Memory is the driving force behind every idea in Paul Auster's Invention of Solitude; so much so, in fact, that he calls the second half, "The Book of Memory." There is no doubt that Auster was feeling lost in the barrage of endless reminiscence. The onset of this reflection began with the death of his father. It was then that Auster evinced the degradation of the memories he had. Like the wooden marionette, he felt the need to "dive into the depths of the sea and save [his] father to become"(79) a true son. The sea was his psyche, and Auster believed that the only possible way to excavate his father from his memory was to dig deeper and deeper into his inner mind through images as well as the act of writing. Auster may never have imagined his memories evolving into history, but inevitably they did.

In the beginning of "The Invisible Man," Auster finds photos in his father's house and becomes engrossed with the prospect of deciphering his father through them. Auster writes: "It seemed that they could tell me things I had never known before, reveal some previously hidden truth, and I studied each one intensely, absorbing the least detail. . . I wanted nothing to be lost"

Auster soon found that images in the mind, rather than literal images were most efficacious. It was the images in the mind that evoked the strongest emotions; the deepest and most profound sense of the past. They were the closest Auster could come to actually re-living the event. Literal images, on the other hand, only catered to one of the five senses. Even then, literal images were limited because of their previously mentioned deception.

However, the danger of theorizing on the past through mere tangible objects becomes a rude awakening for Auster. Deception is discovered in every photo he once described as "the equivalent of holy relics." He soon concludes that "objects, it seems, are no more than objects. I am used to them now." The photos were, in a sense, a facade. They only told what was seen, not what was experienced. In fact, the torn photo was not what led Auster to the truth, but rather chance was. So paradoxically, photos gave a sense of truth in its purest form, yet hid it at the same time.

Auster realized this plight. He was not only unraveling his own history, but also that of his father. In addition, he was analyzing his relationship to his son. Auster metaphorically compared this complex web to Amsterdam, "a city of concentric circles, bi-sected by canals, a cross-hatch of hundreds of tiny bridges, each one connecting to another, and then another, as though endlessly"(86). Auster's exploration of his mind grew exponentially. He moved further and further into himself. Ironically, this sense of being lost was a source of exhilaration and happiness. With each revelation came a new realization, and as Auster moves through "The Book of Memory" the reader moves with him. New memories are divulged, new conclusions are drawn, and perspectives are changed.

Therefo

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1216
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)