The New York Trilogy

The next morning, Quinn mechanically prepares for the meeting. He finds himself outside Peter’s apartment, and Peter’s wife, Virginia Stillman, welcomes him. When Peter appears, he is struggling to move. Peter explains the case to Quinn in a fragmented and incoherent speech. He hopes to offer Quinn the right words and explain the situation.

Peter’s mother died when he was a kid, and he only remembers his father, who used to beat him. He recalls his father locking him in a dark room, where he ate with his hands and lived with “no words.” He later lived in a hospital, where doctors had to teach him who he was and how to speak. Peter expects that his father, Peter Stillman Sr., will return and try to kill him.

Stillman Sr. used to talk to Peter about God’s language and would beat him every time he tried to speak. Now Peter spends his days writing poems, making up words that only he understands. He says that Virginia brings sex workers for him and they do not have a relationship. He rarely leaves the house and still considers himself a boy hoping to grow and “become real.” He ends his speech by remembering the room, the darkness, and God’s language, saying that he is counting on Auster to save his life.

Peter leaves and Virginia takes his place opposite Quinn. She says that Peter’s account of her is untrue. She explains the case to Quinn with coherence, and Quinn is charmed by her.

Stillman Sr. comes from an upper-class Boston family. He studied philosophy and religion at Harvard and became a professor at Columbia with a successful career. He published a book based on his thesis about the “theological interpretations of the New World” (26). After Peter’s mother died, with evidence suggesting suicide, Stillman Sr. resigned and withdrew from social life. He locked Peter in a dark apartment room for nine years as an experiment. Peter was devoid of human contact and his father occasionally beat him.

When Stillman Sr. realized his experiment was a failure, he tried to burn his records and inadvertently started a fire, which led to the discovery of Peter. Ultimately, Stillman Sr. was brought to court, judged as “insane,” and entered a psychiatric institution. Virginia met Peter in the hospital, where she was his speech therapist. She tells Quinn that her marriage to Peter gives her life purpose. Finally, she claims that Stillman Sr. is going to be released from the psychiatric hospital the following day and will arrive at Grand Central. A few years ago, Stillman Sr. sent a threatening letter to Peter. Virginia thinks he plans to harm Peter and asks Quinn to watch him and keep him away from her husband. She demands a daily report from Quinn.

Quinn is ambivalent about taking the case. He asks for a picture of Stillman Sr. and he observes that the man’s face looks ordinary. Finally, Virginia pays him in advance with a check. Before Quinn leaves, she kisses him, saying he is the right man for the case.

Quinn thinks of stories about children who lived isolated from the world and language, including Herodotus’s account about the Egyptian pharaoh Psamtik, who isolated two children. Quinn recalls a similar experiment by the Roman Emperor Frederik II, who hoped to discover “man’s true ‘natural language’” (33). Montaigne’s essay “Apology for Raymond Sebond” also suggests that a child growing up in isolation would develop a kind of language.

Quinn recalls several stories of “accidental isolation.” Quinn is affected by those stories of mistreated and abused children because of his son’s death, and feels the need to protect Peter from his father. Quinn’s son was also named Peter.

After leaving the Stillmans’ house, Quinn goes to a diner and spends time talking with the counterman about baseball. Later, he buys a new red notebook. He writes his own initials in it—for the first time in years—and records his observations on the Stillman case.

First, he writes about Stillman Sr.’s face, noting that it looks familiar and pleasant, not like the face of a “madman.” He notes Peter’s isolation in a dark room, emphasizing that it is not a story but a fact. His role as an investigator is not to understand, but to act. He is ambivalent about Virginia Stillman and senses that she is untrustworthy.

Finally, Quinn writes some notes to himself. He notes that he must remember who he is and who he is supposed to be, concluding that everything is uncertain.

Quinn spends the following morning at Columbia reading Stillman’s book. The book concerns America and language and contains two parts, “The Myth of Paradise” and “The Myth of Babel” (41). In the first part, Stillman contends that the first visitors to America considered it a paradise.

