#tom navidson

[frankensteinmutual]

he's just like me fr

[mourningmaybells]

[nodutra19]

Johnny and Echo

A bit ago I was reading Mythology by Edith Hamilton and got to the myth of Echo, and I started drawing non-existent parallels.

Like Echo, Johnny can only repeat what was last said: in spite of his copious notes, his main task is reassembling Zampanò's reconstruction of The Navidson Record. Hera, the greatest cuckquean in history, cursed Echo to always have the last word but for that word to never be hers, and in the case of Narcissus, she inadvertently repeated a part of what he said which bound her to him, and she withered away.

Likewise, echoes of the film reverberate in Johnny's life, and always altered to some extent, like the shitty father and lemon meringue pie.

Likewise, Johnny inevitably alters what Zampanò said. While some of it is willful, it should be noted that Johnny, even if he never went out of his way to alter the text, would never fully reassamble Zampanò's writing, even if he had all the shit spilled with ink and such.

As the novel goes on, we eventually lose Johnny, in much the same way Echo is lost to all and never considered, hence why the baby dies. After all, most people disregard Johnny and see him as a side piece. Like Echo, he's dismissed and forgotten for Narcissus (God? The house? Navy? Who knows) and his flowers.

[skittlespizza]

FINISHED HOUSE OF LEAVES. FOUND FOILS.

Will -> Johnny

Tom -> Lude

Both struggle with coping through trauma. (Will through fame, Tom through addiction). Tom dies, succumbing to his addiction. Lude dies much in the same.

Will finds fame and peace. Johnny finds fame through House of Leaves. Does that mean he gets a happy ending?

I hope so.

I have half a composition book of notes and theories about this book. I might share them.

[dutifullysecretgentlemen]

I'm thinking about Tom. His part during the rescue. Mans was doing his best and the thanks he got was drinking himself silly then dying. I miss him.

[zeedikay]

I probably would like to have a long and rambling chat with Tom Navidson from The Navidson Record from House of Leaves into the night. That could be cool to do with that particular fictional character.

[zeedikay]

This man will play a bootleg copy of a Phish concert that he recorded a while back.

It was this or the Graceful Dead, but he's still mourning Garcia's death.

House of Leaves Daily Polls: Day #4

didn't really know what to put but :] also someone else got to make some of these I have no poll ideas

[revindicatedbyhistory]

i dont know what to make of all the sibiling pairs in the navidson record considering johnny didnt have any sibilings

[animalcollectiveporn]

wonderful twin brothers named will and thom

[planet4546b]

oh i knew i was gonna love this book but i cannot express just how completely delighted i am. it truly is so so so many things that i absolutely adore. i saw the first of the annotations with a different symbol and literally giggled IM SEEING IT ALL

[end-of--the-line]

bought myself house of leaves as a late christmas gift and finished it last night at like 4am in a haze. oh my god .bro . holy shit

[afklancelot]

whenever people talk bout the house they usually just talk the house being alive, being bigger on the inside, the labyrinth, etc., and of course that’s fine and true, but i don’t see nearly as much commentary of the house being a tool/reflection in having characters come face-to-face with their flaws.

take Navidson, for example. when he first comes into contact with the house’s anomalies, he begins obsessing over it, to the point of neglecting Karen and their kids. this obsession is a definitive flaw fueled by narcissism and a desire for control (ex: that one scene in the hol pilot screenplay that reveals that navidson tried to make a bunch of lemonade for different takes, showing how he has not abandoned an obsession for film).

it is a direct consequence of this obsession that leads to Jed and Tom’s death. Tom’s death is especially important, given that it’s stated that before the Navidson Record they were pretty distant from each other. they only reunited at first because Will needed some help with the house. i don’t have much to say bout this honestly but i thought it was something good to bring up.

anyways, Navy ends up going back to the house after it tried to kill them (and succeeded with one). now there’s a lot of speculation both in-universe and out about why he returned back to the house; there’s even a chapter in the book with three theories about why he returned. my proposal for why is a simple one, and it correlates with Johnny’s reasoning for still organizing Zampanò’s documentary on TNR: to finish what has been started. to make it only a book. replace “book” with “house” and add in Navidson’s guilt over his action of only taking a picture of Delial and not taking the time to get her to safety, and it’s no wonder he went back: he doesn’t want to be a bystander to what’s happening, even if the circumstances are different. and through the final exploration, he ends up being confronted by his own flaws, comes to terms with them, and ends up being saved, ultimately humbled and traumatized.

