It is also easier to stay where you are, no matter how good the future looks. He could have left, as Lesley did, and Marco. It seems that even if he left, however, he would have to come back sometime, because that is what people do. They never leave, or they come back. Marco came back, even though he seemed to hate the village and the people. It is like once they get hold of them, then they can never really get away, unless of course they die, like Deakins.
The story seems innocent at first, but it is really strange and frightening, because the people have such a hold on the narrator, nothing they do seems wrong anymore. Deakins' death is a good example. They do not try to save him, and nothing seems to be done about it, even though the whole town knows about it. Wouldn't it seem there would be an investigation or something? The ending is somehow ominous too, because the narrator has become one of the townspeople so completely, that it seems he is going to get rid of Marco, who no one liked anyway. The story is ominous because it shows what happens when people become too comfortable, and afraid to try new things. They become closed and ominous like this town, and they suck other people in, and will not let them get away again.
The narrator also feels a certain pride in the jobs he does, and so, it makes him more at home, and makes him feel like he belongs. He thinks to himself, "I was rebuilding a jetty at the edge of a lake, and realized that in this way I would be leaving my mark on the place" (Mills...
However, he lets the locals take increasing advantage of him, and he does not seem to know how to stop it. It gets ridiculous, but he still does not put a stop to it, even when Mr. Parker begins "renting" him out with the circular saw, and then not paying him the money. The narrator is again in charge of his own fate, but he does not argue, in fact, he has a hard time even asking Mr. Parker for money, when it is clear he owes him for the work he has done.
When it turns out all the work he has been doing is because of a bet, it is funny, but the circumstances are not funny. The town is dark and frightening somehow, and it is clear the narrator will never have the backbone to stand up to the other people. He represents people who get stuck in their ways, and are too frightened, lazy, or just not motivated to change their ways. He did not have to give up his freedom in exchange for a life of drudgery and working for others, but he chose to. He is weak, and easily led, and he represents everyone who does not stand up for themselves, and let other people decide their lives and their fate.
In conclusion, the narrator is really a sad character, because he cannot see how he has let the town use him, and worse, he does not care. He has chosen to give up his freedom, even though he could have left many times. The little village has hold of him, and he can no longer break free.
References
Mills, Magnus. All Quiet on the Orient Express. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1999.
