Information of the Book
Paul Auster’s third (or second) novel and the second volume of the New York Trilogy. And the most symbolic and representative work of the trilogy.
Form, Style & Structure
A novelette uses the form and style of a detective story or mystery story. But it’s a philosophical and psychological story that describes the lack of human existence, the question for self, the emptiness of contemporary routine life and the impossibility of writing a novel or a story. Also, this is a novelette to deconstruct (the form of) story or narrative.
This novelette has no chapter and no blank line. I think it may imply this story is one (imaginary) allegory or a myth, inspite of more than one year passed in this story.
Characters
Blue – A private detective in New York. Blue was fond of deteptive stories and movies, and was not the Sherlock Holmes type. He wanted to dramatic and adventurous cases, but was imposed on a dull case, to watch Black all the time.
Black – A person to investigate by Blue, lives in an apartment in Brooklyn, and worked, wrote something, read books and ate beside the window most of the day. His hobby is to know the life of writers. (177) He said he was a private detective followed and watched a mysterious man who spent unchanging monotonous life over a year, in fact, the man is Blue. His true shape is White. (180 – 184) And he was like the Doppelgänger, the alter-ego or the looking-glass self of Blue. Blue felt friendship, harmony and sympathy for Black, also felt anxiety, fretfulness and hostility. The dilemma is an important plot of this novel.
White – A client of Blue, requested him to follow and investigate Black. When he visited the office of Blue, he disguised himself with a black beard, overly bushy eyebrows and white powder. (137) He appeared with a strange Hallowe’en mask at the Brooklyn Post Office and took a report by Blue. He noticed Blue and run away. (168 – 169) His true shape is Black. The case was devised by him from the beginning.
Brown – The former boss of Blue, told detective methods and skills to Blue. He had retired and lived in Florida, spent most of his time fishing.
Gray – He had been missing for several years, suffered the loss of memory. Blue found him at a bar near the house of Gray’s wife. So Green married with his wife twice. (141 – 142)
Gold – A coroner of Philadelphia. After he had retired, still devoted himself and pursued a murder of a boy. (143 – 144)
Father of Blue (151, 152)
Girlfriend of Black (155)
Red – A bartender uncannily resembles Green. (161)
Violet – A tart was in the bar of Red. She likes blue, Blue slept with her few times. (161 – 162)
Future Mrs. Blue – Blue’s girlfriend. But Blue had not kept in touch with her, because he was busy with Black’s case. She was disgusted with Blue. Blue saw her date with another man. (166)
Jimmy Rose – An poor beggar old man, the little Blue knew. Blue disguised him to talk with Black. (173 – 179)
Places
Apartment rent by White – A small studio apartment on the third floor, directly across the street from Black’s, was in Orange Street, Brooklyn. Strangely, it was fully equipped with furniture, kitchen supplies and a complete set of clothes fits for Blue.
Apartment of Black
Orange Street – A street exists in Brooklyn, New York. There were Blue and Black rooms. Walt Whitman worked on the street, Henry David Thoreau visited there to hear Henry Ward Beecher’s sermon at Plymouth Church, and Abraham Lincoln and Charles Dickens walked through the street and visited the church. It remains traces of persons who passed away (Ghosts) in the street. (174 – 176)
Brooklyn Bridge (150 – 152)
Ebbets Field (161)
Bar (161 – 162)
Movie Theatre – The summer arrived, then Blue occasionally went to a movie theatre. He is fond of the darkness of movie theatre, the pictures on the screen are like the thoughts inside his head. (162 – 164) Movie theatre is the place to watch and devote to a story in the blackness.
Brooklyn Post Office (168 – 169)
Algonquin Hotel (180 – 184)
Key Elements
To speculate – The word root of speculate is the Latin spclatus which means looking on and watching, also is the English spectrum which means mirror. Blue was watching Black, simultaneously he felt he was watching a mirror and himself. (146)
Weekly reports – A text by data or fragments of a person, has no story and meanings.
