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Part 3
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Piranesi, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Human vs. Inhuman Worlds
Science and the Pursuit of Knowledge
Memory and Identity
Friendship, Betrayal, and Loyalty
Summary
Analysis
Piranesi goes to retrieve the scraps of paper from the gull’s nest. After many hours, he finally extracts all the scraps and begins assembling the writing. The writing reveals a very angry person who claims no one is coming to save them. They rely on someone to bring them food and water, which they leave in the minotaur room, and which underscores their status as a prisoner. The writer debates killing the other person. The writing continues on the other side of the paper. Here, the person bemoans their loss of memory. They are losing their mind, and they vow to kill the other person before they forget how much they hate them.
Here, Piranesi finds a note depicting a mysterious person’s descent into madness. Though clues in the note strongly point at Piranesi as the writer, Piranesi fails to connect the dots. This is likely a result of both willful ignorance, as well as genuine disbelief. Despite the parallels in their stories, the author of the note displays personalities traits, like anger and violence, which are alien to Piranesi.
Themes
The next day, Piranesi considers asking the Other about these new names. If the Other is Ketterley, then he would likely know the other people in the journals. However, Piranesi does not want to reveal his encounter with the Prophet and the Other is already on edge about 16’s arrival. The following morning, Piranesi smells a strong perfume emanating from a doorway. He traces the scent but cannot find the person. He believes it belongs to 16 and is surprised that a person so devoted to “Destruction” and “Madness” would wear such a beautiful scent.
Afraid of what the Other will do if he discovers his deception, Piranesi withholds his new insights from the Other. This is a testament to Piranesi’s growing independence, as well as his growing uncertainty as to the trustworthiness of the Other. The beautiful scent left by 16 further contributes to this uncertainty, as it contradicts the Other’s depiction of 16 as an evil, destructive person.
Themes
Piranesi tells the Other about the scent. The Other does not react as badly as expected. Instead, he calmly states his intention to eliminate 16. Piranesi is taken aback. The Other also demands that Piranesi tell him if he ever meets an old man, suggesting that it’s about time someone killed him too. Piranesi agrees to report any encounter with the old man but does not disclose he has already met him.
True to the Prophet’s prediction, the Other has become increasingly violent and unhinged in response to the looming threat of 16, threatening to kill not just 16, but now also the Prophet. Piranesi is clearly concerned by this dark shift in the Other’s disposition and displays increased wariness about sharing information with him.
Themes
The next day, Piranesi discovers yellow chalk marks on a wall. He has only ever used white chalk, meaning this must be someone else’s. Piranesi suspects 16 and discovers directions in chalk to the First Vestibule. He follows them, finding nothing. Returning, Piranesi writes a note in blue chalk beneath 16’s, telling him the Other has warned him of 16 and of his intention to hide. The next day, Piranesi tells the Other about the writing and the Other cautions Piranesi the writing could be dangerous. He informs Piranesi that he has found a gun, but he is not a good shot. Piranesi begs him not to kill 16, but the Other says there is no alternative.
Piranesi and the Other grow increasingly distant. Though they are still officially allies, their interests have clearly diverged. At the same time that Piranesi has begun outright seeking out 16, the Other has begun to take explicit steps to kill 16, going so far as to acquire a gun. Though neither admits it, their friendship is on its last legs.
Themes
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Piranesi wakes in the night with a feeling of disquiet. Following a distant sound, he discovers the Other searching for 16, calling him “Raphael.” Piranesi hides himself and the Other drops the torch. In the darkness, Piranesi sees a dark figure and follows it. It is 16 and Piranesi sees them write a response to his note. He returns to his bed to sleep. The next day, Piranesi goes to see 16’s message. He starts to read it but then decides to erase it instead. However, not all of the message is erased. Piranesi writes to 16, warning him of the Other’s plan to kill him and that he erased his message without reading it.
Piranesi’s curiosity about 16 betrays his growing uncertainty about his allegiance to the Other. He has now begun to explicitly ignore the Other’s warning, seeking out 16’s message to him. Though he ultimately decides to erase it, his decision to warn 16 of the Other’s indicates his wavering loyalty.
