The Planetarium: Analysis of Major Characters

Author: Nathalie Sarraute

First published: Le Planetarium, 1959 (English translation, 1960)

Genre: Novel

Locale: Unspecified, but probably Paris

Plot: Psychological realism

Time: The late 1950's

Alain Guimiez (ah-LAYN gee-MYEHZ), an aspiring young writer, snobbish, insecure, and overly anxious to impress. At twenty-seven years of age, he has not completed his doctoral dissertation or established himself professionally, but he covets the trappings of success. Living in a tiny efficiency apartment, he envies his aunt's five-room apartment in a fashionable neighborhood. When, in a thoughtless moment, his aunt suggests an exchange, Alain first hesitates but soon greedily pictures himself entertaining friends in spacious surroundings. When his wife urges practicality and a teaching position, he sneers at “bourgeois” values and seeks solace from Germaine Lemaire. An established writer, she has praised his work and so flattered him that he has memorized her exact words. When she encourages him, she becomes the standard by which he lives. He acts ashamed of his father in her presence, questions his wife's taste, and even submits his own expertise in art to her approval. Blinded by her aura of superiority, only occasionally does he glimpse her need for adulation. In rare moments, he sees her as ordinary, almost vulgar, but he cannot relinquish his faith because of his almost total lack of confidence in himself.

Gisèle Guimiez (zhee-ZEHL), Alain's wife, who clings to her husband but also is still dependent on her mother. Gisèle adores her husband but worries about their future and about Alain's lack of ambition. She tries to keep the peace between Alain and her mother, but sometimes she does not know which of the two to trust. Like Alain, she is concerned about appearances, wants his aunt's apartment for the same reasons, likes expensive antiques for their ability to impress, and is flattered by Germaine Lemaire's interest in her husband.

Aunt Berthe (behrt), Alain's aunt, an elderly, lonely woman obsessed with the details of redecorating her apartment. Until now, her major concern has been whether the oval door she has installed fits in with the rest of the decor. Now, with the apartment itself at stake, she panics, suspecting everyone. Ultimately, however, she fears losing Alain, whom she regards as a son, more than losing the apartment. As she spoiled him as a boy, she yields now, promising him her fortune as well at her death. Abandoned by her husband years earlier, she cannot bear another desertion, another enemy.

Germaine Lemaire (zhehr-MEHN leh-MAYR), an established writer and a Parisian celebrity. With aristocratic mannerisms and a false accent, she tries to replace beauty with style. A queen adored by vassals, she exults in being surrounded by young admirers. Meeting Alain's father, she exercises all of her self-control to hide her insecurity. Not a follower, he looks on her not as a writer but as a woman, and he finds her woefully lacking. In his gaze, she feels ugly and shapeless. When critics describe her work as waxlike, she rereads her favorite passage to restore her confidence. Following such attacks, she acts more imperious than ever, gloating in the power she holds over youth. When Alain accuses another writer of vanity, Germaine proclaims all authors guilty of such excesses, claiming that just such weaknesses account for their uniqueness.

Pierre Guimiez, Alain's father, a widower, proud of having early introduced his son to intellectual pursuits but considering him now led astray by the coddling of his aunt, the frivolity of Gisèle, and the superficiality of Germaine Lemaire. He intercedes with his sister in the matter of the apartment but is ashamed of appearing the villain. When Berthe ensures Alain's future, Pierre is primarily relieved to have the burden of responsibility removed from his shoulders.