Art of disguise – It implies anyone can become another person by a novel or a story, but today’s people aren’t really who they are.
Walden by Henry David Thoreau – Irony and cynicism to Blue, Black and this novel. Blue and Black live alone in Brooklyn like Thoreau, however without deep emotion to the Nature and positive philosophical reflection caused by loneliness.
John Roebling and Washington Roebling (151 – 152)
Henry Ward Beecher (160)
Jackie Robinson – The first African-American major leaguer. Jackie Robinson is a symbol of a livid and energetic person who lived a real-life, was active in the real world and bravely struggled for absurdity and hardship. (161)
Out of the Past stars Robert Mitchum (162 – 163)
It’s a Wonderful Life (164)
Ghosts – The word ghost in this novel means traces or spirits of dead persons (176), a metaphor of men of emptiness such as writers (178), detectives and the state of today’s people spent a vacant life. Writers and detectives think out, makeup or trace others’ stories or plots, they don’t live a story of themselves.
Walt Whitman (174 – 176)
Henry Ward Beecher (176)
Take Hawthorne (177)
Writing (178)
Synopsis
A private detective, Blue took a riddle case by White. The request is to watch a mysterious man, Black. But, Black did not do anything. He just sat beside the window, write something, read Walden by Henry David Sorrow and took a brief stroll. To watch and to think about Black, Blue felt complex feelings mixed up friendship, calmness, worry and hostility, and a feeling to watch like a Doppelgänger. Blue searched Black by some measures, but the case didn’t make progress. About one year passed by, Black’s life didn’t vary. A summer day, Blue followed Black, Black took a seat at a lounge of a hotel, and Blue shared the table with Black. Then Black said “I’m a private detective. My current job is to watch someone. He doesn't do anything…"
Plot & Episodes
White requested Blue to follow and watch a man, Black.
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Blue started stay an apartment in Brooklyn, and watched and followed Black.
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Blue visited the Brooklyn Post Office to watch White. But White ran away, however he continued to sent checks.
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Black’s unchangeable and sober routine continued almost one year.
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Blue talked with Black at Algonquin Hotel, and disguised Jimmy Rose and talked with him at Orange Street, besides disguised a brush salesman and talked at Black’s room, then I realized White is Black, and this case was plotted by Black.
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Bleu got into Black’s room, stole a pile of paper, and he knew it is his reports had sent for White.
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Blue met Black in Black’s room and knew the truth of the case, beat him and robbed manuscripts Black wrote.
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Blue read Black’s book, the book may be this novel or Blue’s story or biography. Then he got out his room and left New York, then he started his new life.
Impressive Scenes & Descriptions
p. 161
Blue visited Ebbets Field to see Jackie Robinson. This description is vivid.
pp. 170 – 173
Blue concerned about the case. This implies Paul Auster’s thinking about writing and novel.
pp. 173 – 179
Blue disguised Jimmy Rose and talked with Black. This conversation expresses the core of this novel.
pp. 180 – 184
Blue and Black talked at Algonquin Hotel. Black told he was watching a man and the man might write something about his life.
Summaries, Keywords & Comments
pp. 137 – 139
A mysterious man, White visited the office of Blue, and requested to follow and investigate a man named Black and to send weekly reports.
New York ; trail job ; weekly report ; art of disguise ; 3 February 1947 ; small grey satchel ; thirty-eight ; pair of binoculars ; notebook ; Walt Whitman ; Leaves of Grass ; Henry Ward Beecher ; red-brick church
pp. 139 – 142
Blue moved to the apartment across the street from black’s. Strangely, it’s fully equipped with furnitures, kitchen supplies and a complete set of clothes fits for Blue.
fully equipped ; a complete set of clothes
- The apartment was strangely fully equipped make me think this novel is like a myth or a fairly tale.
