Abstract: Paul Auster, a contemporary American writer, has set the global financial crisis in 2008 as its narrative setting in his novel Sunset Park. Through his narration of the life stories of the hero Miles and other minor characters around him, Auster reflects his grand theme via trivial narrative and handles well the relationship among historic truth, imaginary narratives and traumatic memories. Either the financial crisis, or the terrorist attack and various wars, all these collective traumatic memories have not only disclosed the negative effects of these special historical contexts that have exerted upon the social life of ordinary people, but also embodied Auster’s close regard to American political and social problems as well as his ethical concern of human beings’ living condition. At the same time,the book has also revealed the author’ s denial of the legality of all the wars, arousing people’s query and reflection upon modern civilization and humanistic thinking upon the past, the presentas well as the future.