The article, “The A-Mazing House: The Labyrinth as Theme and Form in Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves” by Natalie Hamilton is a scholarly journal entry which has an interesting take on the novel House of Leaves written by Mark Z. Danielewski. The article’s main focus is on labyrinths and the examination of the use of them as the theme and form in House of Leaves. In order to examine the theme and form, the mode of approach Hamilton takes is to “provide partial blueprints for [the] house by examining the foundations for which it is built”(3) as well as exploring the Danielewski’s use of labyrinths throughout the novel. The thesis in this paper is the idea that House of Leaves is all about labyrinths and that everyone involved in the novel, including the reader, is faced with their own personal labyrinth which they must overcome. Hamilton is able to support this argument by pointing out that the novel is a “four level split”(4) by saying that Will and Karen, Zampano, Truant, and the editors are all on different level and that “Each level of Danielewski’s text involves characters attempting to navigate the maze of self.”(5) To bolster her argument that everyone involved with the novel on all levels faces their own labyrinth, she quotes Wendy B. Faris who says:
The labyrinth is no longer a special dwelling constructed for a particular monster, but rather a house where everyone lives.” (Faris p. 181, 1998) Once it is made clear that each person has their own personal labyrinths they must face, Hamilton then goes into great detail and gives meticulous descriptions of the labyrinth that all of the characters face. She starts with the lowest level of the narratives with Will and Karen Navidson. The labyrinth that she says that Will and Karen have is their relationship. Hamilton’s explanation to what must be worked on in their relationship is Karen’s insecurity and Will’s obsession with work. Hamilton states that in order to overcome their labyrinth (relationship), Karen must “overcome her fear of losing Navidson”(8) and Will must “face the part of himself that places work above relationships.”(8)
The next level of narrative is Zampano and his labyrinth “can be clearly seen as one of his own making.”(8) Hamilton says that the entire House of Leaves is his making and it is “a maze of footnotes, fact, and fiction.”(8) Also, “[his] trunk full of papers is a disorderly jumble of writing on papers, napkins…and even matchbooks.”(8)
Johnny Truant is the next level of narration brought up by Hamilton who possesses a personal labyrinth. Truant’s personal labyrinth is his mother, Pelifina’s, letters that were sent to him. These letters are known as The Whalestoe Letters and they bring back memories of Truant’s troubled past, which he was unable to fully overcome. Hamilton goes even further to say, “one interpretation of House of Leaves would be to see the entire work as the product of Truant’s troubled mind.”(8) This goes to show how much Truant is troubled by his past and how deep of a labyrinth he is trapped into. Zampano’s manuscript is the key that Truant believes will help him face the demons of his past and escape his personal labyrinth.
The mysterious “editors” have three other narratives to work with (9) as well as many fictitious sources qouted by Zampano. That is a pretty tough labyrinth to conquer. There is not too much textual evidence or proof given to support the fact that the editors face a labyrinth, since it is pretty straight forward and all Hamilton needed to do was to state it.
The reader may not have a narrative segment in the book; however, Hamilton argues that the reader also experiences a labyrinth of their own due to the layout of the novel. There are many levels of narratives and many footnotes on the bottom. The reader is bombarded with so many choices on how to read the novel (12). Some of the footnotes lead to long periods of jumping back and forth and others lead to dead ends. “There are hundreds of opportunities for the reader to pursue” (12) but Hamilton warns, “as with all labyrinths, there is a danger of following a chosen path and becoming lost in convolutions.”(12) The argument in this article was extremely persuasive and there was an abundance of proof; however, the focus of the paper was sometimes diverted from the discussion of labyrinths to showing the similarity between House of Leaves and the writings of Jorge Luis Borges. The fact that Borges possibly influenced Danielewski may be interesting, but it was not necessary in this article. Too much attention was focused on it and while it may be interesting, the space taken up to prove that argument was not necessary. All in all though, the critical analysis by Hamilton gave great insight in understanding the bigger picture of House of Leaves. The awareness of the significance that labyrinths play is a great view point and will forever change the way I think about House of Leaves.

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Hamilton, Natalie. “The A-Mazing House: The Labyrinth as Theme and Form in Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves. “ Heldref Publications. Vol. 50: No.1 (Fall 2008): p.3-16
Faris, Wendy B. Labyrinths and Language: Symbolic Landscape and Narrative Design in Modern Fiction. Baltimore: John Hopkins UP, 1998
Borges, Jorge Luis. Collected Fictions. Trans. Andrew Hurley. New York: Viking, 1998.