Natalya Gornopolskaya

This section of the book starts off with the myth of King Minos and the Labyrinth, which he’d built to protect the city of Knossos from the dreaded Minotaur. Though this entire section is crossed out in red ink, it draws a parallel to the situation currently faced by the characters in the Navidson Record. We see how promiscuous Johnny is through his graphic sexual encounters with many strange women. I think the reason he takes the opportunity to have several one-night-stands is to seek human connection, otherwise he would feel completely empty inside. We also learn through one of his former sexual partners that Johnny indeed screams in his sleep, which spells for further troubles ahead. Back in the hallway, we learn what fate the travelers have endured. It seems their leader Holloway, hell-bent on gaining world fame, ran in search of a beast to shoot at with his pistol. Jed and Wax tried to calm him down, but it was too late, he had surrendered his sanity to the darkness. The two men then decide to go back, leaving Holloway behind, as they continue hearing gunshots everywhere. To make things worse, Wax gets shot with a bullet form Holloway’s gun, making it very difficult for Jed to press on. Back at the house, Will, Tom and Reston assemble a search party, while Karen signals the radio. We soon start to see very few words on each page which is implicative of the reality shifts occurring within the labyrinth. As Will and Reston are bravely searching, Tom stays at the top of the spiral staircase, making corny jokes and shadow puppets for entertainment. I enjoy the way Tom is portrayed in this scene, it adds a lighthearted feel to the story. The shadow puppets move Johnny in a way that brings him back to the day he met a sad stray Pekinese. He and a very disturbed looking woman found it together. She insisted on taking in the poor dog to which Johnny did not object. As the woman pulled out onto the road, she hurled the abandoned Pekinese at Johnny’s house, causing it to suffer to death. This particular scene in the book was mind-numbing, though irrelevant, it made me very angry.

Questions:

1. Was the abandoned Pekinese meant as a symbol for Johnny; does its violent end foreshadow something?

2. What happened to Jed as Navidson and Reston found him, is he alright?

3. Why does the hallway allow for each man to get hoisted up to safety, except for Navidson?

4. How can Karen keep her sanity while her husband is off “exploring” again?

5. What will become of Johnny now that he has lost his job?