House by Tracy Kidder - Essay Example

The House: Tracy Kidder The book “House” is a non fictional type of informative book that details the various facets of building a house that symbolizes the American dream. An upper middle class Yuppie couple – the Souweines – want to build a house and they engage an architect Willian Rawn, who designs a Greek revival house. Four builders are hired to work on the building – Jim Locke, Richard Gougeon, Alex Ghiselin and Ned Crusty who are all part of a company known as Apple outs. The story is presented equally from three different perspectives – the owners who want a nicest house they can get for the cheapest price - the architect -who hovers around frantically, desperate to witness his vision rising in concrete form but increasingly discouraged as funds dwindle - and the four builders who build because they love the job and are eager to provide quality work but are constantly thwarted by the constant changes of owner plans and penny pinching at every stage. The builders are treated shabbily in the book and it’s to their credit that they actually complete the house. In the process of raising the house, every little act – from painting a wall to building a banister becomes an arduous there way conflict of wills between the Souweines, the builders and the architects . By highlighting the conflicts between the characters in his story, Kidder actually provides a glimpse into many of the real problems that confront builders, architects and the clients. His frequent digressions into factual material are illuminating and informative, offering a potted history of architecture and all the problems that arise in the achievement of the great American dream – building a house. Bulldozing is about to begin and Jim Locke is intent on sizing up the building plans as Kidder begins his book with a mention of the pre building process; . “In every continent and many islands, people used to undertake many rituals when they undertook to build……to ensure the strength and safety of a building human and surrogate victims –animals and various objects – were entombed under foundation stones…”(Kidder 5,6). He describes the procedure in the Balkans where an innocent passer by is lured on to the site so that his shadow falls over the foundation hole and the builders cover it. The victim, it was believed, would die during the year. Kidder appears to be preparing his reader at the outset for the traumatic scene that will unfold as the house building progresses – the “victim” a grim warning that is later justified at the shabby way in which the owners treat the builders. The Yuppie couple, the Souweines are ultra liberals, one is a lawyer, the other a psychologist. While they may be self professed radicals, when it comes to building the house they are greedy, capitalistic, penny pinching mercenaries – every bit as despicable as the rich barons that they dislike so much. The issue with a house is to get the best value as cheap as possible. Palladio was faced with this same problem when he wanted to design a house for the rich colonials in the country, a structure that would be magnificent yet inexpensive, while also being comfortable and practical. Situated far away in the country, such a house had to serve the purpose for which it was meant – to serve as a retreat where a house owner could get exercise by riding out to it every day thereby improving his strength and vigor, while also providing a place for quiet contemplation, away from the hurly burly of city life (www.boglewood.com). Yet at the same time, the country residence also had to embody the wealth and taste of the colonial lords and was in effect, a statement about their status. The Souweines are building their house in the country for much the same reasons that the architect Palladio discovered in his customers, and this is the reason why they drag themselves out on a cold blustery morning when the work is to begin and are closely associated with the building process. The house is meant to be a status symbol as much as it is meant to be a comfortable place where they can enjoy quiet contemplation. For the architect Rawn, this is his first assignment and he is anxious to ensure that the dream building that he has so carefully laid out in the plans comes to fruit. But the actual building becomes a contentious experience where corners are being cut at every turn because the couple keep changing their minds so often. When Thomas Jefferson built his home “Monticello” he described is as his “essay his architecture”, because it demonstrated all the signs of a modified and evolving plan.(Beiswanger 2). While the building has originally been conceived in strictly classical style inspired by Roman and Greek architecture and Palladio’s work, it later evolved into a home that demonstrated opposing styles of decorating – for example classical architecture vis a vis Victorian furnishings. The Souweines house also makes a similar transformation but in a negative way from home to house – as differences arise and are compromised or resolved – again and again, between the builders and the owners, with cheaper alternatives. In fact, at one point, the builders even offer to pay $900 for the installing of a new banister, so that the building presents a unified aspect. Mrs. Souweines complains that Jim won’t give his opinion on matters of taste on the grounds that its not his job. But “the builder sort of becomes the judge, and for some reason you care” (Kidder 1999). Most antebellum homes of the old South constructed between 1830 and 1862 were grand, imposing edifices reflecting the wealth of the owners, while other Victorian houses were in the Gothic style with arches and pointed windows. There were Victorian Romanesque, castle like houses and Queen Anne houses with lots of towers and turrets while Beaux arts homes sported swags, medallions and balustrades. Later renaissance styles were simpler and employed less decoration, modeled chiefly on Frank Lloyd Wright’s low and linear styles. Spanish and French inspired homes, ranch houses and streamlined modern homes are all symbols of a different modern era of building. But the Souweines house has a red roof, designer windows and is a Greek classical house with cornice, pilasters, friezes, columns and pedimented gables, all of which entail a considerable amount of expense. It is these accoutrements that contribute to the unified finish of the building, so that it does not result in a hotch potch of styles with some quality items while others are mere clapboard or cheap materials. With all the surplus income of the yuppie couple, they are nevertheless quite ready to exploit the builders as much as possible and want to cut corners. From the builders point of view it becomes a frustrating experience to be fully equipped with the technical know how to build a perfect edifice based on a good plan, yet be thwarted at every turn by their capricious bosses, especially Mrs. Souweines who is literally a harridan. However, despite all the conflicts that arise, all the adjustments and changes that have to be made and the rancor and ill will that results, the house is finally completed and the story has a happy ending. But during the process of telling the story, Kidder has provided a wealth of fascinating information about the role of the architect, the history of stick built framing, the qualities of good wood and a motley mix of valuable hints and tips which would be enormously useful to architects, builders and persons who want to build their own home, but would have been boring and dull in a non fiction work. This is the greatest strength of the book. Kidder’s characters are well drawn and the book is well written so that both professional and lay person alike will enjoy it. He also skillfully bring out the spiritual aspect to the building of a new home. Perhaps the only limitation in the book is that in some places, too much explanation tends to leave the reader with the impression that the author is condescending. Morever, the manner in which the book is written actually seems intellectually dishonest at some places, lacking the unique individual stamp of the writer’s presence. The ostentatious absence of the writer in the form of the story becomes a distracting element which functions as a limitation to an otherwise brilliant book. References: Beiswanger, William L. (2002) “Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello”. North Carolina: University of North Caroline Press. Kidder, Tracy. (1999). “House”. New York: Houghton Mifflin “Palladio’s three part solution” [Online] Available at: www.boglewood.com/palladio/analysis.html; accessed 11/11/2005 * Read More