City Of Glass Character Analysis

The binary opposition between order and disorder is established in modern societies and the classical formula of detective story resembles that of how a society is supposed to function: social order is of utmost importance; anything that has the possibility to disrupt the well-being or order should be carefully guarded against or avoided. The initial understanding of the structure of City of Glass resembles the elements of modern texts: the detective Paul Auster who is impersonated by Daniel Quinn, is hired by Peter Stillman Jr. to follow his father who is recently released from prison to ensure that he will not seek revenge from him. Peter Stillman Jr.’s father, who bears the identical name, was imprisoned for he has “lock[ed] [Stillman Jr.] in a room in the apartment, covered up in windows and [was kept] there for nine years” (26). Putting all the efforts in tracing Stillman Sr.’s whereabouts, Daniel Quinn failed. Until this point, the plot follows that of a classic detective fiction. “Modernity” concerns about the order of a society – the assumption is that the more ordered a society is, the better it will function. Therefore, anything that poses threat to order has to be wiped

Detectives need full transparency, similar to the use of great expanses of glass walls in modern and postmodern architecture. Glass is transparent – a person can see anyone, the environment and society through the glass. At the same time, the reflection from the glass distorts the real. It is as if glass is a metaphor – man can only see oneself in front of other people, as if one is standing in front of a mirror. On this level, we can associate readers’ interpretation to what is being seen from the detective’s point of view and conclude that “words are a performance of its meaning” and they can no longer explain the truth. Through reading the story, readers, at the same time are also undergoing a voyage to discover what “truth” really means. Moreover, the lack of “truth” in City of Glass and the ongoing quest for “truth” remind readers that “truth” might not be relevant or important after all. If “truth” is present in the novel then it is no different from any modern detective stories. It is only when “truth” is absent that characters in the novel cannot make sense of the situation, hence the mystery continues. In fact, each person has his/her own perception about the world which affects his/her definition of “truth”. The real, tangible thing that exists is the novel City of Glass itself. It