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The Accident (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)

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Characters Discussed

Eliezer, the narrator, a journalist of Eastern European birth. After losing his entire family in the Holocaust, Eliezer has immigrated to Paris, then to New York. He is haunted by his past, by the guilt of having survived, and by a deeply felt responsibility to bear witness on behalf of the dead. His mind is flooded with dreams, images, symbols, and memories, especially of his grandmother, whom he loved devotedly. He finds it impossible to live in the present: He is cynical, detached, and inexpressive. When he does speak, it is often in metaphors,...

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