# Rastignac — A Daughter of Eve character guide

> Rastignac in A Daughter of Eve by Honoré de Balzac.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** M. de Rastignac

**First appearance:** 0001-a-daughter-of-eve

## Snapshot

An ambitious young nobleman who has learned to navigate Paris by charm and calculation, moving easily between the opera, the salon, and the corridors of power.

## Who they are

Rastignac is the socialite whose ease in every milieu makes him both useful and opaque, a man who knows the Countess's box at the opera and the banker's private calculations with equal familiarity. He is the friend everyone calls on and no one quite trusts, his ambition smoothed over by perfect manners and an instinct for being present when things happen. In the early arc he functions as a barometer of Parisian opinion, the man whose casual remarks reveal how the city reads the Vandenesse marriage and how quickly reputations can shift.

## Relationships

### [Raoul Nathan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_eve_se/characters/raoul_nathan)

_friendship_

Raoul Nathan and Rastignac are fellow social climbers and friends, often collaborating in Parisian high society and political intrigues.

### [Raoul Nathan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_eve_se/characters/raoul_nathan)

_friendship_

Raoul Nathan and Rastignac are fellow social climbers and friends, often collaborating in Parisian high society and political intrigues.

## In the story

### [A Man of Note](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_eve_se/chapters/iv-a-man-of-note)

Joins Nathan and Blondet for supper after the concert; participates in mocking Marie and urges Nathan to pursue the opportunity.

### [Florine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_eve_se/chapters/v-florine)

Formerly a guest at Florine's salon, mentioned among the 'diabolic legion' of egotists.

### [Suicide](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_eve_se/chapters/vii-suicide)

Leans on Nathan politically while maneuvering behind the scenes with du Tillet and Nucingen.

### [IX: A Husband’s Triumph](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_eve_se/chapters/ix-a-husband-s-triumph)

Provides Félix with information about Nathan's affairs.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_eve_se/characters/rastignac
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_eve_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_daughter_of_eve_se/characters