Last Exit to Brooklyn

“Even the blood couldnt be seen from a few feet away.”

The novel’s Brooklyn is shielded from outside society. In this part of the city, bloodshed is part of the broad tapestry of poverty, and violence that might shock outsiders barely registers here. For the residents, the blood can barely be seen from a few feet away because it is a mundanity.

“The glory of having known someone killed by the police during a stickup was the greatest event of his life.”

For the people growing up in Brooklyn, the prospect of fame and fortune is a remote and unknowable dream. With so little potential to achieve, characters like Vinnie are forced to find other avenues for prestige. He enjoys knowing a notorious criminal as this makes him a part of local mythology. Vinnie may not be famous, but he enjoys fame vicariously.

“O I laid him out but good.”

Georgette tells her friends an embellished version of events to make herself seem more powerful and impressive. In her account, she can knock out her bullying brother. The exaggeration is an example of wish fulfillment, outlining Georgette’s real desire for control and agency. She wishes she were strong enough to deal with her brother’s violence and craves revenge against him as much as she craves narcotics. Even hearing herself lie about the encounter and seeing her friends’ reactions is a high all its own.

“She wanted them to think he was her lover, but more than that she wanted him as her lover. Even if only once.”

Georgette’s relationship with Vinnie is complicated; even the idea of a relationship with Vinnie is comforting to her as it validates her identity as a woman. In a hostile world that rejects her gender identity, she views her relationship with Vinnie as a rebuke to the world, as well as a personal validation. The idea of this relationship is Georgette’s way of measuring her place in the world, her way to assure herself that she is right in her actions and her identity.

“He never bothered nobody and hed never beaterup or anythin so I guess she wanted ta get married.”

For the characters in the novel, the practical realities of romance reveal their pessimistic worldviews. Suzy marries Tommy because he keeps to himself, and he does not abuse her physically. In addition to the pressing matter of their pregnancy, these factors form the sensible basis for a marriage. Rather than positive ideals such as love, the marriage is based on the absence of negative ideals such as violence or criminality.

“Getting laid was getting laid.”

Tralala has an indifferent attitude toward sex. At the very least, she assures herself of this indifference. By telling herself that she does not care about the identity or the quantity of her sexual partners, Tralala can protect herself from the pain and trauma that might otherwise affect her. Her remark here, however, is something like an ironic and nightmarish foreshadowing to her story’s end.

“The shadows hid her pimples and scabs.”

Tralala prefers the shadows because they hide the parts of herself that she does not like, and she needn’t think about her physical appearance when out in shadowy bars. The pimples and scabs symbolize her self-doubts, functioning as outward expressions of the unwanted marks on her psyche. Tralala sticks to the shadows in bars for the same reason that she limits herself to the fringes of society: She does not want to be scrutinized—outwardly or inwardly.

“His stomach knotted, a slight nausea starting.”

When Harry watches his wife near his infant son’s penis, he feels a disgust that he cannot describe. The disorienting emotions coursing through Harry’s body have long-lasting physical and mental effects, as Harry’s strange and confusing thoughts literally sicken him. Harry’s self-loathing manifests physically. His knotted stomach and the nausea reflect his daily confusion and discomfort.

“Harry physically numb, feeling neither pain nor pleasure, but moving with the force and automation of a machine.”

Harry experiences sex as though it is a compulsory job, similar to his factory work. Being with his wife has no positive emotional value for Harry as he is not attracted to her. Instead, sex with her is just another way to explore his bitter resentments. He endures these moments by thinking about violence or the interactions he will soon have with his male co-workers.

“Youre only makin money for the company and they got enough.”

While Harry’s homelife is alienating and unfulfilling, he takes great pleasure from his work milieu. At the factory, Harry knows exactly who he is. Part of this version of Harry is his working-class identity. Harry might not understand his sexuality, but he is certain that he is a working-class factory worker who is being exploiting by his bourgeois bosses. He ratifies this identity by fomenting class conflicts and finding solidarity with his fellow factory workers.

“He did little and talked a lot.”

Harry talks constantly to his co-workers, but his chatter is not just to fill the emptiness between them. The one-sided conversations are a desperate effort for validation. Harry has neither confidence nor friends, but by talking confidently to his co-workers, he can convince himself that he has both. The conversations are an elaborate act of self-deception in which Harry tries to will his identity into existence.

“Harry continued to drift, as he had through the day, only silently and lethargically, still experiencing the sharp depression that overcame him when the guys left and he was alone with his radio, beer, desk and chair, the depression of disappointment after a long wait.”

The union office reflects Harry’s emotional state; after everyone leaves, the office seems empty and lonely. He misses the company of his co-workers and his fellow customers at the Greek diner. Harry longs for male company to resolve his complicated sexuality, but he is left alone to salve his depression with alcohol. Harry is a lonely man in a lonely place, and the only solution he can imagine is male company, even if he cannot quite define this longing.

