Loneliness, Doubles, and Modern Marriage in 'The City of Glass' and 'Rear Window'

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City of Glass and Rear Window Comparison Essay
In life, a person’s character, attitude, and behavior are shaped by a lot of things. For some people, their character and behavior are shaped by an experience; others have theirs shaped by their upbringing, and still, others have theirs shaped by the people in their environment. Perceptions are key to what people want others to see, and these can interfere with one’s identity. Two works that incredibly capture the essence of these words include the graphic novel City of Glass and the film Rear Window. The City of Glass novel tells the story of Quinn, who is a lonely man with no purpose or direction in life. However, through a phone call, Quinn somehow finds purpose and fully gives himself to pursue his newfound goal in life. Quinn’s story is similar to that of L.B. Jefferies from the Rear Window, a photographer for a magazine who finds himself temporarily out of his job because of an accident. Having been forced to move back home, Jefferies finds life a bit difficult because of the adjustment he has to make. Jefferies appears purposeless in the movie as he tries finds comfort in his two-room apartment. However, he finds something to do while seated by his apartment window. The two works share a lot in terms of the similarities in the main characters and the themes that appear in both. This essay thus provides a discussion of the themes of purpose, loneliness, doubles, and modern marriage since they happen to appear in both works.
First, the theme of purpose is appears almost in the same way in the novel and the film. Quinn and Jefferies happen to have lost something, and they both had to settle for something outside of what is natural for them. In the City of Glass, Quinn is said to have taken a drastic turn after the death of his wife and child, and he lost the zeal to live. “As a young man, he had written poetry, plays, and essays. But quite abruptly, he had given up all that” (Auster, 3). The loss he endured changed him and took something precious away from him. The zeal he had for life and writing died. As Auster (3) aptly puts it, “Quinn no longer existed for anyone but himself.” His life was not rosy or filled with laughter or hope. Nothing moved him, and everything seemed dark until he got three calls from Peter Stillman. The calls gave Quinn renewed purpose and vigor till the end of the novel. “The next morning, Quinn woke up earlier than he had in several weeks” (Auster, 12). Finally, Quinn had something to look forward to. He had been given a purpose and was alive to the fact hence the early morning. L.B. Jefferies is also in a similar transition as Quinn. In the Rear Window, Jefferies is shown to have a cast on his leg, which keeps him from his job as a photographer. Jefferies appears not to have anything to do in his life apart from sitting in his house looking outside the window. In one instance, he pleads with his editor, Gunnison, asking to be taken out of the house. “Six weeks sitting in a two-room apartment with nothing to do but look out of the window at the neighbors” (Rear Window). Jefferies was simply expressing his dissatisfaction at the idea ...