Summary

In Chapter 11, Leiris describes how he manages interactions with others. He notes that, because of Hélène’s death, he is not expected to respond that everything is “fine,” when asked (77). Instead, he generally states that he is “as well as can be expected” (80). In doing so, he conceals the true depth of his grief and manages to maintain the appearance of stability. To further explain this, the author uses the metaphor of an earthquake and its aftermath. He presents himself as having survived a Magnitude 7 earthquake, which causes severe damage but often allows some buildings to remain intact. Leiris is one of those remaining buildings. He is surrounded by total destruction, but still standing. However, the intact building is largely a facade, because it conceals a lack of normality. He concludes by noting that people...