Anatol Ludwig Stiller

Anatol Ludwig Stiller (AN-ah-tohl LEWT-vihg SHTIH-lehr) is an enigmatic sculptor plagued by a profound identity crisis. After a seven-year hiatus, he returns to Switzerland, claiming to be an American, James Larkin White. However, he is recognized as the missing Zurich artist, Anatol Ludwig Stiller. At the urging of his defense attorney, Stiller writes seven notebooks chronicling his life to navigate his tumultuous past. His involvement in the Spanish Civil War as a young man haunts him, as he perceives his actions there as cowardly.

Stiller yearns to be someone he is not, trapped by insecurity and an uncertain sense of identity. Despite being imaginative, charming, and capricious, his artistic output remains mediocre. He often engages in art discussions with peers, yet his marriage to Julika, a distant and aloof dancer, is fraught with challenges. Following a brief affair with Sibylle, Rolf's wife, he flees to America for a fresh start but eventually returns to Switzerland to reluctantly accept his old identity. He and Julika move to a farmhouse where he becomes a potter. Two years later, Julika dies, leaving Stiller alone, contemplating whether his silence signifies self-acceptance or despair.

Stiller's journey is a quest for freedom and self-acceptance. He attempts to cast himself as a hero but repeatedly falls short, ensnared by his own ideals. His efforts to reshape Julika lead to her symbolic demise, and through introspection, he confronts his failures. Ultimately, he retreats from the world, embodying the novel's central theme of identity and self-realization.

Julika Stiller-Tschudy

Julika Stiller-Tschudy (YEW-lih-kah SHTIH-lehr-TSHEW-dee) is a graceful ballet dancer who embodies both beauty and reserve. Her physique is more reminiscent of a boy's than a woman's, with "bluish-green eyes like the edges of colorless window-glass," thin lips, and sharply plucked eyebrows that give her a perpetually surprised look. Her striking red hair and alabaster skin captivate many, yet she remains emotionally distant.

Julika is successful in her art, providing primary financial support in the Stiller-Tschudy household. Her taciturn nature and inability to express herself verbally create a barrier between her and Stiller, who molds her into a "graven image." She conceals her serious illnesses from Stiller until the last moment, retreating into silent suffering. Despite a temporary cure at Davos, she succumbs to tuberculosis two years after Stiller's return, illustrating her tragic inability to free herself from the role of victimhood in her marriage.

Julika's narrative underscores her struggle against the constraints imposed by Stiller and her own reticence. Her inability to assert her independence and break free from her imposed role results in her untimely demise, reinforcing the novel's exploration of freedom and identity.

Rolf

Rolf, the public prosecutor in Stiller's case, is a model of sensibility and duty, contrasting starkly with Stiller's tumultuous nature. Their conversations in Stiller's prison cell develop into a lasting friendship even after Stiller's release. Rolf's theoretical views on marriage, advocating for privacy and freedom, collapse under his wife's infidelity. Ironically, Sibylle, his wife, falls for Stiller, yet Rolf remains nonjudgmental and empathetic, surpassing Stiller's defense counsel in understanding.

The prosecutor's equanimity and tolerance elude Stiller, and in a postscript to Stiller's notebooks, Rolf records the events following Stiller's release, offering a perspective grounded in reality. Rolf's journey involves confronting his false persona and realizing that freedom must coexist with commitment. His reconciliation with Sibylle, after her search for independence in America, testifies to the complex dynamics of freedom and fidelity.

Sibylle

Sibylle (sih-BIHL-leh), Rolf's wife, is a dark-haired woman in her late twenties and the mother of a young boy named Hannes. Initially, she uses flirtations to provoke Rolf, but her...