Detroit, the fallen city, a city that was once the symbol of American wealth and prosperity, that today showcases what can happen to a city when people stop caring. Detroit was and continues to be the leading automobile city in the United States, however due to high crime rates the city was abandoned by a mass majority of the population, leaving Detroit an empty shell of a city. Founded by the French in the 17th century as a small outpost, it has transformed into a quintessential American city. However, the French are still intrigued as to how their tiny outpost has managed to demonstrate a grand American identity. Many French philosophers and writers have examined Detroit and the correlation it has to the American psyche and understanding. Speaking generally, there is a consensus that the French are astounded by the city’s dilapidation. In Europe, the cities are a source of pride and are praised for their historical value. French writer and intellectual Bernard-Henri Lévy looks at Detroit , in his article In the Footsteps of Tocqueville published in 2005, to show the uniqueness of America to let cities die.“And finally Detroit, sublime Detroit, the city that during the war, because of its car and steel factories, vaunted itself as “the arsenal of democracy,” and that once one has entered it—whether in the Brush Park area, north of downtown, or, worse, East Detroit—seems like an immense, deserted Babylon, a futuristic city whose inhabitants have fled.” According to Lévy and my interpretations, the ability of America to let cities die shows how American culture rests in the power of its mobility and space. As Baudrillard, a French philosopher, continually mentions, America is uniquely defined by the immensity of land. The death of a city is no great tragedy in America because there is always space and time for another to grow and take the place of the previous fading city. In this sense, Detroit may also be seen as a place of broken dreams and aspirations, or in other terms the physical representation of the failed American dream.
This aspect of Detroit can be seen through Poulin’s novel Volkswagen Blues. When the main characters visit Detroit they are met by a dead city, which is empty and harmless during the day but eerie and dangerous at night. They are vehemently warned by a stranger not to walk through the park unless they wish to be killed. The city that surrounds them still has remnants of the glory that was once present with lush buildings that have glamorous exteriors but decaying interiors. Thus, one views Detroit as a warning to the realities of the perceived American perfection. Detroit had been a great city flourishing with industry and wealth, but success faded after the automobile boom ended and the great wealth that had been acquired vanished. To the French this represents the nature of America, a place that people escape to, to find wealth and success, yet this success may be as fleeting as a dream. Detroit could very well be seen as the future of many American cities if other cities do not pay attention to its glorious downfall and misuse. Detroit intrigues the French, unlike the other clean and superficial American cities such as Los Angeles, Seattle, and Las Vegas because it shows the real, harsh circumstances of America in which everything is not a success.
Seeing America Through French Eyes 
