1

Mt Bikfalvi drd. Borbla Bks Literature and Intermediality 14 March 2011 City of Glass Explaining Daniel Quinn

Paul Auster is an American novelist and poet who is best known for his complex mystery novels which often focus on examining the human identity, thinking and meaning. Along with being a writer, he was also a translator and an essay writer. (Paul Auster Encyclopaedia Britannica) He published many famous works which includes The New York Trilogy. The Trilogy consists of a series of novels. They were first published separately and are the City of Glass, published in 1985, Ghosts, and finally The Locked Room, both published in 1986. These three were later collected into a single volume. City of Glass is about Daniel Quinn who writes detective stories, and who, thanks to a series of events, becomes a detective himself and which brings ground breaking changes in his life . The story focuses on how Quinn takes up the role of the detective, how it affects his personality, his way of thinking, his life. The novel was adapted into a graphic novel and in this paper I will talk about how Quinn and his personality, views and in fact his whole self changes throughout the story, based on how it is presented in the graphic novel, by the different way of story-telling and artistic style. The story kicks off with an introduction of Daniel Quinn, single; he had a son and a wife who passed away. He writes detective novels under the pseudonym of William Wilson and his

works featured the exploits of private investigator, Max Work. He receives a mysterious phone call during the night in which someone is looking for a private detective called Paul Auster in a matter of utmost urgency. While his actions are presented by the artist, parallel to Quinns and the phone callers dialogue, the narrator says the following about Quinns and Max Works relationship Quinn had long ago stopped thinking of himself as real. If he lived...it was through the imaginary person of Max Work... (Auster 7) This has been illustrated quite interestingly by the artist, where Quinn is standing next to Work who seems to have taken over the conversation through the phone.

(Auster 7) For the first time reader, this doesnt seem to stand out, however this is already a sign of the future that is yet to come, a future where he will become a detective himself. However more significantly, it is sign of what will or what has already become of Quinn mentally. After he rejects the cry for help of the person on the phone he goes to sleep. Next night, the same person calls him again, asking yet again to speak with Paul Auster. This time Quinn agrees to meet the person on the phone, thus he completes the first step towards a new face, a new identity. The original identity or face of Quinn is mentioned and even illustrated in the very beginning of the graphic novel. We get to know that the original Quinn was a young man, he

had written poetry, plays and essays (Auster 3), he had friends, a family. This Quinn, the original Quinn, died when his family has passed away. In a family picture depicted by the artist, we can see that, we cant see Quinns face properly, it is shrouded in darkness and that even the picture might have died as well along with him, since the picture is now missing, it was buried under the wallpaper of his houses wall, just as his family was buried under the earth.

(Auster 5) With this the original Quinn died, and a new Quinn was born. This Quinn was called William Wilson. He had died, Wilson was dead or rather he was in the process of slipping away further from life towards death. The only thing that kept him moving was the mystery novels he wrote and his search for a reason to continue living. As the narrator says, after his family passed away, he turned to write only mystery novels, he left his friends. He walked the streets of New York searching for something, that special something that would save him, but no matter, how far he

walked, it always left him with the feeling of being lost. (Auster 4) He could never find what he was looking for and eventually Each time he took a walk, he felt he was leaving himself behind (Auster 4) which in the end let him die. The narrator also mentions that all he ever asked of things: to be nowhere, which implies that he is on the verge of giving up, one last drop in the cup and he cannot be saved. Luckily for him, salvation came for him in the form of Paul Auster. But before we continue discussing Paul Auster, we have to mention Max Work as well. As we know, Max Work is the creation of William Wilson. Since Quinn as William Wilson found meaning in the writing of mystery novels, Max Work could have been his alter ego, the man he wanted to become, the identity he was searching for as William Wilson. Now that the relationship between the Quinn-Wilson-Work trio is out in the open, Paul Auster can now be put into perspective since he embodies the wish of Quinn/Wilson, of the man he wanted to become. It seems that he is alive, but well see later on if its true or not, but at least he has a purpose once again. Auster also makes contact with other people. Which Wilson kept to a minimum (while its not mentioned that he forms any relationship of any kind, he clearly has to speak to at least the publisher of his novels). His role of the detective is even presented by the artist when he goes to question the client about the case. However his representation as a detective during his phase as Paul Auster has another meaning, while Quinn might be back, something is different.

(Auster 30) His identity as Paul Auster, is a deformed version of his identity as the original Quinn. It was mentioned in the beginning that he forgot about his family and his friends when he became William Wilson. This is can affirmed when he remembers his son after accepting the case and when the first time in five years he had written his name in of his notebooks which he usually used to draft up his novels as Wilson.

