Author: Uha Hayashi

First-year student at the University of Tsukuba

Permission granted for publication in February 2024

Introduction

Under extreme conditions that do not allow any prediction, our persistence gets tested. In the Country of Last Things is a novel written by Paul Auster. This dystopian novel takes place in a city where nearly all public systems and even nature are malfunctioning. The morality in humanity seems to have deteriorated with the instability filling the city. The protagonist, Anna Blume, enters the city in search of her journalist brother, William. The author conveys the influence of love on the power of persisting in an individual's survival emphasized by the setting of a dystopian city through the protagonist, Anna Blume. 

Persistence 

In the Britannica Dictionary, persistence is defined as “the quality that allows someone to continue doing something or trying to do something even though it is difficult or opposed by other people” (“Persistence”). The novel's dystopian setting brings light to this concept even more vividly. The dystopian city reveals people’s persistence – what drives them to life and death. Although various forms and levels of persistence appear in the novel, it can be broadly categorized into two categories: persistence to death and persistence to life. 

In extreme conditions, their persistence emerges as a motivation for an action. The motivation for death can be deduced by the depictions of people trying to suicide through a variety of methods. One example is the Runners, who train themselves with “self-punishing endurance” to be good runners to kill themselves (8). On the contrary, the novel also explores the influence of persistence on survival. Interestingly, compared to the only outcome of death, the motivation for survival has a variety of consequences. Human will to persist can result in two very different paths. While one may find hope and encouragement for the future with the persistence of life, the other may run to violence and destruction persisting in their past life. These differences influence the consequence of persisting. 

Writing and Persistence

Anna’s persistence in life revolves around love, bringing focus to the concept of hope. She is an outsider who visits the city, initially to find her brother. Then, the subject of persistence gradually shifts towards survival and storytelling under the pressure of the dystopian city. 

The novel, presented in the form of a letter from Anna to the reader, primarily serves as a testament to Anna's persistence. Even though she writes to the reader because they “know nothing,” it also functions as her coping mechanism (2). She writes, "it is easy to get confused, to be unsure that you are really seeing the thing you think you are looking at” in the city (12). In such situations, for an individual to think is nearly impossible — “the brain is a muddle” (13). Even under such harsh conditions, Anna maintains morality and sanity by writing the letter. On page 25, she mentions how writing things down helps her to secure her memory and recall the ones she loves – “of my parents, of William, of you.” While Anna also emphasizes that “[m]emory is the great trap,” she can face the present and future with hopefulness because she remembers. Hence, it can be said that the writing aids Anna's survival in the city. The persistence of writing and survival is bidirectional — she writes to survive, and she survives to write. 

Love as a Driving Force

Nevertheless, the motivation underlying this persistence is love. This is because her journey revolves around the ones she loves. First, she visited the city for her brother. She experienced motherly love from Isabel and later began writing in the blue notebook she used to communicate with Isabel (123). Then she fell in love with Samuel and developed family love with him and their unborn child. Her attitude towards the city also reminds journalists of her brother and Samuel. Later, she starts living in the Woburn House, where Anna engages in sexual activity with Victoria (107). Anna describes her connection with Victoria as a bond that provided a sense of security — it gave Anna a “permanent place in which to anchor your feelings” (107).  Lastly, the letter will likely address her “old friend” whom she possibly loved (127). Throughout the novel, Anna recalls her memories, which suggests her intimate relationship with the reader. This is directly addressed when she describes her sexual desires; “[y]ou know all about me. You know what my body needs and does not, what squalls and hungers lurk inside it” (41). Love became a refuge for Anna. As a consequence, Anna gains responsibility for her survival. Her life belongs to her, yet it is also shared in part with those she loves. This contributes to Anna’s determination to survive. At the end of the novel, Anna hints at a sense of hope within herself and extends that optimism to the reader as well: "The only thing I ask for now is the chance to live one more day. This is Anna Blume, your old friend from another world. Once we get to where we are going, I will try to write to you again, I promise" (127). This quote suggests Anna’s love for the world. She embraces the present moment, neither clinging to the past nor worrying about an uncertain future. In addition, this shows a connection to the concept of mindfulness, where you focus on “inside and around you—your thoughts, feelings, sensations, and environment” (Wein, 2021). Anna’s attitude promotes acceptance and patience, which are critical components of love. This is especially significant as she is in another world where everything is on the verge of destruction. How she persists and survives under immense pressure and uncertainty brings a glimmer of hope to a city steeped in despair.

Further Exploration: The Consequences of Persistence 

In the novel, there is another character who exemplifies persistence toward life, yet a completely different consequence. Willie’s persistence revolves around survival, similar to Anna's, yet it leads to destruction as he holds on to the past. He is a fifteen-year-old boy living in the Woburn House who worked as an assistant to his grandfather, Frick. Willie shares several similarities with Anna, such as their youthfulness and a shared sense of being outcasts in some way. The depiction of Willie having a form of dyslexia hints at his solitude; “Willie was a boy of less than normal intelligence, and at seventeen he was still locked into the violence of a self that understood almost nothing of the world around him” (117). Since Frick played a central role in taking care of Willie's well-being, even his thinking, losing Frick proved to be a distressing and devastating experience for Willie (117). It can be deduced that when Willie truly lost Frick and his holy ground, he also lost his connection to the world or his usual life. 

In a state of confusion and desperate search for identity or purpose, he found himself gripping a machine gun. Choosing violence and impulsive destruction rather than succumbing to death suggests persistence in his life. Contrastingly to Anna, Willie holds onto his past life rather than the present – when Frick was still there. Engaging in homicides within the Woburn House might have been his final attempt to feel a sense of vitality. A similar reaction emerged when Anna resisted Ferdinand’s attempt to rape her. On page 44, she describes, “I was killing him for the pure pleasure of it.” Hence, it can be deduced that choosing violence is not only a standard option but also a frequently observed response, often employed as a survival strategy in the city. The contrasting paths Anna and Willie took were likely influenced by the environments in which they grew up and the people who surrounded them. Anna has love, and ultimately, she does not fully align with the morals of the city. In this light, Willie can be seen as a victim of this dystopian city.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the author communicates the profound impact of love on an individual's resilience and survival, highlighting this theme within the backdrop of a dystopian city through the character of the protagonist, Anna Blume. The theme of persistence is illuminated in the novel, which can be categorized broadly into persistence toward death and persistence toward life, each leading to distinct motivations and consequences. The protagonist of the novel illustrates the positivity and hopefulness of persistence driven by love. Consequently, she can conclude her letter with a hint of hopefulness, albeit despair. On the other hand, Willie demonstrates alternate consequences of persistence. His attachment to the past and the absence of meaningful connections resulted in destructive behavior, as he could not perceive any hopefulness or vitality in his life. 

Works Cited:

• Auster, Paul. In The Country of Last Things. Penguin, 1988.

• “Persistence.” The Britannica Dictionary, Encyclopædia Britannica. www.britannica.com/dictionary/persistence. Accessed 27 January 2024.

• Wein, Harrison. “Mindfulness for Your Health.” National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, June 2021, newsinhealth.nih.gov/2021/06/mindfulness-your-health. Accessed 31 January 2024.