Themes
The next day, Piranesi asks the Other why he did not say 16 was a woman. The Other explains that Piranesi, while a man of reason, is also a romantic: He might not take 16’s threat seriously if he knew she was a woman. Piranesi coldly asks the Other not to keep secrets going forward. The next day, Piranesi reflects that he wants to learn more about 16, analyzing the remnants of her message. One part mentions “VALENTINE KETTER(LEY)”; one part mentions “GROOM[ING] VICTIMS”; another mentions Laurence Arne-Sayles, whom Piranesi believes is the Prophet; one part mentions being somewhere “SIX YEARS”; and another mentions a “WAY OUT?” Piranesi cannot find 16 in his journal, so he looks up Laurence.
Piranesi displays a newfound confidence in his dynamic with the Other. His once-submissive, agreeable attitude has been replaced by a colder, more assertive disposition, demanding that the Other explain why he has hidden information from him. Clearly unsatisfied with his answer, Piranesi tells the Other not to keep secrets from him. This is a turning point for Piranesi. Though he does not outright say it, his decision to return to read the remnants of 16’s note is a clear sign that Piranesi has officially lost his trust in the Other. He is now striking out on his own.
Themes
Piranesi finds many journal entries on Laurence, though many are not helpful, such as a pro-con list about writing a book on him. The last entry Piranesi finds, however, proves insightful. Notes for a lecture, it describes Arne-Sayles’s belief that ancients used to communicate directly with the natural world, granting them powers. When humans stopped speaking to the world, however, these powers vanished, along with the previous world. Arne-Sayles believes it might be possible to get those powers back by performing ritual magic and asks the Manchester Museum to borrow an ancient head for such a ritual. The museum refuses, but there is a break-in. Arne-Sayles has an alibi, but it is later revealed he was behind it.
Following the clues left to him in 16’s note, Piranesi digs deeper into the mystery of the House. In doing so, Piranesi shows incredible mental fortitude, as reading his forgotten journal entries is a trying and traumatic experience, requiring him to constantly confront his amnesia. His decision to do so speaks to a newfound conviction: no longer able to trust the Other, Piranesi realizes that he must get to the bottom of this mystery himself.
Themes
According to the entry, Arne-Sayles never wrote about the head ritual. However, his views changed. He began to think that the powers and knowledge of the ancient world went somewhere else, like rain burrowing underground after a storm. In the book The Half-Seen Door, Arne-Sayles describes gaining access to such a world. Breaking into the last place he was before succumbing to modern rationality—his childhood home—he finds himself magically transported to a vast chamber with eight minotaur statues and the sound of the ocean.
Parallels begin to emerge between Laurence Arne-Sayles and the Prophet. Their conceptions of the ancient world are nearly identical, as is their notion that its magic must have gone to a new world. This hypothesis is all but confirmed by Arne-Sayles description of visit to one such world. Filled with minotaurs and the sound of water, the place he describes can be none other than the First Vestibule of the House.
Themes
Piranesi reflects on the increasing resemblance between Laurence Arne-Sayles and the Prophet. However, he is puzzled by the claim that “The World was constantly speaking to Ancient Man.” According to Piranesi, the World speaks to him every day. Piranesi also reflects on his growing ease reading the older journal entries; he has come to view the entries as the work of an oracle or seer and interprets the strange words accordingly. Piranesi wonders if he was in an altered state of consciousness at the time, and why, being a scientist, he would ever consider placing himself in such a state.
Piranesi’s confusion about Arne-Sayles’s use of the past tense underscores his genuine belief in the reciprocity of his relationship with the House. For Piranesi, in other words, the World is not some lifeless backdrop, but rather a lively forced endowed with agency. This belief is a testament to the profound impact that the house has had on Piranesi’s psychology: in many ways, he has become the sort of ancient man that Arne-Sayles describes.
