ABSTRACT
Paul Auster’s fictional works are set against an urban background. As Auster’s various protagonists inhabit the all-encompassing ‘city,’ their lives and aspirations are determined by the confines of the environment in which they place themselves. Auster depicts the city as impersonal and restrictive. His characters struggle to survive within this oppressive regime, and endure numerous hardships. In some cases, the protagonists of the novels disappear without trace. Their former lives and associations seem no longer relevant. Often, these individuals voluntarily exile themselves from the city. The protagonists embark upon quests of discovery, and equate their newfound environments with redemption and spiritual rebirth.
