Tropic of Cancer

Tropic of Cancer (1934) was Henry Miller’s third novel after the never-published Clipped Wings (1922) and Moloch: or, This Gentile World (1928). Miller referred to it as his “Paris book,” and it was wildly controversial for its candid depictions of sex. It was the subject of legal disputes and censorship attempts for decades, though ironically it has never been out of print. Tropic of Cancer brings together various genres, including autobiography, memoir, manifesto, and philosophical tract. It also incorporates elements of the Surrealist and Dadaist movements, though Miller makes it clear throughout Tropic of Cancer that he does not want to be associated with any organized systems of thought or expression; in one of his epiphanic realizations, he says, “Who that has a desperate, hungry eye can have the slightest regard for these existent government, laws, codes, principles, ideals, ideals, totems, and taboos?” (249). As such, Tropic of Cancer was both participating in and actively detaching itself from the literary and political landscape in which it was written.

This guide refers to the 1961 Grove Press edition of Tropic of Cancer.

Note: To distinguish between the author and the narrator, the author will be referred to as “Miller” and the narrator will be referred to as “Henry.”

Content Warning: The source text contains depictions of antisemitism, anti-Black, anti-Chinese, and anti-Indian/anti-Hindu stereotypes and language. It also contains depictions of misogynistic language, domestic abuse, and alcohol abuse.

Plot Summary

Henry, an American expatriate and aspiring writer, is living in Paris with his friend, Boris. In a stream-of-consciousness reflection, he describes his authorial aspirations, introduces many of his Parisian acquaintances, and describes some women he has had sex with. He is impoverished and often poor to the point of starvation, but he remains hopeful that he can someday produce meaningful literature. He also remembers his estranged wife, Mona, with a mixture of love and regret.

After he and Boris are evicted from the Villa Borghese, Henry relies more frequently on the kindness of others for food and shelter. He lives briefly with a Russian named Serge and an Indian pearl merchant named Nanantatee, but these conditions end disastrously. Between rambling philosophical monologues and dreamy fantasies, he spends time with his friends Carl and Van Norden. When Henry finally gets a job as a newspaper proofreader, it does not pay well, but he is happy with his status. Eventually, however, he is laid off and moves in with a new friend, an artist named Kruger. Through Kruger, he meets another artist, Mark Swift, and two Americans, a wealthy diplomat named Fillmore and a sailor named Collins. He and Fillmore visit Collins in the port city of Le Havre, where they drink and carouse with sex workers. After they return to Paris, Henry and Fillmore move in together and are joined briefly by a woman named Macha who claims to be an exiled Russian princess.

With no prospects in Paris, Henry takes a non-paying job as an English teacher in the city of Dijon, but he hates the isolated, provincial settlement and does not like his fellow teachers or his students, so he soon returns to Paris without notice. Upon arriving, he discovers that Fillmore has impregnated an abusive Frenchwoman named Ginette, who is trying to manipulate Fillmore into marrying her. Henry helps Fillmore escape to America by way of London. Having kept some of Fillmore’s money as a reward for himself, Henry is once again alone in Paris, peacefully contemplating the Seine.