IDENTITY’S ILLUSION: PSYCHOLOGICAL UNDERCURRENTS IN LOCKED ROOM BY PAUL AUSTER

*Priyadharshini, S., & **Udhayakumar, S.

*Research Scholar, Department of English and Comparative Literature, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.

**Head and Assistant Professor Department of English and Comparative Literature, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.

Abstract

The Locked Room by Paul Auster is the final book in the New York Trilogy, although it can also be read alone and shows off the author’s mastery of postmodern narrative and investigation of existential topics. The protagonist of the book, who goes by no name, takes on the role of his friend Fanshawe’s literary executor. The protagonist becomes entangled in a labyrinthine tale that fuzzily defines the boundaries between fiction and truth as he explores Fanshawe’s unpublished writing. The intricate layering of stories, which creates metafictional experiences that mirror the characters’ personal and creative challenges, demonstrates Auster’s narrative force. The ethical ramifications of determining a character’s fate and the author’s accountability for them are further explored in the book. The narrative is replete with references of loss, beyond Fanshawe’s disappearance.

Keywords

investigation, existence, disappearance, postmodern, authorship

Works Cited

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To cite this article

Priyadharshini. S., & Udhayakumar, S. (2024). Identity’s Illusion: Psychological undercurrents in Locked Room by Paul Auster. Sparkling International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research Studies, 7(3), 14-20.