Narrator

The first person narrator of the novel remains unnamed throughout the Austerlitz narrative. Over the course of the novel, his primary function is to listen to Jacques Austerlitz tell the story of his life, particularly Austerlitz’s experiences trying to discover the truth of who he is, where he is from, and all that his family and people suffered during World War II. The narrator’s first person voice primarily features in the opening sequences of the novel. His personal experiences and storyline dissipate, however, whenever he is in Austerlitz’s company. Austerlitz enlists him as the pseudo vessel for his story, because when the men met in Belgium, the narrator proved himself to be “the kind of listener” that Austerlitz needs in order to verbally process all that he has experienced (43). Indeed, the narrator’s presence is largely peripheral throughout the novel. Although he is often confused...