Mount Hood Symbol Analysis

Mount Hood symbolizes the current state of reality, as well as the Taoist concept of wu wei, or effortless action. Mount Hood is a constant presence throughout the novel, and the way it appears at any point in time is indicative of the condition of reality. For example, Mount Hood first appears as a mural that hangs on the wall in Haber’s office. At this point in the novel, Haber is a relatively unknown psychiatrist who isn’t important enough to have an office with a nice view, which is something he desperately wants—for the view itself, as well as the importance having an office with a view would convey to the world. During Orr’s first session with Haber, he has an effective dream that changes the mural to depict a horse instead of Mount Hood. In its absence, Mount Hood reflects the changed condition of reality, conveying the literal change that Orr’s dream imposes on the world; it also reflects Haber’s transformed attitude toward his patient Orr, whom he no longer regards as crazy, but as someone whose remarkable power he can exploit for personal and professional gain. When Haber later uses Orr’s effective dreams to improve his status, he gets a new office that boasts a massive window through which he can see the literal Mount Hood. Here, Mount Hood’s presence reflects Haber’s corruption. It also shows how Haber’s exploitation of Orr’s dreams is altering reality in increasingly visible, significant ways. Later still, when Orr dreams into existence an Alien invasion, Mount Hood is struck by a bomb, which transforms the formerly dormant mountain into an active, erupting volcano. Mount Hood’s eruption parallels the rising action of the novel, illustrating how damaged and fragmented reality has become. It also reflects the chaos that ensues when humans meddle with the universe’s natural balance. 

Mount Hood also symbolizes the Taoist concept of wu wei, or effortless action. When Mount Hood is dormant—when it is sleeping, or unconscious—it exists harmoniously within the larger, balanced universe: it and the universe are one entity, or “self is universe,” as an Aldebaranian Alien would say. The symbolically asleep Mount Hood operates in a way that enables it to exist effortlessly and peacefully within the universe. When the stray bomb awakens Mount Hood, however, the balance and effortlessness it experienced in “unconsciousness” gives way to the disruptive action of “consciousness.” The destruction the active volcano brings about thus symbolizes the chaos and suffering that ensue when a person’s conscious thoughts and actions inhibit them from existing in unconscious harmony with the universe. Mount Hood continues to erupt until the end of the novel, when Orr defeats Haber and restores the universe to a state of coherent balance.