What is the significance of the ending of "House of Leaves"?

The enigmatic conclusion of Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves, in which Will Navidson apparently commits suicide by burning down his house, has provoked layered analysis and theories. Assessing the implications of this cryptic ending and its connection to broader themes provides insight into Danielewski’s multilayered literary aims.

The Fiery Conclusion - Will Navidson's Apparent Suicide and the End of the House's Haunting

On a basic plot level, Will’s act seemingly ends the haunting of the house, which has consumed and distorted his life. However, the violent nature of the immolation hints Will has fallen into the same nihilistic madness that caused previous owner Zampano to likely burn the pages that vanished from the manuscript.

Symbolism in Flames - Will's Act as a Metaphorical Escape from the House's Grip

Symbolically, the burning of the physical structure suggests Will has realized information and physicality fail to capture the mystical essence of the house’s otherworldly darkness. Destroying mere fragments of truth becomes the only escape from their grip, freeing oneself to encounter unfiltered mystery.

Ambiguity and Uncertainty - Questioning Will's Fate and the Fragility of Truth

The ending also provokes questions of whether Will actually committed suicide or escaped, highlighting the novel’s ultimage uncertainties about reality and narrative. Ambiguity reigns, with truth fragile and mediated through the707 disintegrating manuscript itself.

The Burning Questions Persist - Danielewski's Refusal of Narrative Closure in House of Leaves

Through an ending both abrupt and cryptic, Danielewski refuses narrative closure or resolution of the metaphysical questions raised regarding the mutability of space, time, identity. The house’s destructive allure persists even as its tangible traces burn away, haunting characters and readers alike with epistemological uncertainty.