In the second part, Stillman draws on Milton’s Paradise Lost, connecting the fall of humanity to a simultaneous “fall of language” (43). In Milton’s epic poem, Stillman observes that prelapsarian language is free of morality, while after the fall it becomes arbitrary and ambiguous. Stillman sees the Tower of Babel as the last event before the first stage of humanity. The Tower of Babel symbolizes universal power and a united people with one language.

In his book, Stillman provides an account of Milton’s secretary, Henry Dark. He contends that Dark migrated to America after Milton’s death and wrote a 1690 pamphlet titled The New Babel, an account of the New World. Dark describes the possibility of restoring original language in America by building the new Tower of Babel. Dark thought that by 1960, the settlers would finish building it and restore humanity with the creation of a new man who would speak the original language. Quinn remembers that 1960 is the year that Stillman isolated Peter.

Quinn arrives at Grand Central Station and waits for Stillman. He finds solace in pretending to be Paul Auster; it provides him with a purpose. For a moment, he recalls his wife and son, but he forces himself to suppress the painful memories. Quinn sits next to a young woman who is reading one of his books. He asks her if she finds the story interesting and her response is neutral.

Stillman’s train arrives and Quinn scans the crowd for him. He sees a white-haired man and is certain it is Stillman. He is stupefied when he sees the man’s double, with different clothing, right beside him. Unsure which one is the right man, he decides to follow the “shabby creature.” Quinn follows Stillman into the subway and out to the city, where he enters a small, rundown hotel. Quinn waits outside for two hours, but Stillman does not appear. He calls Virginia to give a report and returns home.

Quinn spends his mornings outside Stillman’s hotel, waiting for the old man to emerge. Then he follows him around the city as he collects random items from the street. Quinn notices that Stilman also takes notes in a red notebook. Stillman’s movements seem meaningless to Quinn. Occasionally, Stillman stops for food, or sits on a bench looking at the Hudson River, returning to his hotel at nights. This routine continues for days and Stillman never attempts to approach Peter.

Quinn thinks the case is meaningless and wonders if Stillman knows he is being watched. He wonders how to occupy his mind and remain concentrated while following the man around the city. He starts recording details about Stillman’s movements in his red notebook while walking. He continues his reports to Virginia, but to Quinn’s surprise no romance develops between them. Days later, he calls her saying he is about to abandon the case. Virginia asks him to give it a few more days.

Quinn reads his detailed notes in the red notebook and realizes they are meaningless. He feels disappointed and ponders Stillman’s behavior and “impenetrability.” He starts drawing a map of Stillman’s itinerary and notices that the sketches spell out the phrase “the tower of Babel.” He concludes that Stillman knows he is being followed and is leaving a message. Quinn is certain that Stillman remembers his experiment and is determined to harm Peter.

Quinn decides to approach Stillman. On their first meeting, he follows him to Riverside Park and sits beside him on a bench. After minutes of silence, Stillman turns to Quinn, saying that he does not like speaking to strangers who do not say their name. Quinn tells Stillman his real name. Stillman tells him that he is working on a major project. He explains that the world is fragmented and language has lost its meaning, as “words no longer correspond to the world” (77). His goal is to invent a new language.

On their second meeting, Stillman does not recognize Quinn, who introduces himself this time as Henry Dark. Stillman says that Henry Dark is a fabrication, a fictional character who helped him justify the ideas in his book. He elaborates on his views and intentions, saying that humanity’s salvation depends on people’s mastery of words. He has not lost his hope that the New World can be a paradise.

On their third meeting, Quinn finds Stillman at the park. Again, Stillman does not recognize Quinn. This time, Quinn introduces himself as Peter Stillman. Stillman takes Quinn to be his son. Impersonating Peter, Quinn states that he has recovered, and Stillman seems content, saying that “children are a great blessing” (85).