He looked out and saw Black was sitting a table and writing something. Then Black paused and gazed out the window. Blue felt that Black was directly looking at him, and his state was a blank stare.
writing ; looking directly ; blank stare ; feels thwarted
pp. 142 – 144
Next morning, Black went to shopping at a small grocery store and backed his room. Blue tried to watch Black but he can’t watch well because of the snow. Blue thought about a article about an ex-autopsy Gold on True Detective. And he cut the picture of Gold and tracked it onto the wall above his bed.
snow ; white pavement ; shadow ; True Detective ; Gold
pp. 144 – 148
The first days, it went for. Nothing happend. Black wrote, read, ate, took brief strolls only. He seemed to notice Blue. Also Blue can’t watch Black around the clock, he have to sleep, eat and do laundry. Blue begun to feel an idleness and to watch Black is like looking into a mirror. Then Blue thought about wild fancies and made up stories that the incident between White and Black is extraordinary significant.
new idleness ; vague shadow ; speculatus ; mirror ; looking glass ; making up stories
- To watch Black around the clock is impossible. So White’s request is impossible from the start.
- Detective and police are professions make up a stories of an opponent or a suspect equal to a novelist.
pp. 148 – 150
The day came for Blue to write the first report send for white. He is very good at to write a report. But Blue couldn’t find things to write about the Black case, he managed to write the report.
report ; notebook ; veritable facts ; clues ; legwork ; investigative routine ; existence of the world
pp. 150 – 157
Spring had came, Black strolled larger area. When Black began to climb the staircase leads to the walkway across the Brooklyn Bridge, Blue thought Black leapt down, but he didn’t. Blue thought about John Roebling and Washington Roebling, the engineers built the Brooklyn Bridge, the father of Blue told him theirs episodes. And he thought about father, a cop passed away on duty by the Russo Case, and remembered a episode in Stranger Fiction, a son found his father frozen in a mountain.
- This novel is also a story of episodes and citations.
Black strolled through Center Streent and Chinatown, then he entered a bookstore, and Blue watched Black. In the meantime, Blue found Walden and bought it. Then Black walked to the central area of Manhattan, and entered a restaurant. He met a girlfriend. Midway through the meal, Blue detected a great sadness of Black’s face and the woman was crying. She walked off to the ladies’ room, but she went back to the table looking a little-better. They got out from the restaurant. Black walked about, paused in front of a travel agency window and looked a poster of the White Mountains. Then he into a cab and returned his apartment. Blue followed him by a cab. Blue found the first cheque from White in his mailbox.
essential or contingent fact ; a poster of the White Mountains ; personal cheque from White ; no record of the payment
- This scene is an omen to the breakup with future Mrs. Blue.
pp. 157 – 158
Again, Black’s almost same routine continued, nothing happened. Blue was conscious of an ambivalence, he felt a harmony with Black, also felt a loneliness shits him from to watch Black.
barest of routine ; ambivalence ; conflict ; harmony ; loneliness ; true ; false
pp. 158 – 160
Blue wrote a long letters to his ex-boss Brown to consult this case and his distress. Many weeks later, a long reply had arrived, but the content of it disappointed Blue, because it didn’t touch the case and Blue’s distress. Then he felt empty, despondency and self-pity.
empty ; self-pity ; I’m my own man
Blue called the future Mrs. Blue, but there was answer.
pp 160 – 162
Blue felt the paradox that the closer he felt Black, the less he didn’t have to think about Black ; the more deeply entangled he became, the freer he was. So Blue felt a triumph when he went out, and sometimes walked to a church and looked the bronze statue of Henry Ward Beecher then realized noble thoughts about the dignity of man.
paradox ; triumph ; bravery ; lovely spring weather ; bronze statue of Henry Ward Beecher ; Abraham Lincoln ; noble thought ; dignity of man
A fine Tuesday afternoon of May, Blue ventured to go to Ebbetts Field, to watch plays of Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson ; sharp clarity of the colours ; distinct from every other thing ; geometric simplicity of the pattern
- Jackie Robinson is a symbol of livid and energetic person lived a real life and was active in the real world.
pp. 163 – 164
Blue often went to the movie. His favorite was a detective story, Out of the Past stars Robert Mitchum.
