Jean Des Esseintes

Jean Des Esseintes, pronounced (day zeh-SAHNT), is the sole focal point of Against the Grain, a novel described by Oscar Wilde as "a psychological study of a certain young Parisian." As the last descendant of a declining French aristocratic family, Des Esseintes embodies the hereditary enfeeblement and luxury-induced decadence that plagued his lineage. At thirty, he is characterized by anemia and neurasthenia—a nineteenth-century term for a highly sensitive constitution—plagued by both real and imagined ailments.

Having exhausted the pleasures and vices that common society offers, Des Esseintes seeks retreat in splendid isolation, consumed by a desire to surround himself with human artifice and the best of man-made creations. He employs two servants to manage his domestic needs and consults a doctor for his ailments, yet remains the only authentic presence within his constructed world. His tastes are eccentric, favoring artificial creations over natural ones, and he exhibits a particular fondness for exotic and carnivorous flora.

Des Esseintes’s cultural preferences reflect his decadence; his admiration lies with painters like Gustave Moreau, known for exotic portrayals of femmes fatales, and poets such as Charles Baudelaire and Stéphane Mallarmé, pioneers of the Decadent style and Symbolism respectively. He reveres the prose poem as the ideal literary form and is drawn to works of moral perversity, exemplified by authors like Jules-Amédée Barbey d’Aurevilly.

This defiance of convention extends to his personal life, where even his health issues become a canvas for his eccentricity. Warned by his doctor that indulgence may prove fatal, an amusing misinterpretation of the doctor’s dietary advice leads Des Esseintes to perversely relish the idea of consuming nourishment through an enema. This act epitomizes his commitment to living "against the grain" of societal norms, a rebellion he ultimately tempers with the reluctant acceptance of his health’s demands.

Des Esseintes's relationship with religion is complex; he contemplates joining a monastery, yet his reconciliation with the Church is not out of belief in its truths but admiration for its grand impossibility. This final act of backhanded reverence marks the culmination of his journey through a life spent in cerebral rebellion.

Mme Des Esseintes

Mme Des Esseintes, the mother of Jean, is a significant yet shadowy presence in his life. Her existence is characterized by reclusion and aversion to light, choosing to spend her days confined within the dim confines of her chateau. This seclusion echoes in the son’s own retreat into isolation. Her untimely death while Jean was still young adds to the layers of his eccentricities and complex personality.

M. Des Esseintes

M. Des Esseintes, Jean's father, is an aloof figure who resides in Paris and makes only occasional visits to his family. His detachment and the infrequency of his presence suggest a familial disconnect that perhaps contributes to Jean’s later decision to live a life of solitude. Like his wife, he too dies during Jean's youth, leaving a void that influences Jean’s development and fateful choices.

Minor Characters

Several minor characters intersect with Jean Des Esseintes's narrative, each leaving a distinct imprint on his psyche. Miss Urania, an enigmatic presence, haunts Jean due to her stark difference from the artificial world he cherishes. Her natural essence starkly contrasts with his fondness for perfumed and artificial scents, represented by the violet candies, which act as aphrodisiacs.

Another notable figure is the petite ventriloquist, described as possessing brown hair and a delicacy surpassing even that of the acrobat. Her strangeness complements the oddities that populate Jean's life. Additionally, the syphilitic woman epitomized as the "bulldog" becomes an object of Jean’s dread. His fixation on syphilis and its hereditary passage from one generation to the next manifests in troubling dreams of disease-ravaged women, symbolizing his deep-seated fears.

Ultimately, these characters, though peripheral, influence Jean’s inward journey, highlighting his inability to affect others as profoundly as they impact him.