# Aissa — An Outcast of the Islands character guide > Aissa in An Outcast of the Islands by Joseph Conrad. **Role:** major **Also known as:** the silent Aissa **First appearance:** 0003-an-outcast-of-the-islands ## Snapshot A passionate Malay woman whose fierce love for Willems becomes both his refuge and his captivity, binding him to a world he cannot belong to. ## Who they are Aissa gives Willems a devotion so absolute it terrifies him, demanding daily proof of a love she suspects is built on lies. She has no people of her own and clings to him with a jealousy sharpened by fear of the white women she imagines waiting in his past. Her hold on him, at once tender and unyielding, makes her the force that keeps him from escaping the consequences of his betrayal. ## Relationships ### [Willems](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/characters/willems) _romantic_ Aissa is passionately obsessed with Willems, but their relationship is destructive and based on mutual manipulation and desperation. ### [Captain Lingard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/characters/captain_lingard) _rivalry_ Aissa views Lingard as an enemy who threatens her relationship with Willems and her people's autonomy. ### [Willems](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/characters/willems) _romantic_ Aissa is passionately obsessed with Willems, but their relationship is destructive and based on mutual manipulation and desperation. ### [Willems](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/characters/willems) _romantic_ Aissa is passionately obsessed with Willems, but their relationship is destructive and based on mutual manipulation and desperation. ### [Captain Lingard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/characters/captain_lingard) _rivalry_ Aissa views Lingard as an enemy who threatens her relationship with Willems and her people's autonomy. ### [Captain Lingard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/characters/captain_lingard) _rivalry_ Aissa views Lingard as an enemy who threatens her relationship with Willems and her people's autonomy. ## In the story ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/chapters/part-i-v) Omar's daughter, who helped carry him to safety after the destruction of their stronghold. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/chapters/part-i-vi) First appearance; a graceful woman carrying water in the forest; her glance deeply affects Willems. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/chapters/part-i-vii) Gradually tames Willems through her presence and touch; represents the primitive and irresistible force of nature and passion. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/chapters/part-ii-i) Referenced as the object of Willems' obsessive love; she has left him two days prior and is reportedly staying in Lakamba's campong. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/chapters/part-ii-ii) Acts with fierce obedience to Babalatchi's command, then is carried by Willems into the house, her violent impulses central to the scene. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/chapters/part-ii-iv) Appears veiled against Willems' wishes, highlighting the cultural divide; her desires and actions drive Willems' turmoil. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/chapters/part-ii-v) Greets Abdulla briefly and later sits with Willems by the fire. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/chapters/part-ii-vi) Protects Willems from her father Omar; then engages in a tender reunion with Willems, but becomes angry and defiant when he expresses a wish to leave. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/chapters/part-iii-i) Willems's companion, described as devoted and isolated; her dramatic behavior on Abdulla's ship is noted. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/chapters/part-iii-iii) Present during the humiliation, clapping and taunting Almayer, and later retrieving the key to the storehouse. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/chapters/part-iv-iii) Pleads with Lingard, expressing her obsessive love for Willems and her fear of losing him. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/chapters/part-iv-iv) Anxious and desperate, Aissa tries to grasp the meaning of the men's foreign words, her wild eyes reflecting her incomprehension and fear. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/chapters/part-iv-v) Defiantly defends Willems and verbally attacks Lingard, accusing him of lies. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/chapters/part-v-iii) Aissa follows Willems with devotion, pleading for his love and forgiveness. She remembers their past and her surrender, but Willems's rejection leaves her desolate. She is the victim of her heart, believing in love's permanence. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/chapters/part-v-iv) Devastated by the discovery of Willems' wife and child, Aissa feels betrayed and humiliated, expressing her anguish and jealousy with fierce intensity. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/characters/aissa - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_outcast_of_the_islands_se/characters