- This vivid citation of the episode the movie implies Blue want to escape from his dull case and sober life.
For the next few days, Blue remembered a movie It’s a Wonderful World !. By the movie, he thought “once that happens, nothing can be done about it.” And, “something happens” “and then it goes on happening forever.” This warning or message, he couldn’t push away and this gloomy thought didn’t leave him.
Markham ; mark him
pp. 164 – 165
Blue tried to read Walden. But he couldn’t read it through, because to read it is a suffering for him, and he associated the hardship of Black’s case with this reading.
prisoner ; escape ; go off and live alone in the woods ; adventure novel ; Emerson ; beginning of the end
pp. 166 – 167
When Blue went to Manhattan following Black, he saw the future Mrs Blue and a man were walking with her arms liked through the arm of a man. Blue called and her, and she got angry and said “You! You!”, then she wept. He realized that he had thrown away his life (by the Black case).
truly the beginning of the end
- This episode reflects and connects that Black failed in love.
p. 167
moves that can be made ; plans that can be set in motion ; obscure comment as a kind of test ; only the beginning
pp. 167 – 169
Two days later, early in the morning, Blue went to Brooklyn Post Office. He hid and waited for White would take the report by Blue. A man with a mask that children wear on Hallowe’en, made of rubber and portraying some hideous monster, and ordinary outfits, came and took the report. He noticed Blue was approaching, and run away by dash.
one though sand and one
pp. 169 – 170
Two days later, Blue received a cheque by mail from White. On it, White wrote “No more funny business”.
cracked White’s wall of silence ; each conundrum until the whole structure begins to weaken
p. 170
Following few weeks, Blue went to the post office, but White was not appeared, because the area is open twenty-four hours, so White could visit there at midnight or early morning.
pp. 170 – 173
Almost one year had passed, but the situation didn’t changed. Blue reflected the terribleness and the complexity of this case. He thought he was forced to follow Black’s story written by him. But it wasn’t interesting like Walden and Blue couldn’t concentrate it and couldn’t make or built story by Black’s separated fragments and randm data. Then Blue realized White may be a true “writer” of “this story”.
man in the middle ; “We are not where we are, but in a false position.” ; prisoner of the case itself ; the story ; so-called writer of this book ; clusters of random data ; dictionary in alphabetical order
- This part is a confession of Auster's thought about literature and writing, and the impossibility and the doubt of writing a novel in the contemporary society.
- By Auster’s thought, story is only built by others’ fragments and data for better or worse. And writer or novelist doesn’t live his own real life.
pp. 173 – 179
In a day of midsummer, Blue disguised an old beggar Jimmy Rose, sat down on the Orange Street and contacted to Black. Black sat down next to Jimmy Rose, and they intimately talked about Walt Whitman, Henry David Thoreau, Bronson Alcott and Take Hawthorme for a long time. And Black said his hobby to how American writers live, it helps him to understanding things and writing is a solitary business. So Black said "Another ghost”.
Walt Whitman ; every man has his double somewhere ; phrenology ; brain and skull ; scarecrow in the land of Oz ; who lived in alone in the woods ; Plymouth Church ; Henry Ward Beacher’s sermon ; Abraham Lincoln ; Charles Dickens; Ghosts ; Bronson Alcott ; Myrtle Avenue ; Take Hawthorme ; shut himself up in his room ; Wakefield
- Ghosts are traces of dead persons and a metaphor of a writer who don’t live his own life.
pp. 179 – 180
Blue went back to his room and he concerned about why Black talked to Jimmy Rose friendly for a long time, after all, he realized Black knew who Blue is and everything.
talking in riddles ; loneliness ; solitude ; hermetic routine ; dilemma ; meagre hope ; Why do you lie ? ; shadow of doubt
pp. 180 – 184
The next night, Blue followed Black. Black got off Times Square, entered the Algonquin Hotel and sat down a corner nook of the lobby. The place is crowded so Blue asked to share the table with Black. They drunk liquor and made a small talk. Blue introduced himself as Snow, a life insurance salesman. Black said “I’m a private detective” all cool and collected, and his job was to watch a man who didn’t do anything, he just sat in his room all day and wrote, so the job is dull and he was losing his mind. Then Black said the man would write the story of himself, he needed Black to prove he’s alive, and a tear fell down.
