The Former Hotel Agassiz is both the place where Pablo Jackson lived and where he was killed, and a landmark Ginger Weiss encounters again while fleeing. Its return links the discovery of Pablo’s death to Ginger’s later movement through the city, bringing her nearly full circle.

Setting and Association

The hotel’s former interior includes a library with double doors and a Sheraton desk. When Ginger enters the library, she finds Pablo lying face down on the floor near the desk. He is still wearing galoshes and an overcoat, suggesting that he has recently returned from visiting a hospitalized friend.

The Exterior Refuge

Later, Ginger takes refuge outside in the narrow space between a row of well-manicured bushes and the brick building. She is in a shadowed corner where the angled wall of a bay-windowed tower meets the main facade. The building is identified as the former hotel, where Pablo had his apartment and where he was killed.

Narrative Significance

The return to the hotel turns a specific city building into a point of convergence between Pablo’s death and Ginger’s present flight. Recognizing the place, Ginger understands that she has come nearly full circle: the refuge she finds is also the site bound to the loss she has already encountered.