Themes
The next day, Piranesi performs tide calculations and discovers an upcoming conjunction of Four Tides in a week’s time. This means the flooding of up to 100 halls, a fact which makes Piranesi incredibly nervous. He meets with the Other to tell him about it, but he is unconcerned: he won’t be “here” for the convergence. Piranesi shows concern for 16, being a non-resident of the House, and says he does not want her to drown. The Other says it would be better that way, and that it doesn’t matter because Piranesi could not warn her anyway. Piranesi is silent and the Other grows suspicious, asking if Piranesi and 16 have had contact. Piranesi says they have not and the Other leaves.
Piranesi and the Other once again butt heads over what to do about 16. Piranesi, having discovered a dangerous upcoming flood, wants to warn 16, but the Other disagrees, suggesting that they have no mode of communicating with her anyway. This time, however, their argument is little more than a formality. Exemplified by his willingness to outright lie to the Other—the very first time—Piranesi has already made up his mind that he values 16’s life over remaining loyal to the Other.
Themes
Piranesi decides to warn 16 of the flood. Walking to the Sixth North-Western Hall, he hopes she has not left already; there are so few people in the world, he would miss her. He imagines a note from 16 in which she promises to “cast off” her wickedness to become Piranesi’s friend. However, there is no note for him from 16 when he arrives. He writes a warning in chalk and then travels to collect her bowls in the Twenty-Fourth Vestibule. There, he finds a message in pebbles: “ARE YOU MATTHEW ROSE SORENSEN?” This sparks a vision of cars and dazzling lights and crowds. Piranesi comes close to naming the vision, but it vanishes and Piranesi falls, dizzy and breathless.
For the first time, Piranesi acknowledges his desire to befriend 16, a clear sign that his allegiance with the Other has truly come to an end. Though Piranesi still seems to believe the Other’s claim about 16’s “wickedness”—a testament to the strength of Other’s hold on him—his desire for companionship ultimately trumps his fears. Stumbling upon 16’s message, Piranesi, experiences a vision of an unfamiliar world. Context clues suggests it is a flashback.
Themes
Piranesi repeats 16’s question in his mind, saying, “I am…” Finishing the statement, he says, “I am the beloved Child of the House.” He then says he is Piranesi, but he knows this is wrong; the Other gave him that name as a joke because of its association with labyrinths. Piranesi is confused and consults his journals, finding three entries for Sorensen. The last of three entries offers a brief biography in which Sorensen is said to be writing a book about Arne-Sayles and his transgressions against science, reason, and law. Thinking of the Prophet, Piranesi disagrees, believing him to be a man of rationality. The other two entries are lists of publications related to the topics of Arne-Sayles, labyrinths, and time-traveling.
The strength of Piranesi’s reaction to the name Matthew Rose Sorensen strongly suggests that it is his former name. Though he seems to recognize this on some level, Piranesi does not immediately embrace it; Instead, he undergoes an identity crisis, exemplified by his inability to complete the sentence “I am…” Though challenging, this crisis leads Piranesi to an important revelation about the nature of identity: his name is not his only means of defining himself. As such, he answer 16’s question not with a name, but with a description of his relationship to the House.
Themes
Frustrated, Piranesi looks for entries about the Other in the hopes Sorensen might be mentioned there. However, there is nothing about Sorensen. Piranesi then checks for entries on Val Ketterley, finding eight of them. The first one is a short biography describing Ketterley as a disciple-turned-critic of Arne-Sayles, accusing him of manipulating students. The entry author wonders if it is worth contacting Ketterley in Battersea Park. Piranesi checks the other entries but discovers all the pages on Ketterley have been torn out. He wonders who did this, and why. Could it have been Piranesi himself? Piranesi pulls out the scraps of papers from the gull’s nest and discovers they correspond to the missing pages of his journals.
Here, Piranesi makes the connection between the missing pages of his journal and the scraps of paper in the gull’s nest—the same scraps that contained the note from the mysterious author. Suddenly all the pieces fit together, and it becomes clear that the writer of the scraps was indeed Piranesi all along. In anger and madness, he tore out the pages of his notebook, forsaking his old identity in favor of his new one. This passage also solves the earlier mystery of what “Batter-sea” meant: it’s Ketterley/the Other’s home in the real world.
Themes