“And he remembered how Ginger admired him for his strength and how she liked to talk with him and feel the muscles in his arms and legs.”

Harry fondly (and dimly) remembers his drunken Saturday night—but he is deluded. He is so deluded that he cannot recognize when people are mocking him, and he believes they are being friendly. His memory reframes Ginger’s mockery as affection as he wants to believe that she was interested in him.

“He stared at everyone as they moved and talked, never certain of their sex, but enjoying watching them and enjoying too the thrill and excitement he felt at being in such a weird place.”

Harry struggles to understand why he finds the bar so thrilling. All he can do is silently stare at people, a marked contrast to his behavior at the factory or the union office where he is constantly talking. The switch in his role from constant talker to silent observer reflects his confusion at the change in gender roles in the bar. In the bar, where gender operates across a broad and blurred spectrum beyond his comprehension, Harry becomes someone else as well.

“Not that he kissed any better or was less freaky than the others, but she could feel his excitement from the newness of the experience.”

Through all Harry’s feigned confidence and moral infractions, he retains a core innocence which is visible only at certain moments. Harry goes home with a transgender woman named Alberta, and she glimpses an innocent side of Harry that the world rarely sees. He is sincerely affectionate and warm toward her in a way that he is not toward his wife. His wonder and confusion are visible as he retains the innocent desire to learn more about a world of unexplored sexuality.

“Harry, in addition to all the other functions he served, was their builtin patsy.”

One of the only constants in Harry’s life is how everyone takes advantage of him, whether they are union officials, petty criminals, or romantic partners. Even the people Harry respects, such as the men in the union, are inherently liable to exploit him. They tolerate Harry because he is useful in the same way that Regina tolerates him for his money. No one likes Harry; they simply use and then discard him.

“They sprawled at the counter and at the tables and ordered coffee and.”

Harry’s story ends midsentence with the protagonist left brutalized and bloodied in an alley. The sudden end of the sentence leaves the story hanging, a narrative thread that is not formally resolved. The fragmentation expresses the nature of violence in Harry’s world. The mistakes, the crimes, and the consequences have no conclusion.

“We want this Project to be a safe and clean place to live. It is up to you to keep it this way.”

The notices posted in the public housing building speak to an imaginary world. A “safe and clean place” (127) bears no resemblance to the lived reality of the residents. The owners of the estate offer no help or support to the residents for achieving this world, and they are far removed from the actual reality of the people whose lives they profitably control.

“They was doin alright like this with Irene workin.”

Mike is a pure narcissist; he can never understand the workload he places on Irene through any context other than how he is personally affected. Irene works, takes care of the children, and cooks all the food while Mike lays in bed and threatens her with violence. Irene is exhausted by the burden of her responsibilities while Mike sees himself as the victim of her overbearing expectations.

“He stretched his legs, pushing back against the seat, and smiled. It was his.”

Abraham is the proud owner of a Cadillac, not just because he admires its aesthetic and mechanical qualities but because it distinguishes him from his neighbors. Abraham may live in the same disinvested neighborhood as the other characters, but he views himself as rich and successful. This means that he spends all his money on himself while leaving his wife and children home alone. The Cadillac could be sold, and Abraham could curb his lifestyle for the benefit of his family, but he only cares about elevating himself.

“Lucy almost corrected his using—all—, but hesitated knowing Louis would get mad.”

Louis is a student, so he views himself as the intelligent person in the household. Lucy, who does all the work on Louis’s behalf, refrains from correcting her husband’s grammar. Her hesitancy shows that she is actually the intelligent member of the family but also that she is more than familiar with her husband’s insecurities. She does not want to repeat an argument, so she carefully avoids correcting Louis’s speech. Her intelligence is demonstrated not only in her superior knowledge but also in her emotional insight, allowing her to avoid the same old arguments that bedevil other couples.

“When the door closed behind him another kid took Harolds place and the exhibition continued.”

The boys fight outside the public housing building. This fight is a metaphor for life in the building, in which every character is struggling for survival in a hostile society. Even when someone is removed from the society—in the same way that the boy is removed from the fight—they are instantly replaced by another desperate person, and the same cycle of violence continues.

“Theyd be going to bed soon and maybe tonight will be different.”

Louis goes to bed with the hope that his wife will agree to have sex with him. His vague hope mirrors the hope that propels the lives of all the characters in the public housing estate. Like Louis hoping that his wife will show him physical affection, the residents cling to the unfounded hope that their future will somehow be different from their present. They have no quantifiable reason why this might be the case, just as Louis has no reason to believe that Lucy may have changed her mind, but the characters cling to their optimism because doing otherwise would mean giving up on their lives.