Des Esseintes' craze for artifice in Against Nature by HuysmansIn J.-K Huysmans Against Nature, Des Esseintes rebels against his family, his religion and Parisian society to establish an identity of his own. He perceives this rejection of the truistic self as the development of individuality when in reality it is only a self arising from his reaction to the overstimulated public. By decorating his home with eccentric objects, he wrongly believes he can distance himself from ordinary mortals. When he finds new objects to focus on, he is able to deposit his emotions and instill them into the object. Des Esseintes claims to be a rare individual; through his odd purchases and decorum, he thinks he is himself. As Des Esseintes becomes more and more neurotic, objects begin to drain the life out of him and begin to take on a life of their own. Through this exchange of energy, Esseintes hopes to obtain a distinct personality, independent of that of mass society. His perversion and manipulation of natural objects reflect his need to create a fantastic world, an unrealistic world where he can escape the harsh realities of his childhood and where he will be “protected from the raging Parisians”1. This retirement can only last for so long before Des Esseintes realizes that he cannot survive without being part of society; he returns to Parisian life to escape his past and avoid his own apparent afflictions which will disappear when he conforms to society's norms. In response to a desensitized Parisian lifestyle and a monotonous upbringing, Des Esseintes created ideal settings that would stimulate his “overworked senses”2. Des Esseintes was born into a consanguineous family. This ...... middle of paper ...... uh, his interaction with Parisians and because of his religious origin. The city offers him an atmosphere of comfort because he doesn't have to make his own decisions, the general public does it for him. In town, he has the comfort of steering. He therefore turned to the public and Parisian society to help him define and construct a simple mass identity.Notes1. Huysmans, J.-K., Contre Nature, trans. Robert Baldick (New York: Penguin Books, 1959). 24.2. Huysmans, 23.3. Huysmans, 17.4. Huysmans, 245. Huysmans, 18.6. Huysmans, 26.7. Ibid.8. Huysmans, 21.9. Huysmans, 23 years old; 27.10. Huysmans, 31.11. Huysmans, 39.12. Huysmans, 38 years old; 36.13. Huysmans, 32.14. Huysmans, 37h15. Huysmans, 27.16. Huysmans, 63.17. Huysmans, 66.18. Huysmans, 67.19. Ibid.20. Huysmans, 68.21. Huysmans, 30.