The following morning, Quinn waits outside Stillman’s hotel, but the old man does not appear. Later, Quinn enters the hotel and asks to leave a message. The clerk informs him that Stillman has checked out. He calls Virginia, who says that Peter received a phone call that upset him. Quinn promises to call her every two hours but does not know how to handle the situation.

Stillman has disappeared. Quinn knows that it is impossible to find him in the city but feels a responsibility to protect Peter. Realizing that he never questioned the real detective’s identity, he decides to look for Paul Auster. He finds Auster’s name and address in the yellow pages and heads for his apartment.

Quinn finds Paul Auster at home and asks to speak to him. Auster recalls Quinn’s name from his old books and poems. Quinn realizes that Auster is a writer, not a detective. He explains the story to Auster and they both realize there has been a misunderstanding. Quinn feels that “[t]he whole thing is a bad dream” (94). To convince Auster, Quinn shows him Virginia’s check with his name. Auster offers to cash the money for Quinn. Quinn questions him about his literary work. Auster is currently writing a piece about Don Quixote’s “authorship.” He refers to Cervantes’s assertion that the original story was written in Arabic by Cide Hamete Benengeli, who claimed that the events were real. Auster claims that Don Quixote himself was the instigator of the book, planning an experiment about the ability of a chronicler to make a fictional story credible.

Auster’s wife and son return home, and Quinn feels Auster “is taunting him with the things he had lost” (101). He says goodbye to Auster, who offers to help Quinn if anything happens.

Quinn feels lost and alone and doesn’t know what to do. He returns home and considers his choices. He calls Virginia but the line is busy.

Quinn spends the following day wandering around New York. He keeps calling Virginia Stillman but the line remains busy. He feels the “urge” to write in the red notebook and records detailed observations about the people he sees around the city. Later, Quinn realizes he cannot “break his connection with the case” (111). It is his “fate” to try and understand the events. Certain that Auster’s involvement is a mistake, he decides that he will not allow Stillman to approach Peter. He spends the night outside the Stillmans’ apartment.

Months pass and Quinn remains in the alley outside the Stillmans’ apartment. He becomes obsessive, terrified that something might happen in his absence. He gradually loses himself, scarcely eating and sleeping and completely neglecting his appearance. When it rains, he finds shelter in a garbage can. He manages to remain hidden and nobody discovers him. He has “melted into the walls of the city” (117).

Spending most of his time hidden, Quinn begins to realize “the true nature of solitude” (118). He knows he is losing himself but still expects to discover some meaning. Quinn decides to walk around New York. Overcome by fatigue, he falls asleep in the park. When he wakes the next morning, he feels he has lost all chances with the case.

Without any money, he decides to call Auster and ask for Virginia’s check. Over the phone, Auster informs him that the check “bounced” and that Stillman died by suicide, jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge. Peter and Virginia have disappeared. The case is now over. Quinn can only return home.

He enters his apartment and sees that all his things have been removed. When a woman comes in, he understands that she now lives there. She mistakes Quinn for a burglar and threatens to call the police. She says that she rented the apartment when the previous resident, a writer, disappeared months ago. Quinn says that he is the writer, but she is not convinced. He finally leaves, knowing he has lost everything.

Quinn goes to Peter and Virginia’s apartment and finds the door open. The apartment is empty and Quinn finds the darkest room. He settles on the floor, takes off his clothes, and sleeps. When he wakes, he has lost track of time. His life before the Stillman case feels distant.

Someone has left a tray of food beside him and he accepts the fact without surprise. Later, he starts writing in the red notebook about the Stillman case. As time passes, the pages in the red notebook start to run out. This is a “period of growing darkness” for Quinn (131). He becomes more careful about what he writes, losing all interest in himself. He wonders what will happen when there are no more pages left in the notebook.

The “I” of the narrator emerges, noting that there is no information about the rest of the story. The narrator learned about Quinn’s case from his friend, Paul Auster. They both went to the Stillmans’ apartment, finding the red notebook on the floor. Quinn has disappeared and the narrator cannot offer any interpretations. He wishes Quinn luck.