Kristy Medina

House of Leaves Chapters 9-12

Probably one of my favorite quotes in the book so far, "I call architecture frozen music." The house is a work of art. So if it is like a work of art then it reflects the author's mood and perspective. One of the climaxes of the novel so far was when Holloway shots Wax by accident thinking it was the monster and instead of helping him he runs away because he doesn't want to end up in jail. Also, Johnnie talks about the exploration of Magellan and compares it to Holloway. This point of this is to show how Magellan died but proves his leadership which I feel like might foreshadow something that might happen to Navidson. By chapter ten, a more prominent theme of psychology is actually revealed. Each character in the novel creates their own perception of what the house's darkness really is. The theme of a changing nature of the house. Tom's Story in chapter eleven reveals Tom's fears of the monster but shows it in a more satirical light. Tom and Will, although twins, are completely different which is very common psychologically. Toms is more passive and Will is more aggressive. Tom is completly alone and keeps the radio contact. He is really sarcastic and likes making jokes. He tries to make fun of the monster to calm his nerves down. The echos reappear and Karen gets scared at what Will is doing. Tom never reached the bottom of the staircase so Reston plans to throw a rope down the staircase. However, the rope starts to vanish and Navidson starts slipping; the stairs also start expanding.

Finally, a point is made about the leaves and how it looks in the sky. It all shows a relation to the changing nature of the house, the characters, and how leaves constantly change.

Questions:
-How do you go about reading the boxes?
- Why are the stanzas ripped, like the "rzzzzz..." between each paragraph?
-What does improving energy mean when related to dragons, crystals, goldfish, and bullfrogs?
-Wy did they buy a house without plumbing, lights, and heating?
Why does it in end in white? Does it mean death?