The Invention of Solitude

655 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Literary analysis essay on the invisible man

The Invention of Solitude is divided into two parts, the first part, Portrait of an Invisible Man, and the second, The Book of Memory. In the Portrait of an Invisible Man, Paul Auster, who is also the author of the book, lived with his son Daniel and wife at home. Paul Auster began to think how his father, Samuel Auster, is getting very old, and suspects he might pass away soon. One day Paul received a phone call that his father had passed away at his home. Paul then faced the challenges of gathering up and moving out all of his father’s belongings from his house. As he was going through each of his father’s items, Paul was reminded of his memories as a young child. Each item for Paul such as clothing, notes, and letters, allowed him to tell the story of his father’s life that played out in a series of events. These included Paul as a child, his marriage, his job, and even the murders of his relatives. Paul even used each of these life experiences as lessons in the second part of the book, The Book of Memory. In The Book of Memory, Paul used stories such as Pinocchio and other recollections to show his life as a father. It also allowed him to let the readers know not only the importance of memory, but to enjoy life to the fullest with the ones you love. He also explained writing as an author in his later life and the loneliness that came with his divorce.
The conflict of this story is shown with Paul trying to deal with his father’s death in the Portrait of an Invisible Man, and his divorce in The Book of Memory. As Paul received the sudden news of his father’s death, he was taken back by the fact he actually passed away. Paul then made the trip with his wife to clear out his father’s possessions from the house, so they could pu...

... middle of paper ...

...s you valued most in your life, as time spent with loved ones. I think many would agree this is the most important point the book made, because you do not know how long your loved ones will be around to share those memories with you of when you were happiest in your lifetime.
I feel this book was a great read, and that the story can apply to anyone’s life no matter what the age. It can relate to parents, as Paul Auster recants the life of his father Samuel Auster. It can apply to younger people, as Paul told of his childhood and the things he learned from his father. It will also apply to elderly people’s lives because of how the story portrayed the importance of memory, and enjoying life to the fullest. I think the book is also very easy to understand by the way the author used examples of stories such as Pinocchio and the story of Jonah to teach his lessons.

Show More
Related

  • Novel Critique of The Four Things That Matter Most

    1883 Words  | 4 Pages

    when clearly the author had his interests in caring for the ill and dying. Would he not be writing a novel about how to come to terms with dying? I was definitely wrong in my assumption. The Four Things That Matter Most has five distinct parts within its pages that coincide with what the book is about. The first part introduces the four things, things that are imperative to aid in healing, creating, and completing relationships.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Paul's Case And The Yellow Wallpaper

    1772 Words  | 4 Pages

    In ‘Paul’s Case’ Paul has created a fantasy world in which he becomes entranced, even to the point of lying to classmates about the tales of grandeur and close friendships that he had made with the members of the stock company. This fantasy falls apart around him as “the principle went to Paul’s father, and Paul was taken out of school and put to work. The manager at Carnegie Hall was told to get another usher in his stead; the doorkeeper at the theater was warned not to admit him to the house” (Cather 8). The fantasy fell apart further when the stories he had told his classmates reached the ears of the women of the stock company, who unlike their lavish descriptions from Paul were actually hardworking women supporting their families. Unable to cope with the reality of working for Denny & Carson, he stole the money he was supposed to deposit in the bank to live the life of luxury in New York. Only a person who felt backed into a corner would attempt something so unsound. After his eight days in paradise, he is again backed into a corner by the reality of his middle class upbringing, and the dwindling time he has before his father reaches New York to find him. The final way out for Paul is his suicide, for which an explanation would be “In the end, he fails to find his security, for it was his grandiose “picture making mechanism” that made his life so deardful.” (Saari). With all the securities of his fantasy life finally gone, his mental instability fully comes to light as he jumps in front of the train to end his

    Read More

  • Irony and Symbolism in Willa Cather's Paul's Case

    1774 Words  | 4 Pages

    "Paul's Case," by Willa Cather, is a story that deals with a young boy who does not feel that he lives a life befitting of him. Upon a close reading, it is evident that "Paul's Case" is ruled by irony and symbolism, which are apparent in the story through the words of the narrator. The irony woven throughout the text builds up to an epiphonic moment, a main paradox in the story, which reveals to the reader Paul's true nature.

    Read More

  • An Analysis of Paul's Case by Willa Cather

    296 Words  | 1 Pages

    Paul's father is a single parent trying to raise his children in a respectable neighborhood. He is a hard worker and trying to set a good example for his son. His father puts pressure on Paul by constantly referring to a neighbor, whom he feels is a perfect model for his son to follow.

    Read More

  • Isolation and Alienation in Today's Society Evident in Of Mice and Men

    686 Words  | 2 Pages

    There is no hiding the provocative use of isolation in the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Isolationism can be defined as a policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other groups. Steinbeck uses people of different race, sex, and mental capabilities to uncover the isolation and alienation society throws down upon people who are different. Lennie, a main character in the novel, is mentally handicapped and must obey George in order to make a living. Lenny is a large man and an excellent worker, but due to his mental deficiency, he is isolated from the rest of the workers on the ranch. The incorporation of isolation and alienation in the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is brilliantly used to open the eyes of the reader about the apathy shown towards people who are not lucky enough to be considered “normal” by society’s standards.

