I just finished this book a few days ago and I have been thinking back on it constantly. What a quietly profound story. It has left me with such an introspective and nostalgic feeling that I almost want to reread it right away.
One thing I've found is that many interpretations turn this story into an allegory for mental illness. Of course, I can see why, and I suppose that part of the artistry behind this book is that it opens a door to many different interpretations. However, to me this theory is reductive and removes all of the magic that made the story so special.
To say that the House is a reflection of Piranesi's mental illness due to trauma turns this magical book into something much flatter and frankly reminiscent of 'and it was all a dream' endings.
To me, the House is a real place, though I did at points wonder whether it is a physical space or a space present in a realm accessed through consciousness. Either way, I don't think it's a made-up place in Piranesi's mind. The House represents a reality where simplicity meets divinity in a way that, to a person like Piranesi, is much more rewarding than the Real World could ever be.
I was fascinated by the quiet resilience that defines much of Piranesi's character. He is reborn into a version of himself that can thrive in a place like the House and he not only survives but he finds connection and purpose. Unlike Ketterly, who never saw the House as more than a place to conquer and find treasure in, Piranesi becomes both an explorer and a devoted equal member within the House. To me, he is like a stranded sailor who finds paradise in an abandoned island, and where others may have tried to conquer and control, Piranesi quietly embraces it and in turn the House embraces him back.
I also think that part of Piranesi's strength lies in the fact that he recognises the House as a potentially dangerous and lonely place, but this doesn't break him, and he doesn't see the danger as something to control, but as something to understand. Piranesi recognises the House as a place that is already whole, with its beauty and threats, and he seems to have an intuitive understanding of the rules of the House which allows him to thrive inside it.
While reading I found myself wanting to remain in the House and thinking back on places of the Real World that evoke similar feelings of peace and belonging. For me, it is nature, particularly a forest or the deep ocean that would be the Real World equivalent of the House. A place stripped of both modern comforts and stressors, where a certain magic flows and enriches the soul in a way that is hard to put into words. I think that perhaps, through unfortunate circumstances, Piranesi was handed a privilege to live a life that many of us secretly long for.
This brings up the question, what actually constitutes a good life? The House is, in many ways, barren of modern-day comforts and it is no doubt a difficult place to live in. And yet, I would argue that Piranesi lives a much richer life inside the House than Ketterly ever does living in the Real World. I think that is because the House represents a simplicity that is intuitive and enriching if you approach it with curiosity and attention rather than through a lens of control. And I would argue that his ability to pay attention is another one of Piranesi’s greatest strengths. Piranesi takes the idea of finding beauty in the mundane into every part of his life in the House and because of this he can find meaning and purpose in the same place where Ketterly is constantly impatiently searching for a treasure he will never find.
Another theory I've heard is that Piranesi has multiple personalities and amnesia as a result of the trauma he suffered. Once again, I disagree.
I agree that Ketterly and Arne-Sayles are manipulative criminals and that the circumstances that placed Piranesi in the House to begin with are wrong, but what follows is, to me, something much more complicated and beautiful. Piranesi goes through a transformation, shedding his connection to the real world to become fully connected to the House. I think that the House possibly facilitates this by causing amnesia but at no point is Piranesi suddenly a different person to Matthew. They are both curious, intelligent, kind, sweet, and in essence, two versions of the same person shaped by entirely different environments. Then there is the third version of Piranesi/Matthew, who emerges when both worlds collide, and again, this is not a different personality, only a continuation of the same person. Piranesi is not a mentally ill version of Matthew, and the third version is not Matthew being cured and returning to himself. They represent the fluidity of identity and the way in which our environment moulds us without stripping the core of who we are. To me, this is no different to how we all carry inside of ourselves each version of who we've been and the potential for who we will become. It's just that, in the case of Piranesi, this divide is made much more obvious by the stark change of setting that is the House, and the fact that the magical quality of the House causes Piranesi to fully forget the Real World.
I argue that the House, in its complex simplicity, brings out a person’s essence in a way that would not happen in the Real World. The House allows Piranesi’s curiosity and humility to flourish as he forms a connection to the House and the rest of its inhabitants. In the case of Ketterly, the House is the perfect place for his exploitative and controlling attitudes toward power and knowledge to fester. Where Piranesi finds belonging, Ketterly could never, and I think that had he remained in the House and lost his memories, Ketterly would’ve lacked the adaptability and humility to thrive or even survive there.
I could go into a much longer discussion, but I’ll leave it here for now. I’d love to know what others think of this.
Edit: As a couple commenters have said, the author has ME/CFS which is not a mental illness and not what I refer to here.
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