Karen’s response to the house is… different to say the least. unlike Navidson, Holloway, or most of the other guys who come into contact with the house, Karen tries to ignore any spatial anomalies, turning to tarot cards and Feng Shui to try and improve the “spiritual energy” of the place. even when she finally acknowledges the anomalies and allows Navy to contact explorers to explore the house, she mostly lets the men do all the work, preferring to stay the fuck away from the hallway.

course, there are some (most likely intentional) misogynistic undertones in portraying Karen as an initial wallflower in the investigation into the house. those are important to take into account in analyzing HoL and Karen as a character, but it’s also important to consider Karen’s tendency to deny. this is best seen in past accounts of her, where it’s described there was a sudden shift in Karen, from being a spunky, independent, and fearless young girl to someone who hardly spoke in class or participated in extracurricular activities, and when asked about her feelings, she always deflected with a practiced smile. this can also be seen in the study of Karen’s claustrophobia and fear of the dark, where she ends up dealing with those fears by trying to avoid them in the first place. hell, it could be argued that Karen was just as obsessive as Navidson and Holloway were, only it didn’t come from rationalizing what cannot be defined or conquering what can’t be killed, but rather from ignorance and denial of what is clearly in front of her.

i think this is why in What Some Have Thought, when Karen asks her interviewees what they think the house represents, it’s the therapist that gets the title of asking the most significant question: “More importantly Karen, what does it mean to you?” all this time, Karen was asking what they thought about the house, but it was the therapist that turned it around to asking what Karen thinks about the house. and when she finally finds the truth about Delial, she reflects and realizes how much Navidson means to her, and that’s why she ends up returning to the house: for Navy.

and there, she finally confronts her fear of the dark, of her past denial, and she rescues Navidson from the clutches of the house. and with that, the house becomes just a house again.

[fates-theysband]

just realized i never actually elaborated on my So Genius backstory idea for my new s/i concept. so a big theme in house of leaves is that literally none of the layers of the narrative can be considered to be 100% reliable. not the record, not zampano's review, certainly not johnny's footnotes or pelafina's letters. in limbus company we clearly can't leave the existence of the house or navidson up for debate--there's people who exist outside of navy's telling of the events literally in the house (i feel like it'd be the dungeon in his canto) looking at him right now.

but oh boy can we still have an unreliable narrator. and hey, isn't it interesting that navy never expressly introduces himself as will navidson, but certainly doesn't go out of his way to challenge any assumptions that that's his first name?

[dutifullysecretgentlemen]

I never learned how to make shadow puppets. But boy do I now what to know how to make a few. Definitely not because of House of Leaves. Why would you ask that?

[zombified-queer]

Tom Navidson is the MVP of House of Leaves.

That's why the house ate him.

[dragonwysper]

Storyboard time yeah woooo. I highkey got bored with the normal progression and just wanted to skip to the fun part, so that's why it looks like that lmao

R - Reston | N - Navidson | K - Karen | J - Jed | H - Holloway | W - Wax

Bonus: notes to help me comprehend the scene

Exploration #2 - Trust Fall [3:04] (Holloway, Jed, Wax)

I. Preparing to enter the 5 & 1/2 minute hallway - gathering spools of fishing line, neon markers, etc

II. In the hallway

III. 2:05 - Looking into the gaping maw of the staircase - (camera within the staircase to really show scale? Isn't accurate to The Navidson Record though) (camera from the room, circles around the staircase and spirals into its depths) | Dialog overlay - Jed and Wax try to describe the staircase | Show Jed dropping a flare (angle from behind - Wax?) | Camera pans up to show the somnambulance of the staircase as Wax mentions the dreamlike qualities of it

IV. Returning and relaying the news?

...

Reston in a wheelchair - has humor about it, but is internally frustrated with the lack of handicap accomodations in the house

Navidson and Holloway dislike eachother

Holloway Roberts arrives carrying his rifle - looks ready for war - foreshadows him shooting everyone later

- Broad and powerful with a thick beard and a deeply creased brow - very meticulate - interest in Karen

- keeps throwing glances at Reston at first arrival - seems most affected by the hallway when it's revealed - terrified, but also wants to be rich and famous - marks the path - rage - "I will not abort the mission"

Jed Leeder - enraptured by the wilderness - very shy, good sense of direction and impressive endurance - takes samples as guided by Reston

- can't stop smiling at first arrival - terror - shot and killed just as the rescue team finds him and Wax

Wax Hook - youngest of the group - grew up in mountains and cave shafts - wants to do a solo climb of Everest - used as a mountain guide - sometimes gets a little out of hand - likes to boast and is loud, but never brags about his mountain climbs - thought Holloway was "cracked" when he asked to explore a house, but "whatever [he] does is interesting to me, so sure I went for it, and sure enough this IS the weirdest!"

- can't stop laughing at first arrival - sarcasm - gets shot in the shoulder by Holloway - kissed Karen (142)

Tom - camping in the staircase - stocky and slow - uses humor to cope

Navidson gets stuck at the bottom?

...

I'm gonna post some more detailed character design concepts later agsjshjs