The City & the City

by

China Miéville

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The City & the City: Coda: Chapter 29 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Borlú never sees the weapon Bowden was carrying again, nor learns if it indeed has any special powers. Following Riot Night, a new wave of state repression sweeps over Ul Qoma. In Besźel, the night is rarely discussed. During it, 22 people died in Ul Qoma and 13 in Besźel, in addition to the refugees who died in the crash. Borlú asks Ashil if anyone from Breach has ever “broken ranks,” and Ashil says they have, but doing that automatically means breaching, and thus falling back under Breach’s control. Borlú’s cell in the Breach quarters is no longer locked, and he spends the days walking around the cities with Ashil.
Ashil’s comment about those who rebel against Breach automatically being brought back into Breach emphasizes the idea of Breach’s circular, self-justifying nature. It is a loop from which there is no escape. This is a very hellish, almost absurdist depiction of crime and punishment, although one that arguably corresponds with reality.
Themes
Borders and Doubles Theme Icon
Crime vs. Punishment Theme Icon
Quotes
Borlú asks about Bowden’s fate, but Ashil only gives a vague answer. Borlú points out that despite all the violations Bowden did commit, he didn’t actually breach. Ashil shrugs this off, saying, “If we say he breached, he breached.” Sear and Core remain in Besźel, and have made gestures of accountability. Borlú asks Ashil when he will be allowed to go home, and Ashil smiles, telling Borlú he has done “an excellent job.” Ashil reflects on how the ordinary citizens of Besźel and Ul Qoma enforce Breach themselves by dutifully seeing and unseeing only what they are supposed to. He then explains that no one is born in Breach; every avatar of Breach became one by once breaching themselves.
Although the crime is solved, the ending does not provide satisfaction or catharsis in the form of justice. Again, most of the villains escape punishment, and the fate of the one person who is punished—Bowden—remains unknown. Meanwhile, Ashil’s words about Breach may intensify any cynicism the reader has been led to feel at this moment, particularly about power and the (im)possibility of subverting it. 
Themes
Borders and Doubles Theme Icon
Crime vs. Punishment Theme Icon
Urban Life and Alienation Theme Icon
Quotes
Borlú realizes it is difficult to imagine himself returning to Besźel and only being able to see that city after having experienced walking between both cities in Breach. He wants to be able to say goodbye to people from the outside world, but Ashil says it’s not possible. Ashil explains that Breach were happy when Borlú breached, because they wanted to make use of his skills as a detective. As a compromise, Ashil allows Borlú to write letters to his lovers. He goes to see both Corwi and Dhatt, but both can tell that he is not entirely in their city and thus greet him wordlessly. Borlú mouths “thanks” and “good-bye” to Corwi even though he knows she can’t see. He says he is no longer Inspector Tyador Borlú but Tye, his Breach avatar name. Now, he lives in-between, “in both the city and the city.”
The ending of the novel is rather moving, even tragic. Borlú is confined to a mode of existence that, ironically, is freer than his previous life in the sense that he can move between Besźel and Ul Qoma. However, this freedom means little considering he cannot properly interact with the people he loves. At the same time, the fact that Dhatt and Corwi acknowledge him—something that is clearly difficult or impossible—suggests that if the people of the cities collectively take action, they might indeed one day be able to overthrow Breach’s power and unify.
Themes
Borders and Doubles Theme Icon
Seeing vs. Unseeing Theme Icon
Crime vs. Punishment Theme Icon
Urban Life and Alienation Theme Icon