Home Before Dark

When Maggie thinks of her father’s memoir, House of Horrors, she thinks of it only as the Book, as if mentioning it by name is beneath her. The Book defined her as an outsider, and, in her view, robbed Maggie of a chance to make her own impressions on people. The Book symbolizes Ewan’s public deception but also represents his love and willingness to sacrifice for Maggie. Ewan perpetrated—and was enriched by—a lie that he sustained for decades. The Book represents Ewan’s sacrifice. Maggie doesn’t understand why he fabricated the story until she reads his final letter, but then she realizes that the Book was an act of love. Dr. Weber describes the book in two ways: “As literature, I found it lacking. From a psychological standpoint, I thought it was fascinating” (264). She says it was “a father’s attempt to understand his daughter” (264).

The Book also represents the challenges that unsavory stories can impose on a place’s reputation. House of Horrors complicates the lives of many people in Bartleby, including Tess Alcott and Marta Carver. Once a narrative makes its way into the world, it can be impossible to reverse, despite any available evidence to the contrary.

One of the earliest signs that something is amiss in the house is the chandelier. It seemingly lights itself anew each night and often sways without any discernible reason for its movement. During Ewan’s alleged epiphanies about House of Horrors, he realizes that the chandelier is “[a] sign that spirits were active” (330). That makes sense, given that at least one supernatural event each night seems to occur in the house. In fact, it’s a ruse that Hannah uses to frighten the family and make them think the house is haunted. The chandelier symbolizes the ease with which certain hoaxes can succeed. Hannah’s constant sneaking into the house isn’t easy or safe, but turning on the chandelier is a simple matter. If she does it without being caught, the residents remain on guard. In addition, the chandelier represents the timelessness of fear: It allegedly works to instill fear in Ewan and Jessica in House of Horrors, but it actually works to instill fear in Maggie more than two decades later, despite her familiarity with—and suspicion of—the Book. The chandelier operates on a level similar to childhood fears of the dark, doors left ajar, and noises under the bed.

A lovely, ornate piece of work, the armoire in Maggie’s bedroom represents the connection between reality and the supernatural in Baneberry Hall. According to Junie Jane, “William Garson had it made special as a gift to his daughter” (31). If this is true, the armoire represents a father’s desire to please his daughter. Ewan describes the piece:

[It is] a relic from the house’s past. An odd one. Over eight feet tall. Its narrow base gradually widened to a formidable midsection before suddenly tapering off again at the top. Crowning it were carvings of cherubs, birds, and strands of ivy that climbed the corners. I thought that, much like the closet door, it gave Maggie’s room a touch of literary magic (6).

The armoire reminds Ewan of the wardrobe in C. S. Lewis’s Narnia series. However, in those books, the armoire is a gateway to a place that has more pleasant than dangerous connotations. Ewan understands that the armoire will serve his authorial purposes, which is why he immediately has Maggie proclaim that she doesn’t like it in House of Horrors. The armoire is what first frightens Maggie because she constantly reports that Mister Shadow and Miss Pennyface come out of it. Eventually, she learns that the armoire connects her room to the outside—a passage that Marta uses to frighten and threaten her and that Hannah can use for her nighttime robberies.