: The house’s physical transformations—using windows as eyes and a carpet as a tongue—mirror Constance's own features and anatomy.
: Acts as a uvula (the dangling tissue in the back of a throat); pulling it can make the house "vomit" out what it has swallowed. constance nebbercracker
The defining moment of the story takes place on Halloween. It was a windy autumn day, and the house was almost complete. Two young boys, dared by peer pressure, crept onto the construction site to play a prank. They began throwing eggs and rocks at the structure. It was a windy autumn day, and the house was almost complete
Horace, terrified for his wife's safety and knowing her temper could get them in trouble, tried to calm her down. He grabbed her arm, pleading with her to come back inside and ignore the children. But Constance misinterpreted his touch. She thought he was trying to stop her, that he wasn't on her side. Horace, terrified for his wife's safety and knowing
: Functions as her literal heart ; it is the source of her life and her primary weakness.
Horace was horrified. He tried to dig her out, but the concrete was too heavy, and the hole was too deep. Constance died in the foundation of her own dream house, entombed in the basement.