Nightwood: Bow Down Summary & Analysis

The story begins in 1880 when Hedvig Volkbein gives birth to her and her husband’s only child, Felix, on a bed decorated with the Volkbein arms and a valance stamped with the symbol of the House of Hapsburg. She does this “in spite of a well-founded suspicion as to the advisability of perpetuating that race which has the sanction of the Lord and the disapproval of the people.” Immediately after delivering and naming Felix, Hedvig dies. Her husband, Guido Volkbein (senior), unfortunately died six months earlier of a fever. Guido was Jewish and was constantly aware of the fact that his ancestors were victimized by Christian nobility. Still, he held an immense reverence for the nobility and, as he prepared for his first child, hoped that his child would feel the same reverence although it made him (and later Felix) “heavy with impermissible blood.”

Guido chose not to live in a Jewish community but instead decided to strike out on his own in the Christian world. Guido, who was always haunted by his Jewishness, tried to follow Christian practices and even pretended to be a Viennese Baron complete with a fraudulent coat of arms and a made-up list of ancestors. Guido loved Hedvig (who was not Jewish) and tried to imitate her to make himself more like her. Guido was often too enthusiastic in showing deference to anyone even remotely connected to European royalty, which Hedvig picked up on and questioned. Still, Hedvig believed everything Guido told her, including that marrying him made her a baroness. The source of Guido’s large income was a mystery, but he somehow managed to buy an opulent house and decorate it with the best furniture, including two portraits of a couple he claimed were his parents.

When Felix is 30, he seemingly appears out of nowhere and all he knows of his family history is what his aunt was able to tell him. Felix’s personal history, however, is a mystery—he simultaneously seems to have come from everywhere and nowhere. Like his father, Felix goes by Baron Volkbein and nobody knows how he makes his money (although he clearly makes a lot of it). Felix can often be seen driving around wearing clothes that could be fit for either the daytime or the evening. Felix is “the accumulated and single” and, like his father, he’s obsessed with nobility and royalty.

In 1920, Felix shows up in Paris determined to pay homage to all the right things—the right cafes, streets, people, and buildings. He makes a habit of bowing to anyone who looks like they might be important. Felix reads extensively, especially connecting with writers who seemed “alone, apart, and single.” Felix, like other Jews, finds himself having to learn about his own history from the things Christianity has to say about it—Jewish history is like a commodity that a Jew receives during the process of being “rehabilitat[ed]” by a Christian.

Felix develops an intense interest in the circus and spends time with the members of a local one. Felix feels at home with members of the circus because they, too, claim to have titles (such as Princess and King) and try to dazzle the public; with them, Felix doesn’t feel like an outsider. Although he loves the circus and is continually drawn to it, Felix realizes he can’t really know the people in it—he can only wonder at and admire them. Through the Duchess of Broadback (a trapeze artist whose real name is Frau Mann), Felix gets his first opportunity to meet with a real member of the nobility in Berlin, a mysterious man who goes by Count Onatario Altamonte and says he’s “related to every nation.” The Duchess assures Felix that people enjoy themselves at the Count’s house, so Felix decides to go.

When Felix and the Duchess arrive at the Count’s house their host isn’t there, but a middle-aged man named Dr. Matthew O’Connor (an Irish-American gynecologist from California) is speaking to the party about history and legends. The Duchess tries to interrupt him, but Matthew just talks louder until he has time to observe her. Suddenly he bursts into laughter and says he’s suddenly thinking of a circus performer for the Cirque de Paris who used to fight bears wearing nothing but a loin cloth and who was covered from head to foot in tattoos. Felix, who is rather uncomfortable and disappointed with the party, asks Matthew if he is familiar with Vienna. Matthew says he is and talks about watching Viennese children go to and from school, but Felix says he is thinking more about its military and great historical figures.

A young woman doing publicity for the circus comes up and introduces herself as Nora Flood. Matthew abruptly claims to have helped bring Nora into the world. Somewhat disquieted, Felix suddenly bursts into hysterical laughter; although he’s embarrassed and unable to stop himself, nobody else notices. Eventually, Felix stops laughing and looks directly at the doctor, who declares that Felix will be disappointed—the doctor isn’t a poet or a friar, nor does he have a cure-all for people’s problems. Matthew tells Felix that all any man really wants is to find someone that he can lie to, or a woman that he loves so much that she can get away with lying to him. Felix says he isn’t thinking of women and starts to leave, but Matthew stops him and offers Felix a drink. Felix declines and says he never drinks. The doctor says he will one day.

Matthew tells Felix that the Catholic church is like the girl you love so much she can lie to you, and the Protestant church is like the girl who loves you so much that you can lie to her. The Protestant church hires men who can speak eloquently to the congregation. A Catholic priest, however, tells stories that everyone is familiar with, which makes the Catholic church more comforting. Felix interrupts and says he likes the story of a prince who was reading a book when he was called to be executed. The prince left a bookmark in his book when the executioner came for him. Matthew says the prince “is man living in his miracle.” Nora comments that they argue over sorrow and confusion too easily. Matthew replies that there’s no pure sorrow—it’s easy for anyone to experience short-term sorrow, but difficult to keep it for long.

Matthew shares a story about being in a small town during a wartime bombardment. He ran to a cellar to find safety and found a Breton woman, her cow, and someone from Dublin inside. As the bombs went off, Matthew listened to the person from Dublin pray and noticed that the cow was trembling. A flash from a bomb lit up the room and Matthew noticed the cow had tears in her eyes, so he tried to comfort her even though it seemed like she had gone somewhere very far away. Returning to the present, Matthew offers Felix another drink and Felix again refuses. Matthew assures him that he’ll drink one day and then shares a story about meeting an executioner once. The room suddenly goes quiet as the Count walks in with a young girl. Without greeting anyone, the Count tells everyone to get out.

As Felix, Matthew, and the Duchess leave, Felix asks what the party meant. The Duchess explains that Felix has just had a short audience with greatness. Felix asks if the man was really nobility. In reply, the Duchess asks if anyone is who they say they are. She proposes that they should all go to a bar, but Felix asks to be let out of the carriage. At the bar, Matthew expresses his interest in Felix and says he wants to meet him again one day to talk to him some more. Frau Mann says Felix would enjoy Matthew’s stories about the Wittelsbach because Felix loves nobility. Matthew abruptly says he doesn’t want to talk about that and describes his family, all of whom were beautiful. When Matthew notices that Frau Mann has nodded off, he slips out, telling the waiter she’ll pay the bill.