Characters
Albert Camus
Albert Camus (1913–1960) was a renowned French author and thinker who had a
profound impact on Styron's literary work and his contemplation of the human
condition. In the 1930s, Camus managed a theater company and became a prominent
figure in the French Resistance. His notable works include The Plague,
The Fall, The Rebel, and A Happy Death. In 1957, he was
honored with the Nobel Prize in Literature. Styron credits Camus' novel The
Stranger as a major influence on his own book, The Confessions of Nat
Turner, a psychological exploration of an American slave. Additionally,
Styron cites Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus as a source of immense courage
during his personal struggles, encapsulating its message as: "In the absence of
hope, we must struggle to survive—by the skin of our teeth." Romain Gary had
intended to introduce Styron to Camus over dinner, but Camus tragically passed
away in a car accident before they could meet.
Simone del Duca
Simone del Duca, the wife of wealthy Italian immigrant Cino del Duca, is the
namesake of the Prix Mondial Cino del Duca. Styron describes her as "a large
dark-haired woman of queenly manner." She plays a central role in Styron's
emotional crisis while he is in Paris to accept the Prix Mondial Cino del Duca.
During this time, his mental state was deteriorating, and he initially refused,
then agreed, to attend a luncheon with Simone del Duca.
Francoise Gallimard
Gallimard is Styron’s publisher in France. Instead of attending a luncheon held
in his honor with Simone del Duca, Styron arranges a lunch date with
Gallimard.
Romain Gary
Romain Gary, a Lithuanian-born Russian Jew, was a writer and close friend to
both Styron and Camus. His literary works include The Life Before Us,
Promise at Dawn, European Education, Goodbye Gary Cooper,
and Lady L. He was married to actress Jean Seberg. Styron discusses
Gary's life, his battles with depression, and his eventual suicide as a means
to reflect on his own struggles with depression.
Dr. Gold
Dr. Gold, introduced in chapter five, is Styron's psychiatrist who trained at
Yale. Styron compares his interactions with Dr. Gold to Emma Bovary's
relationship with the village priest in Flaubert's novel Madame Bovary.
Just as the priest could not alleviate Madame Bovary's suffering, Dr. Gold
offered Styron only superficial reassurances. Despite meeting with Styron twice
weekly, Dr. Gold's treatment was largely ineffective, focusing primarily on
prescribing antidepressants like Nardil. Gold represents the modern medical
field's impersonal approach to depression, viewing it almost solely as a
physical condition.
Abbie Hoffman
Hoffman was a prominent counter-culture icon and one of the founders of the
Yippies, a group known for their political activism and pranks, notably causing
chaos at the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago. In 1970, Styron testified
on his behalf. Hoffman passed away in 1989 after consuming over 150
phenobarbitals. Styron believes that Hoffman’s death, similar to many other
celebrities and renowned writers he mentions, stemmed from depression and could
have been averted with appropriate treatment and care.
William James
James authored The Varieties of Religious Experience, which Styron
references as an attempt to depict depression, though he finds it unsuccessful
in capturing the true essence of the condition.
Randall Jarrell
Jarrell was an American poet and critic who struggled with depression and mental illness throughout his life. He died in 1965 after being struck by a car. Styron uses Jarrell, much like Hoffman, to exemplify someone who took their own life due to the overwhelming pain of severe depression. Styron discusses the stigma...
(This entire section contains 1231 words.)
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surrounding suicide and how those close to victims often try to portray their deaths differently.
Howard Kushner
Kushner wrote the book Destruction in the Promised Land. In it, the
social historian argues that incomplete mourning is a significant factor
contributing to depression and suicide. Styron reflects on Kushner’s theory to
examine his own childhood and the challenges he faced mourning his mother’s
death, which may have played a role in his adult depression.
Primo Levi
Primo Levi was an Italian author and Auschwitz survivor who died after falling
down a stairwell in Turin in 1987. Levi was reportedly ill and suffering from
depression. Styron, who explored Holocaust survival in his novel Sophie’s
Choice, speculates that Levi’s death was a suicide induced by depression.
He wrote a letter to the New York Times emphasizing that suicide cannot
be fully prevented until people grasp the profound agony experienced by those
with depression. Styron criticizes the intellectual community for dismissing
Levi’s depression as a valid cause of his suicide, arguing that outsiders
cannot truly comprehend the suffering endured by those with depression.
Jean Seberg
Seberg was the wife of Romain Gary and an actress from Iowa who took her own
life after struggling with depression. Styron describes her during her
depressive episodes: ‘‘All her once fragile and luminous blond beauty had
disappeared into a puffy mask. She moved like a sleepwalker, said little, and
had the blank gaze of someone tranquilized . . . nearly to the point of
catalepsy.’’ This portrayal is crucial, as Styron uses it to highlight how an
outsider cannot fully understand what someone with severe depression is
experiencing at the time. His realization of Seberg’s suffering dawns only
after he tries to comprehend his own depression.
Rose Styron
Rose Styron, the author's enduringly patient wife, travels with him to Paris
and remains constantly by his side. The author portrays her as, "The endlessly
patient soul who had become nanny, mommy, comforter, priestess, and, most
important, confidant–a counselor or rocklike centrality to my existence whose
wisdom far exceeded that of Dr. Gold." Notably, Styron never mentions her
physical appearance.
William Styron
William Styron is the protagonist of his own narrative, detailing his struggle
with depression. He recounts the significant events of his depressive episode,
from its onset in October 1985 to the beginning of his recovery in February
1986. At sixty years old, Styron faces the full brunt of his depression,
documenting its impact on his body, his relationships, particularly with his
wife Rose and his friends, and his life. He describes his gradual isolation
from friends and his previous life, his inability to work, and the loss of his
voice and libido. Everything readers learn about other characters is filtered
through Styron's interactions with them. He shifts between being reflective and
nostalgic, wistful and indignant, as he contemplates the debilitating nature of
depression and how it drained all life and hope from him.
Therapist
The unnamed hospital therapist is well-meaning but almost comically inept in
her approach. Styron describes her as "a delirious young woman with a fixed,
indefatigable smile, who was plainly trained at a school offering courses in
Teaching Art to the mentally ill." She is persistently enthusiastic in her
praise of those in group therapy, almost to a ridiculous degree. Her therapy
sessions involve having group members draw pictures and create clay models
based on themes they found interesting. Although Styron felt infantilized by
many of these activities, he eventually "became fond" of her.
Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf, a renowned British feminist and author, also grappled with
depression and severe mood swings. Her notable works include To The
Lighthouse, Mrs. Dalloway, A Wave, and A Room of One’s
Own. Woolf ended her life by drowning herself in the River Ouse. She is
mentioned in Styron’s list of famous writers and artists who succumbed to
suicide due to their depression.