boy and the woman.
The woman, a figure who has dark hair and lives in an apartment building into which the soldier stumbles while looking for directions for how to find the street where he is supposed to meet his dead comrade's father. She is also a barmaid, or waitress, in the café and the mother of the boy. She takes pity on the soldier and gives him bread and wine. In the same apartment lives a lame man. In the original French, the womanandthelamemanusetheformal vous when speaking to each other, instead of the more informal, and normal, tu. The lame man addresses the soldier as tu.
Thelameman, a man old enough to be in active service, particularly so because it is wartime. He probably is feigning lameness to avoid military service. He cannot help the soldier find the street he is seeking but tells him about the barracks, or aid station, where he can spend the night. He offers the boy's services as a guide.
The boy, a youth approximately ten to twelve years old. He wears a beret and a cape. He already has met the soldier and is willing to guide him, even against his mother's wishes. He questions the soldier about everything but receives no answers.
The doctor, a man in his fifties who could be the dead comrade's father. He is bald and carries a combination cane and umbrella. He saw the soldier during the soldier's wanderings but never spoke to him. His only actual contact with the soldier, other than simple recognition by sight, is when he gives medical aid to the soldier after the latter is shot by an enemy patrol.
The narrator, who is impossible to identify textually. The narrator speaks in the first person only at the very beginning and the very end of the novel.