(Auster 36) However things get a bit awry when he goes to meet his target. Once again he is portrayed by the artist as a detective, which is a sign that wants to tell us, that even though it seems that Quinn is back, its not the original Quinn. The original Quinn wasnt a detective.

When he meets his target, Stillman, something inexplicable happens. Stillman divides into two. Clearly something that is not possible in the real world. Thus Quinn didnt return to the real world either. He is not the original Quinn, he is Paul Auster. This raises many questions, is Quinn delusional? Is he a schizophrenic? Or could this be all a test to see if he is allowed to return and become the original Quinn once again, or will he forever be caught in the cycle of searching for a way back to his old self, and the real world he lived in? He even takes up the guise of the old Stillmans son, when he confronts him. The conversations they had were included messages for him, to wake up, to realise what is going really on, however Quinn didnt catch on. Stillman eventually slips away from Quinn, as a sign that Quinn lost his chance of returning, to awaken. He decides that its time to find the real Paul Auster, the real detective that Peter Stillman wanted to contact. He eventually did find him. What followed was irony, a mockery of what had become of Quinn. The real Auster is a writer, just like he was. The real Auster, has a wife and a boy, just like he had. Even their favourite book is the same. The book was Don Quixote, another subtle hint that Quinn is mentally unstable, since he can be compared to the character Don Quixote. It so happens that their names initials, D. Q. were also the same, not by coincidence. He meets the son of Paul Auster, who happens to be called Daniel, just as Quinn. Daniel Auster is another important figure, which could be considered as a Quinn who has yet to be tainted, who has yet to fall into the downward spiral Quinn currently is in. This is confirmed by the dialogue the two have. Little Daniel has a yo-yo with him, which Quinn takes and try to pull back into his hands and fails. His words during this are one of the most important ones he ever says during the entirety of the story. A great philosopher once said, that the way up and the way down are one the same, to which Little Daniel responded But you didnt make it

go up. It only went down, to which Quinn said You have to keep trying. (Auster 95)This is the time and place when Quinn subconsciously acknowledges that he is far from reaching his wish and that he is indeed not back in the real world which he so desperately wants to be.

(Auster 95) After the real Paul Auster introduces his son to Quinn, the boy cries out happily Everybodys Daniel! to which Quinn replies, Thats right. Im you, and youre me. (Auster 95) We mentioned before, when Quinn/Auster met Stillman and something out of this world happened, that Quinn is probably in a dream. This confirms that hypothesis, because by stating that everybody is Daniel, suggest that everybody was created by Quinns mind, his imagination; Im you...youre me. (Auster 95) Quinn saw in the Austers what he was and what he lost. He remembered what he has lost, for this point on he stopped being Paul Auster, and changed back to William Wilson. He quickly departed, when he left, Little David sent him off with the following words Goodbye, myself! (Auster 96) This is a landmark sentence in the journey of Quinn. When his family died, he died too. He couldnt accept that they were gone, thus Quinn turned into William Wilson and Max Work. The narrator at this point makes a remark Quinn was nowhere now. (Auster 97) If we go back to the very beginning of the story, the narrator said exactly this about William Wilson, all he ever asked of things: to be nowhere. (Auster 4)

Peter Stillman, and his father turned him into Paul Auster and gave him a chance to go back, and to accept what has happened. However Quinn failed to use the situation to get out and his chance was lost when he couldnt accept reality when he faced the Auster family. He became William Wilson once again and he begun to obsessively, franticly, almost hysterically searching for both senior and junior Stillman, however he never saw them, and the chance they gave him, ever again. Quinn goes through one less change, a change that this time affects him physically. After waiting a very long time for the Stillmans to return, he became weak, slovenly and didnt care about anything. He ran out of strength to continue fighting. Once he realises that the Stillmans wont return he makes one last futile attempt to break out of his chains. He contacts Paul Auster, only to find out that Stillman senior is dead, and that Quinn himself is taught to be missing. He tries one last time to call Virginia Stillman, without luck. Then he proceeds to go home, except he cant because his apartment was taken from him because he went missing for too long. He had lost. Quinn went to the apartment of Peter Stillman, where it all began and where unfortunately his story comes to an end. The ending is open for interpretation and it is up to the reader to decide whether Quinn finally accepted his loss and has gone back to the real world or has he finally ran out of strength to continue his everlasting struggle with himself. We may never know for certain. As for me, my thoughts remain with Quinn. He will be with me always. (Auster 138)

Works Cited Auster, Paul, et al.City of Glass. New York: Avon Books, 1994. Print. Paul Auster. Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia Britannica Online. Encyclopdia Britannica, 2011. Web. 04 May. 2011.