Times Square ; Black and White on the rocks ; life experiences ; every job has its routines ; out of ordinary ; writing about himself ; story of his life ; nothing makes sense ; to prove he’s alive ; wait until the champagne is opened
pp. 184 – 185
Blue returned his apartment. He had broken through something, but he was disappointed by the fact he was a part of this case and Black’s problem is also his own problem. And, he assured White doesn’t exit, Black acted White. Blue lay down a bed and thought about colours and things has them.
poor soul ; its own colours
- Colours are signifier and surfacial meaning of things and persons, implies today’s people and things has no soul and content.
pp. 185 – 188
Next morning, Blue disguised the Fuller brush salesman and visited the room of Black to look inside of it. The room is austere like monk’s cell and there are few furnitures. And Blue found some books, Walden, Leaves of Grass and Twice-Told Tales, and piles of written paper. Black said he is a writer and wrote a big book for many years.
picking the lock on the front door ; old thrill ; uncapped fountain pen ; even more austere ; monk’s cell ; several books ; Walden ; Leaves of Grass ; Twice-Told Tales ; piles of paper
pp. 188 – 190
Finally, Blue intruded Black’s room. But he blacked out and collapsing to the floor. He regained consciousness, then he rapidly gathered up a paper pile on Black’s desk, and he left Black’s room.
fresh torment of self-doubt ; pilgrim in the new world ; this will be a start
pp. 190 – 192
(…)
pp. 192 – 197
(…)
pp. 197 – 198
(…)
Remarks
- This novel is a detective story without an incident and a mystery without a murder, and no significant incident occurred. Also, it’s a novel to find the incident and the enigma themselves.
- To watch Black around the clock is impossible. So White’s request is impossible from the start.
- Blue may be the subjectivity of the author, Black may be the objectivity of him. Or Black is Paul Auster himself as a writer, and Blue is Paul Auster reflect himself as an ordinary person.
- This novel is also a story of many excellent, vivid and skillful citations and cited episodes. Citations are Blue’s aspiration in his head and his wish to escape from dull Black’s case and unexciting life. Also, the story is made up of parts and fragments, it's the thought for the literature of Paul Auster. By Auster’s thought, a story is only built by others’ fragments and data for better or worse. And writer or novelist doesn’t live his own real life.
- Characters are named by colour. It has an effect the world of this novel appears monotonous, colourless and blur to a reader. Colours are signifiers or surficial meanings of things and persons, implies today’s people and things have no soul and content. The colours strengthen the world of this novel become monotonous.
- The expression “in black and white” means “by the form of a printed text”. Blue is a middle content or an actor of this story, is operated by Black and White.
- A pile of paper in Black’s room is Blue’s weekly reports. So the story of this novel is operated by Black. Blue was controlled by Black, also readers are controlled by him. And the story can’t be said as a proper story, it’s vain and nothing had happened.
- In the end, Blue read Black’s manuscript and he knew it is his story, biography or this novel Ghosts itself of which readers read. This novel is the novel of a novel, and it implies the anxiety and the impossibility of writing.
Details of the Book
The New York Trilogy
Paul Auster
Faber & Faber, London, 2 Jun 2011
320 pages, £5.99
ISBN: 978-0571276554
Contents:
- City of Glass
- Ghorsts
- The Locked Room
Related Posts and Pages
Synopsis & Book Review | Ghosts
Synopsis & Book Review | City of Glass
Synopsis & Book Review | The Locked Room
Literature / littérature / Literatur Page
YouTube Paul Auster Commentary Playlist
YouTube Literature & Philosophy Channel