Living in Sin

Adrienne Rich

Living in Sin

Adrienne Rich
17 pages34-minute read
Fiction
Poem
Adult
Published in 1954

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

An unnamed woman living in a studio apartment with her romantic partner. She manages the domestic chores, dealing with dirty windowpanes, leftover cheese, and a boiling coffee pot. She experiences fluctuating emotions, feeling dissatisfied and burdened by her reality in the morning before feeling love again by the evening.

Key Relationships

Romantic partner of The Man

Silent observer of The Beetle

Disturbed by The Milkman

The unnamed male partner who resides with the woman in their shared apartment. He possesses the freedom to ignore the domestic space, spending his morning yawning, rubbing his beard at the mirror, and shrugging off minor inconveniences. He leaves the apartment to buy cigarettes while the woman stays behind to make the bed and dust.

Key Relationships

Romantic partner of The Woman

Supporting Characters

An insect described as an envoy from a village in the apartment's moldings. It emerges into the light among the scraps of last night's food, forcing a silent interaction with the human resident and representing the unkempt state of the living space.

Key Relationships

Silent observer of The Woman

A daily worker who delivers milk to the apartment building. His heavy, relentless footsteps cause the stairs to writhe and serve as an unavoidable morning alarm for the building's residents.

Key Relationships

Unsettling presence to The Woman