Of Strait is the Gate, Justin O'Brien writes: "Like the drama of self-indulgence related in The Immoralist, this intimate tragedy of renunciation is one of the gems of story-telling that assure Gide's immortality. Alissa, one of his subtlest creations, represents a deliberate simplification of the author; yet the attentive reader cannot fail to note in her hints of Gide's cherished complexity."