Presentation of home in AHWOSG

There are many different ideas about home presented in the novel 'A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius', both before and after the death of Dave's parents. Each present different deeper meanings about the characters as well.

On the first page, Eggers uses a metaphor to describe their family home as being 'a factory'. The connotations of a factory are monotony, routine, and an unclean environment. A factory is usually used to describe a place that is built to produce things as quickly as possible without thinking much of the consequences to the employees. This is not something homes are typically associated with as they are meant to be places of warmth and relaxation. The idea of monotony and routine is strange when juxtaposed with the idea of uncleanliness, and the actual reality of their furniture being thrifty and of 'inconsistent... taste'. The idea of uncleanliness also portrays home as a dirty place to be. In this context, it may refer to the death and disease of his parents and hence why Dave feels the place is like a factory. His mother cannot 'get up to check' their house is clean due to her illness. Dave's negative associations of home is also suggested by Dave later moving out with Toph instead of staying put in a place of memories. The extended metaphor of uncleanliness is continued when they move into their new home as well but it is more of a metaphor for the illness of Dave's mind rather than a physical illness, which Dave also worries about developing.

When Dave and Toph move into a new home, Dave describes the neighbourhood in asyndetic listing, naming significant attributes such as 'an elderly Chinese couple'. He uses the adjective 'ho-hum' to mention that they 'seem' boring in this neighbourhood compared to their last because of the variety of people and families there are. He says this almost in relief as previously, he would repeat the phrase 'people know', suggesting he felt uncomfortable with their family being the centre of everyone's attention because of the tragedy that faced them. He also states that 'only here would we blend'. The adjective 'blend' means that something is mixed into something else smoothly, suggesting an assimilation into their new neighbourhood. Despite this, there still seems to be some anxiety about their new place as Eggers mentions that Dave does 'little in the way of mingling with the community', suggesting that home is not a place where he feels completely comfortable. In some ways, he is saying that is because the people are far stranger than he is, as social blending can also suggest being only in the background of something, and that they went from 'sticking out like a sore thumb' to being completely irrelevant quickly; suggesting that they have gone from one extreme to another.

The sublet Dave's family has 'for the Summer' is hyperbolised in a statement where Dave says it 'overlooks the world'. The verb 'overlooks' suggests they watch the world below them, suggesting an asymmetrical power dynamic when they are away from home on holiday as it creates the image that they are god-like. The fact that they are away from home suggests a desire of escapism for Dave, implying he dreams of feeling more powerful as he feels weak when he is at home. This is not an idea that is typically associated with a home as they are meant to provide physical and emotional security. He also states that he and Toph 'are owed' the world yet not mentioning why. It is suggested that they are owed because they are young, which is often a cliché in modern literature, and because they are looking to compensate for the tragedies in their lives. This is an arrogant way of looking at life but it is how Dave takes a breather from the emotions he feels.

Dave's fantasies continue throughout the book. He often pretends to be Toph's dad in roleplays, using the informal lexis of 'daaad' to show that he is young and until this point, he had had a friendly relationship with his brother in their previous family home. He also does this playfully in some scenes where he gives Toph 'a condition of his allowance', as a parent would do but he makes it into a joke by violently describing what would happen to his brother if he does not complete 'all expressed duties' in their home. The formal language suggests that he is mockingly taking on the parental role and he does not fully see himself as a responsible adult even though in their new home, he is. The new home is a representation of a new part of their relationship. As well as that, Dave is legally in loco parentis over his brother so there is an assymetrical power dynamic in the relationship. This means that he is obligated to take on more responsibility. His anxiety over not being a good enough 'parental figure' is shown in the themes of home. Their new home is a metaphor for Dave's state of mind, disorganised and with 'much work to do', as his parents have just died and he is faced with a lot of responsibility at a young age. He states that he 'worries any minute someone' will take Toph away, in the form of  complex sentence and asyndetic listing, because of his failures in making the house 'clean and doing the laundry 'properly and frequently'. The complexity of the sentence shows that his mind is disorganised and full of thought, almost messy like the house.

In conclusion, home is not represented as being positive in the novel. Home is not presented as a place of emotional security.It is not a place for Dave to retreat as he often associates it with feeling out of place and being unclean. It is presented as a place where the worries are manifested or increase.