    Read More

  • How Does Edward Bloor Use The Motif Of Sight Symbolize

    411 Words  | 1 Pages

    A long time ago when Paul was five he became blind. His brother, Erik, circled around him, like a clock, but Paul could not see a thing. Later on in the novel when the town was trying to figure out who was stealing the expensive

    Read More

  • Summary Of All Quiet On The Western Front

    675 Words  | 2 Pages

    By the end of the book, Paul realizes that he no longer knows what to do with himself and

    Read More

  • Henry and the Great Society HL Roush

    1103 Words  | 3 Pages

    This is an odd little book, but a very important one nonetheless. The story it tells is something like an extended parable—the style is plain, the characters are nearly stick figures, the story itself is contrived. And yet ... and yet, the story is powerful, distressing, even heartbreaking because the historical trend it describes is powerful, distressing, even heartbreaking.

    Read More

  • Solitude and Isolation in One Hundred Years of Solitude

    577 Words  | 2 Pages

    "…Races condemned to 100 years of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth."  These powerful last words of the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude ring true.  The book demonstrates through many examples that human beings cannot exist in isolation.  People must be interdependent in order for the race to survive.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Paul's Case

    1390 Words  | 3 Pages

    Around the end of the story, Paul decides to run off to New York for a week to finally live his dreams. However, by making his dreams a reality he exposes himself to something he wasn't prepared for, the truth. At first, everything is all Paul ever wanted it be. He is able to finally live life as he sees fit. He spends his money without care, and is able to live up to all his lies. (Although this reaches its climax when Paul meets a young man in the street), "The young man offered to show Paul the night side of the town, and the two boys went out together after dinner, not returning to the hotel until seven o'clock the next morning" (Cather 11). After this, Paul's fake reality falls apart quickly. Faced with the reality that he will have to return home, Paul decides to take his own life. Instead of ending it quickly with a gun, he decides to go a different route, "When the right moment came, he jumped. As he fell, the folly of his haste occurred to him with merciless clearness, the vastness of what he had left undone. There flashed through his brain, clearer than ever before, the blue of Adriatic water, the yellow of Algerian sands. He felt something strike his chest, and that his body was being thrown swiftly through the air, on and on, immeasurably far and fast, while his limbs were gently relaxed. Then, because the picture-making mechanism was crushed, the disturbing visions flashed into black,

    Read More

  • Analysis Of When Breath Becomes Air By Paul Kalanisia

    1925 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout this book, Paul’s voice sounds more colloquial and chatty, where the tone is quite informal. This is shown with the use of a conversational and story-telling style of writing. First person pronouns are exceedingly common as part of his writing. By writing “When Breath Becomes Air” as a memoir, Paul allows the audience to see deep into his philosophies behind death and life. With a first-person narrative, it allows the reader to feel if they were in the same boat as Paul, carefully listening to his voice and opinion, which creates a strong connection between the reader and the

    Read More

  • Essay on the Loneliness of J. Alfred Prufrock

    1039 Words  | 3 Pages

    In "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", written by T. S. Elliot in 1917, J. Alfred Prufrock makes the reader privy to his innermost thoughts on an evening out. Prufrock wants to lead the reader to an overwhelming question, raising expectations, but he is a bitterly disappointing man; he never asks the question. He lacks self-esteem, women are intimidating to him, and he is too much of a coward to ever be successful with women. The title is "The Love Song,", not "A Love Song." So whenever Prufrock is around women, he behaves the same way. He always has and always will. Because of his inability to change he will die a lonely man.

    Read More

  • A film adaptation of One Hundred Years of Solitude

    1460 Words  | 3 Pages

    that a film can be just as or better than the novel it is based on.

    Read More

  • The End Of Solitude Analysis

    574 Words  | 2 Pages

    In his article, “The End of Solitude,” Williams Deresicwicz discusses how he believes solitude is almost, if not already gone due to the technology era. I agree with Deresicwicz, technology has made us scared to be alone in a way, and social media has become people our personal diaries. When life gives us problems or we want get away, we use to call upon our solitude. A place to get away, much like Superman’s Fortress of Solitude. This was his secret hide out, built into a mountain, where he would think and get away. Much like the time this idea of Superman needing solitude, which came out in 1966, people enjoy their private lives. There was no social media, people gain knowledge thought literature and they connect with other by interacting

    Read More

  • Robinson Crusoe and Isolation

    855 Words  | 2 Pages

    When Robinson Crusoe gets shipwrecked and stranded on a desolate island “I am cast upon a horrible desolate island void of all hope of recovery” p.91, in the Caribbean he first considers it a place of captivity holding him back from his dreams and wishes like a prison, but when he is finally able to leave it some twenty-eight years later to return home to England he yearns to return back to the island. Why? You may ask yourself, read on and I will answer that question. Crusoe grows to enjoy being the ruler of his own world, he also becomes antisocial, and starts to enjoy being alone. When he returns home to England he finds no one waiting for him, and he feels lost.

    Read More

More about The Invention of Solitude

Open Document