The novel Nadja was written by the surrealist André Breton. The original text of Nadja was written in French and published in 1928. Breton's writings in Nadja serve to illustrate the primary concepts of surrealism: the investigation of the unconscious self, automatism and chance combined with the use of metaphors disjunctive and unrelated comparisons. (Licka) The story covers a period of ten days during which the main character André meets a woman named Nadja. Nadja's story is about unconscious relationships, including Breton's relationship with his own subconscious. The main character is implied to be largely autobiographically based on Breton and his own unconscious self-discovery that he sought through surrealism. From the first line “Who am I?” If I had to rely on a proverb, perhaps it would all come down to knowing who I “haunt”. sets the stage for André to define himself. (1) From this opening question until Nadja's introduction, Breton fills the sixty-four pages with random introspection before her arrival; “I had to stop being to be who I am.” (1) He writes about releasing the learned behaviors of everyday life to move the truth of the chaotic moments that make up a daily existence. Much of the Breton lament is expressed by an inability to progress: "I am condemned to retrace my steps under the illusion that I am exploring, condemned to try to learn even a fraction of what I forgot. » (12) The frustration felt by Breton is evident in his writing. He tells the reader from the beginning of the novel about his break with linear thinking: “I will discuss these things in no pre-established order, according to the mood of the moment” (23). ) Additionally, there is an underlying tone of disapproval or normative behavior...... middle of paper ...... He wishes they could reconnect. Nadja is finally interned in a sanatorium. The end of the novel is full of laments about Nadja being the victim of this type of internment: “Unless you have been to a sanatorium, you don't know that people are crazy there. » (139) It is clear that Breton believes that nothing positive comes from institutions which consider them more as a danger to mental health than as a cure. What we must remember from Nadja is not the story itself but Breton's intention in the act of writing the novel. . Nadja is a tale about chance encounters and observations, with Breton's intention expressing much more than one might get in a few quick jokes and conventional story telling. Breton tells the reader “a dream where someone looks like this person in reality”. (15)Breton, André. Nadja. New York: Grove Press;, 1960. Print.