Through the Eyes of the Father: Male Presence and Absence in Nin's Diary Anonymous 12th Grade

The first volume of the Diary of Anais Nin covers four years of her life from 1931 until 1934. During these years, she is swept up in an affair with both Henry Miller and his wife, June, she finally meets her father who abandoned her and her family when she was a child, and she undergoes psychoanalysis for her tendency towards neurosis. She is living in France and writing House of Incest during this portion of her life, although the diary focuses more on the relationships which surround her, whether familial, romantic, or professional (such as the therapy sessions which she regularly attends). This first volume of her diary explains her thoughts and feelings as these events unravel and her changing view of herself as well as the people around her. However, much of Nin’s life is controlled by the men around her and it is only through her diary that she is able to regain power.

Nin's text is a book that is very self-aware, as Nin writes large sections about what is currently happening in her life but also often ties events and experiences back to her childhood. She often mentions and muses on the connection between her diaries, which would typically be considered a medium intended only for personal consumption, and the reality...