Open City Literary Elements

Literary Fiction

Set primarily in Manhattan, New York City. The setting partially shifts to Nigeria and Brussels.

First-person point of view through the perspective of Julius.

Nostalgic, Sentimental, Melancholic

Protagonist: Julius Antagonist: The repressed memories, unhappy moments, and disillusionments.

Julius has to contend with his repressed memories while reconciling his current life with the burdens from the past.

The novel reaches its climax with Julius’ narration of the confrontation with Moji where she accused him of rape in the past.

‘It is especially elusive because the source of our information about the mind is itself the mind, and the mind is able to deceive itself.’

This foreshadows the instances that Julius retrieves his repressed memories about the past by adopting a new perspective.

“I asked him if they still got away on the weekends. “Oh yes, every weekend, but it’s just me now, Julius. Carla died in June,” he said. She had a heart attack.”

The novel makes allusions to the landscape and culture of New York City including the architecture, infrastructure, urban scene, lifestyle, and the people.

“Banners, signs, posters, flags, and streamers of all kinds flapped in the wind, and mounted police on blindered horses regulated the crowd with cordons, whistles, and hand movements. The cops were in dark blue and wore sunshades. The crowd was brightly attired, and looking at all that green, red, yellow, and white synthetic material in the sun hurt the eyes.”

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“I looked outside the window, and in my mind’s eye” – Mind’s eye is a metonymy for imagination or mental picture.

“The engine emitted a low grumble, and the boat pitched back a little and trembled, as though it were inhaling air in readiness for a dive.”