Elise Wiegert is a German dancer living in Berlin, characterized by a chubby build that emphasizes her innocence and vulnerability. She is a young woman who encounters the protagonist, a Japanese student in his early to mid-twenties (22 or 25), during his academic stay in Berlin. At their first meeting, she is perceived as approximately 16 or 17 years old.

Their relationship unfolds as a complex entanglement rather than an immediate romance, marked by the protagonist's feelings of guilt. It concludes with his abandonment of her, a pivotal act that sets her tragedy in motion.

Following this abandonment, Elise suffers severe psychological deterioration, explicitly descending into dementia characterized as a state of mental death. This profound decline is presented as the direct consequence of the protagonist's actions and departure.

Within the narrative, Elise functions symbolically, embodying themes of exploitation and victimization that critique colonial-era power imbalances and cultural interactions between Europe and Japan in the late 19th century. Her tragic fate serves as a vehicle for exploring guilt and the unintended consequences of the protagonist's choices. Her significance extends beyond the plot, representing the human cost associated with the protagonist's personal and national ambitions and positioning her as a foundational element contributing to his trauma.