so... about that growl?

[saintgutfree]

Perhaps this is an oversight that my simple mind just can't grasp, but there was one glaring question that after I finished HoL for the first time, I simply did not feel was answered.

The growl. What is it, is it ever determined, etc?

[Tru2Life4776]

It was never actually Identified in the book....I still have to believe that it was the actually house changing shape. There was no "monster" per se...the house WAS the monster.....hence the destruction of the markers and supplies and such.... Just a opinion tho....

[WeThreeKings]

Yeah, I think it was hypothesized in the book that it was the actual transformation of the house. That is why things disappeared and markers were torn apart. In such a dark and cold place there is no doubt that the minds of the explorers turned that groan into a monster lurking in the dark, just like we did when we were imagination riddled children.

[aE_tC_Her_O]

Not to imply that I have an understanding of the growl, or of its nature, but I think it is helpful to consider the various ways in which it might be important to understanding the book . . . that is, aside from its presence in the Navidson Record.

So, to start you might say that the growling is either being produced by an existing entity(that is either an actual beast or the house itself.) OR it is simply a metaphorical concept--(or both of these things)

BUT--keep in mind, in either sense, the growl is present throughout all three layers of the narrative--

At some point in the beginning of the book Johnny mentions the claw marks on Zampano's floor. Johnny himself (though his "anxiety" or agoraphobic tendencies) on several occasions hears growling, and encounters a beast of sorts, and of course, the obvious presence of the ambiguous growling within the house.

The fact that this growling, or the presence of a beast (either literal or metaphorical) is inherent on all three layers of the narrative, for me implies that there is definitely something more to it, than being simply the sound of the house shifting.

However, I personally do not think that there is an ACTUAL beast within the house either.

In short, I'm just advising that if you hope to understand the growling, you might want to examine it further, in all areas of the book, and in which context it presented compared to the other layers of narration. (i.e. what seems to provoke the emergence of the beast, or growling for each individuals experience with it)

I'm actually doing similar examinations currently, however I'm approaching it from a perspective that I'm not going to get into right now, as I do intend to post my findings on here when I feel they are formed enough to actually offer any insight of the subject, and hopefully, gain some insight as well!

p.s. Does anyone recall the presence of a beast of growling within the Whalestoe letters? Any vauge mentions or implications? I havent read it in a while, I cant remeber it ever being there . . . which may imply something that I read about the other day--the not so popular theory that the book itself is NOT actually written by Zampano, but by P. Perhaps the absence of the beast on her level of narration may suggest that the beast is nothing more than a literary theme implemented through out HER book. IDK, I'm gonna stop talking about it (until I actually investigate it)

[IpsoFacto]

I had a theory, alas shot down before it was full-fledged. (.../showthread.php?6896-Regarding-quot-The-Growl-quot-... - grr, not allowed to post URLs unless I hit 15 posts...)
I mourn it.

OK, not really. I just made that up.

My name's not Johnny.