Table for Two: Fictions

How does Towles portray communism and capitalism in “The Line”? How do Irina and Pushkin’s characters fit into these economic systems?

In “Timothy Touchett,” who is more at fault for Timothy’s arrest? Why would the police not normally care about Timothy’s crime? How is Auster a victim of Timothy’s crime?

Why is Jerry hesitant to take Smitty’s shoes in “Hasta Luego”? How does Jerry’s view of Jennifer’s insistence about the shoes change over the course of the story?