Polish Journal of English Studies (Jun 2024)
"Jolted into Submission": Masters and Slaves in Paul Auster’s The Music of Chance and Mr. Vertigo
Abstract
In Paul Auster’s The Music of Chance and Mr. Vertigo, characters who resemble free individuals turn into slaves. In both novels, the major characters find meaning in life by willingly submitting to a superior power. Both characters who exhibit traits of passivity become slaves as they experience weightlessness or levitation. This article uses a qualitative approach and thematic analysis to identify and analyze the theme of slavery in the two novels. It explores Nash’s reliance on chance, his fear of freedom, and his potential for becoming a slave, and examines the relationship between master and slave in Mr. Vertigo from a liberal humanist point of view. This study is the first of its kind to explore the theme of slavery in Auster’s novels. Furthermore, it delves into the metaphoric meaning of levitation. While Walt and Nash appear as free agents, they are in fact slaves. Instead of clarifying the real imbalance in the relationship between the characters, the texts conceal and romanticize their master-slave associations. Paradoxically, the masters are portrayed as comic characters in The Music of Chance, and Nash feels free when he is imprisoned. Moreover, in Mr. Vertigo, the master who tortures Walt physically and mentally is portrayed as a father figure and a sympathetic character. The texts valorize weightlessness, passivity, and submission to a superior power, and thus can be considered reactionary.
