# Disillusionment with Society in Against the Grain

> Theme guide for Against the Grain by J.-K. Huysmans.

The protagonist holds a profound contempt for the bourgeoisie, the aristocracy, and the literary world, viewing them as hypocritical, vulgar, and intellectually bankrupt, which drives his misanthropic withdrawal and rejection of modern life.

## Where it surfaces

- [Notice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/notice): Des Esseintes is repulsed by the hypocrisy, triviality, and materialism of Parisian society, leading him to reject both aristocratic circles and literary cliques.
- [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/ii): His hatred of Parisian society, self-made men, and the stupidity of tradesmen drives him to retreat and lock himself away with his books.
- [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/iii): Des Esseintes' rejection of mainstream Latin literature and his retreat into obscure, decadent authors reflect his broader disillusionment.
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/vi): His scheme is motivated by a desire to create an enemy of society, reflecting his deep disillusionment.
- [Chapter IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/ix): Des Esseintes' disdain for the common herd's appreciation of art reflects his broader disillusionment with society and its tastes.
- [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/xi): His vision of London as a 'terrible world of men of business' and a 'ruthless machine' reflects his disillusionment with modern society and its dehumanizing effects.
- [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/xii): Des Esseintes' retreat into his library and his disdain for ordinary life reflect his disillusionment with the outside world.
- [Chapter XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/xiii): Des Esseintes condemns the hypocrisy of laws that both permit and punish birth control, and laments the cruelty of the struggle for existence, seeing no escape from misery for any class.
- [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/xiv): Des Esseintes shrinks from the realities of life and modern society, preferring books and pictures that avoid contemporary subjects.
- [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/xvi): Des Esseintes expresses profound disgust with bourgeois society, its mediocrity, corruption, and the decay of aristocracy, seeing no place for himself in it.
- [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/endnotes): The quoted lines evoke a sense of lost innocence and the haunting nature of memory, aligning with the theme of societal disillusionment.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/themes/disillusionment_with_society
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/themes