Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Is time in the narrative of The Lost Steps flat, or does it contain leaps through past and future? If it does contain leaps, how many, and where are they located in the novel?

Technically and literally, The Lost Steps is a flat narrative due to the narrator experiencing time in a straightforward and linear fashion. However, it can be stated that the narrator does indeed makes leaps through past and future in a more metaphorical and existential sense.
The narrator, a musician who throughout the book remains nameless, is a man who has roots in both European and Latin-American culture, stemming from his father and mother, respectively. He attempts to resolve the identity crisis that this creates by visiting an unspecified city in South America. Once there, he seems to recall the language and tradition from his childhood, signifying a spiritual leap into the past.
Later, seduced by a fleeting chance to briefly return to the city, the narrator finds nothing but misfortune and sees the city as almost apocalyptic in its hostility, signifying a spiritual leap into the future.

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