An Analysis of Oracle Night by Paul Auster

Segment A of Oracle night was a very interesting segment, it was like an introductory segment where we got introduced to the main characters, and to Austers style of writing. The first thing that interested me in segment A was Paul Austers style of writing. Auster did not divide his novel into chapters but kept a continuous flow of ideas. In addition to that, Auster goes back and forth in time not keeping a constant writing tense. Another aspect of Auster writing that I found interesting was his use of footnotes to explain certain events that happened in the past. Last but not least what I found most interesting about Austers style was his Russian doll style of writing where we have a double plot. What I found remarkable about the double plot is that Sidney, the author of the second plot, created the characters to be similar to his wife and himself, and that allowed him to be present in both reality and his fictional book. At some times in the novel Sidney would find himself in a state of double conciseness, physically present in a place but mentally thinking about the book he was writing. In addition to that one of the main themes of the novel is portrayed in segment A which is the theme randomness concurs. This theme is shown when Nick faces a near death situation when the gargoyle falls from the building and lands centimeters away from him. In conclusion, segment A was a good introductory segment that introduced us to the characters, setting, and some of the themes. It also made us familiar with Austers unique style of writing.