The Fallen House: The Complexities of Human Relationships and Perception of Home regarding the Transitory Life Anonymous College

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson portrays the life of its narrator, Ruthie, alongside her sister Lucille as the two grow from mere children to young women while being surrounded by the confusion of shifting guardians, as well as the influence of transiency. Once the final guardian the girls will encounter together, Sylvie, enters the home Robinson begins to render an increasingly strained relationship between the sisters as Sylvie’s transiency forces a wedge between the two. Ultimately, when Lucille moves out, the ever-so-similar Ruthie and Sylvie are left to be together in a house consumed by the hoarding of everything from newspapers to cats, as the two essentially give up on what most perceive as the normal life. When skipping school and opting for adventure, Ruthie is taken by Sylvie to a secluded area across Fingerbone Lake, where they encounter what is perhaps Robinson’s most powerful symbol, a fallen home in disrepair. This fallen home, along with the thoughts and actions of Ruthie during the scene, emphasize the intricacies of the human relationship as well as the complexities concerning the notion of home when the power of transiency looms ever present.

Upon arrival with Sylvie, Ruthie thinks little of the fallen...