Commentary

This line from the chapter On Houses extends the idea of the body into the dwelling, suggesting that the home is an expression of the self rather than a mere shelter. Gibran's metaphor implies that a house should be shaped by the same qualities of growth and openness that govern the person who lives in it, and the chapter elaborates this view by describing the house as a place of peace and welcome. Suheil Bushrui has noted that the chapter reflects Gibran's interest in architecture and in the spiritual meaning of the built environment, which recurs across his prose and painting. Mikhail Naimy's biography describes Gibran's attention to the arrangement of his own living spaces in Boston and New York, which gives the metaphor a practical context. Virginia Hilu's letters include comments on his studio and his surroundings that suggest a similar sensibility. The sentence is short and widely reprinted, and its English wording is verifiable in the first edition. Its precise implications are open to interpretation, and readers may usefully compare it with other domestic imagery in the book.