The City & the City

by

China Miéville

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The City & the City makes teaching easy.
Ashil is a Breach avatar who watches over Borlú after he is brought into the Breach. Ashil is not his real name, but just a name he asks Borlú to use to refer to him when they are walking through the cities. Like other Breach avatars, Ashil is strangely devoid of emotion, although he frequently offers philosophical reflections and insights.

Ashil Quotes in The City & the City

The The City & the City quotes below are all either spoken by Ashil or refer to Ashil. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Borders and Doubles Theme Icon
).
Chapter 26 Quotes

I could imagine the panic of bystanders and passersby, let alone those innocent motorists of Besźel and Ul Qoma, having swerved desperately out of the path of the careening vehicles, of necessity in and out of the topolganger city, trying hard to regain control and pull their vehicles back to where they dwelt. Faced then with scores of afraid, injured intruders, without intent to transgress but without choice, without language to ask for help, stumbling out of the ruined buses, weeping children in their arms and bleeding across borders. Approaching people they saw, not attuned to the nuances of nationality—clothes, colours, hair, posture—oscillating back and forth between countries.

Related Characters: Inspector Tyador Borlú (speaker), Mahalia Geary (a.k.a. Fulana/Marya/Byela Mar) , Ashil
Related Symbols: Breach
Page Number: 275
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 27 Quotes

Smuggling’s not my department; take what you want. I’m not a political man—I don’t care if you mess with Ul Qoma. I’m here because you’re a murderer.

Related Characters: Inspector Tyador Borlú (speaker), Mikhel Buric, Ashil
Related Symbols: Breach
Page Number: 284
Explanation and Analysis:
Coda: Chapter 29 Quotes

It’s not just us keeping them apart. It’s everyone in Besźel and everyone in Ul Qoma. Every minute, every day. We’re only the last ditch: it’s everyone in the cities who does most of the work. It works because you don’t blink. That’s why unseeing and unsensing are so vital. No one can admit it doesn’t work.

Related Characters: Ashil (speaker), Inspector Tyador Borlú
Related Symbols: Breach
Page Number: 310
Explanation and Analysis:
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The City & the City PDF

Ashil Quotes in The City & the City

The The City & the City quotes below are all either spoken by Ashil or refer to Ashil. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Borders and Doubles Theme Icon
).
Chapter 26 Quotes

I could imagine the panic of bystanders and passersby, let alone those innocent motorists of Besźel and Ul Qoma, having swerved desperately out of the path of the careening vehicles, of necessity in and out of the topolganger city, trying hard to regain control and pull their vehicles back to where they dwelt. Faced then with scores of afraid, injured intruders, without intent to transgress but without choice, without language to ask for help, stumbling out of the ruined buses, weeping children in their arms and bleeding across borders. Approaching people they saw, not attuned to the nuances of nationality—clothes, colours, hair, posture—oscillating back and forth between countries.

Related Characters: Inspector Tyador Borlú (speaker), Mahalia Geary (a.k.a. Fulana/Marya/Byela Mar) , Ashil
Related Symbols: Breach
Page Number: 275
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 27 Quotes

Smuggling’s not my department; take what you want. I’m not a political man—I don’t care if you mess with Ul Qoma. I’m here because you’re a murderer.

Related Characters: Inspector Tyador Borlú (speaker), Mikhel Buric, Ashil
Related Symbols: Breach
Page Number: 284
Explanation and Analysis:
Coda: Chapter 29 Quotes

It’s not just us keeping them apart. It’s everyone in Besźel and everyone in Ul Qoma. Every minute, every day. We’re only the last ditch: it’s everyone in the cities who does most of the work. It works because you don’t blink. That’s why unseeing and unsensing are so vital. No one can admit it doesn’t work.

Related Characters: Ashil (speaker), Inspector Tyador Borlú
Related Symbols: Breach
Page Number: 310
Explanation and Analysis: