The Perfect House, the pure white Colonial-style house where Holling lives, symbolizes the Hoodhood family’s dysfunctional dynamic. Holling’s father, who nicknamed the house, does everything in his power to make the home appear perfect—even going so far as to keep the furniture, especially in the formal “Perfect Living Room," covered in plastic. However, the Perfect House, like the Hoodhood family itself, only appears perfect to outsiders. Although the Hoodhood family seems ideal, Holling's dad is cruel and selfish, while Holling’s mother is scared and unwilling to stand up to her husband. As the novel progresses, the house gradually changes to reflect this dysfunction. For example, on the night that Mr. Hoodhood is going to be named Chamber of Commerce Businessman of 1967, the ceiling of the Perfect Living Room collapses, exposing mold and disgusting, permanent damage that had been invisible from the outside.
The Perfect House Quotes in The Wednesday Wars
[…] right then a whole series of low chords sounded from the piano in the Perfect Living Room below us, followed by a roar and crash as the entire newly plastered ceiling fell, smashing down on top of the baby grand piano, ripping the plastic seat cushions, flattening the fake tropical flowers, tearing the gleaming mirror from the wall, and spreading its glittering shards onto the floor, where they mixed with the dank, wet plaster that immediately began to settle into the carpet to stain it forever.
The Perfect House Symbol Timeline in The Wednesday Wars
