Psychology of Nero Wolfe

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Okay, I’m not a psychologist. On the other hand, the Corpulent One is not a real person. So, lighten up. Really, what I want to do is to a little character analysis of Wolfe because casual readers often are a bit confused by his complex personality.

There are several reasons for this confusion. To begin with, everything we know about Wolfe is filtered through the words of Archie Goodwin—another fictional character. It is Archie who narrates the stories and he has his own opinions and prejudices that have to be taken into account. Also, Rex Stout is cagey about not revealing too much at once—he wants to reveal his creations slowly, like a strip tease. Stout wants his readers curious about Wolfe and eager to read the next book. Next, Wolfe’s actions describe whom he is, not what people say about him. And finally, Wolfe himself is often evasive about his past and his true intentions. Yes, he lies! He has a good reason. His past is complicated. Therefore, his character is complicated.

1. He is outrageously fat. He is fat, all right, but at almost six feet tall, 270 doesn’t seem all that freakish. John Dickson Carr’s sleuth, Dr. Fell is much fatter. He waddles around using two canes for support. Wolfe, on the other hand is light on his feet and moves around fast if he needs to. He is also graceful in his movement. This is an example of Archie’s prejudices. Mr. Goodwin is an extremely fit person and he sees physical flaws in everyone and comments on them. His analysis of women can be very critical, for example. Archie also gets a kick out needling Wolfe.

2. Nero Wolfe hates women. This is a big one. He claims to admire their cleverness and adamantly denies hating them. It is clear that he doesn’t trust women and more importantly, distrusts his own judgment concerning them. Mainly, he doesn’t like displays of emotion. Unfortunately, he chose a profession that attracts people who are at the end of their rope, so invariably he is confronted with strong emotions. I believe Wolfe is afraid of his own emotions. In the novel, Over My Dead Body, Wolfe says, “I carry this fat to insulate my feelings. They got too strong for me once or twice and I had that idea.”

3. Nero Wolfe is childish (or immature). At times, he seems to act childishly, true. But, again, you need to take into account that Archie is telling the story. It is like reading a letter from a disgruntled employee. The reader is never taken “behind the scenes” to get Wolfe’s point of view. That’s what make these stories fun. You have to infer a lot from what Archie doesn’t say.

4. Nero Wolfe is a slob. This is an outrageous lie. Nothing could be further from the truth. He is impeccably groomed at all times. He is a snappy dresser. He wears a coat and tie in summer and winter. He changes his canary-yellow shirt halfway through the day to make sure of its freshness. The famous portrait on the back of many of the paperbacks has contributed to this impression. In the painting, Wolfe is slumped, his clothes are wrinkled, his hair is askew and his nose is red and swollen. In fact, he looks like a drunk! It is true that he drinks copious amounts of beer, nevertheless, there are no instances in the stories of Wolfe actually getting drunk. He has been called “handsome” by several characters in various stories. Do you get the impression that I don’t think much of that painting?

Why is our favorite detective so eccentric? The real reason, of course, is because Stout knew that people love to read about extreme characters. They are so much more fun! Alfred Hitchcock liked to say that his films were not “slices of life”, they were “slices of cake”.

That said, there are internal reasons, within the stories, that explain Wolfe’s weird behavior. Figuring out those reasons is also part of the fun.

1. Never leaves house. Of course, it is not true that he never leaves the brownstone. He goes out once a week to a barbershop and, he goes places for what he calls, “personal contingencies.” However, his rule is to never leave the office for business reasons. For the most part, he keeps to this rule. He is frightened of moving vehicles. Why? Could it be because he is acutely aware how truly dangerous cars are? Driving is probably the most foolhardy thing we do. It is the most hazardous method of travel known to man. And yet we drive every day with no fear. Perhaps Wolfe is on to something here. In a broader sense, Wolfe’s “cocooning” is explained by his personal history. More on that later.

2. Obsessed with food. Wolfe is a sensualist, no question about it. In 1916, while fighting in the Sebo-Montenegren Army, he “starved to death”, today we would call it ethnic cleansing. That has got to have an effect. In fact, Wolfe will not let anyone in his house go hungry. Even murderers.

3. The Orchid Thing. As with the other obsessions, this has to do with Wolfe’s basic character and his experiences during W.W.I. He is hypersensitive. The taste of food, the texture of his silk pajamas, the bright colors—especially yellow—of his furniture, and his orchids. Wolfe has said that he not only sees color but feels it. No wonder the outside world overwhelms his senses. He has created a perfect little world in his brownstone because life would be too painful otherwise. Why? I’ve alluded to his personal history. Consider these factors. Although born in the US, Wolfe grew up in Montenegro. As a young man, he was a guerrilla fighter in the war-torn Balkans. He was a spy for the Hungarian government and the Austrian government and traveled widely through Europe and Asia. He was a specialist in tracking men down. He was put in jail in Bulgaria. Then, he joined the Montenegrin Army. When the army was wiped out, Wolfe almost starves. In 1917, he walked 600 miles, joins the American Army and claims to have personally killed 200 Germans. After the war, Wolfe went back to Montenegro and “shed another illusion.” It appears that he had been betrayed by a woman that he loved. By 1927, when he returned to the United States, Wolfe was a shattered man. It is likely that he was wanted by several governments. “Nero Wolfe” must be an assumed name. His reclusive behavior may have started out as a necessity. With his brilliant mind and a host of phobias, he created a unique lifestyle. One time, Wolfe said that his only alternative would be to live in a cave. Perhaps, if psychoanalyzed today, Nero Wolfe would be diagnosed as suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Syndrome.

All this would also explain other eccentricities, such as his passion for order and his inflexible schedule.

There are Wolfe scholars who speculate that the big guy was the illegitimate son of Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler. The actual evidence for this is pretty slim. However, Stout was clever enough to never deny it.

There are other aspects to Wolfe’s personality that I haven’t mentioned. So, there is room for more analysis. As for Archie...