The Maze.
I met them at the gate though I usually wait inside. Preoccupied with their own thoughts, impatient, like so many children, they didn’t see who I really was. They never noticed my crown, my pain, the fire in my eyes.
Like all the others they think the Maze was made for them; actually, it is the other way around. They think I am some poet who will lead them through the symbols and spaces of this Underworld. They think I will teach them lessons. They should call me Cerberus…. I am the lesson.
The monstrous walls rise up and run away as far as the human eye can see, circling and dividing. Which half is the Maze?
Even I get lost. It changes–sometimes slowly, imperceptibly … sometimes suddenly. This House is not only made of stone and mortar, wood and paint; it is made of time and mystery, hope and fear. Construction never stops. I take some pride in my role as architect.
They think I will guide them to the center. Perhaps I will….
The sun was very hot.
Together we walked through the gate into…
- Images and text copyright 1985 by Christopher Manson
used with permission. [Purchase MAZE from Amazon]
Hidden Hint:
● A comparison between this image and the matching image on the cover shows that the red herring on the cover is gone and has been replaced here by the phrase “THE NEXT PAGE.” This may illustrate a principle in the book, room linkages between two rooms are red herrings.
● The door is in the shape of a pi symbol. [Independent Credit: LoMoody | Hidden Mystery | White Raven] The semicircle over the door could be visual way of expressing pi.
● The umbrella could be a running gag in the book in which the visitors are urged to prepare for rain that never comes, or it could be a running clue helping visitors choose the right door. Here the umbrella handle could represent the letter “r” creating the mathematical expression “pi r” which is equal to the circumference of half a circle – expressed by the half circle over the door. [Credit: Aria]
Next: Room 1
I think no one pointed to this idea. The monstruous walls are pages. I could not relate it to any clue either.
“The monstrous walls rise up and run away as far as the human eye can see, circling and dividing.” -> What are the monstruos walls I wondered? Walls normally dont run, dont circle, dont divide.
The monstruos walls are the pages. When the eye has seen them, they rise up and divide the book in halves. Then run away (back) describing half a circle.
This idea relates to the [pi * r] theory that Aria stated, pointing to the half circle movement of a turning page.
Some metaphorical ideas: Maybe turning a page casts light (knowledge) in the process. The guide hates that. And the keystone which is the highest/middle point in an arc is the key for something.
“Which half is the maze?” -> Probably refering to text and picture as the two halves of a wall. Not useful either as obviously both halves are the maze.
Also. Please note that capital Pi is used in mathematics to represent the product in pi notation (Which is a mathematical operarion for repeated multipy operation).
As stated in room 17 (just previous to the center). “If you think the maze as a machine, confusion was its product, and it was hard at work”.
On and next to the Pi product operator there are often terms. In “the maze” the terms are a red herring, “the next page” and an umbrella. Of course, none of them have mathematical sense.
I prefer Aria’s version of Pi*r pointing to half circle than this nonsense product pi notation leading to confusion and room 17.
But that is up to you.
The mathematical allusions in the fourth paragraph are hard to ignore, though we’ve never had a good theory for why they’re there. Connecting it with the geometry of the archtecture is reasonable, though we end up with an image that reflects the text and text that reflects the image, without any real idea of why any of that stuff is here at all.
Sometimes the text just seems to obliquely reference things in the text, just drawing our attention to them in the same way as an arrow or a pointing broom or something in the room might do. In that respect, maybe “circling and dividing” is just a means of saying, “hey, look at that bifurcated circle.”
“Rise” and “run” have no such obvious referent in the image, but certainly evoke the mathematical components of slope. No clue why. Maybe it’s just alliterative phrasing, occuring in proximity to mathematical terms without intention, or maybe we just don’t get it.
As noted in several comments, the gate resembles the π symbol, with the umbrella or parasol handle forming a lowercase “r” for radius. Since the handle leans against a “square”, this suggests πr²—the formula for the area of a circle—likely linking to Room 1. The light at the top of the arch shines on Rooms 41 and 21, resembling the area of a half-circle, indicating these are not the correct rooms on the path.
Amazing!! I have been a longtime fan and am thankful to see other still working on this book in 2025. I have been using the maze website with poor photocopies, and just ordered the actual book. I will keep adding to these forums as well.
I’ll see you.
Reading the brick as a square is fun but contrived. Who says it isn’t πr³, by that logic? There are much clearer ways to cue “squaring.” I also think it WOULD BE a stretch to use the bumberbrella’s handle as an “r”—buuut all handles in the book are pretty consistently different, which draws attention to their shape and makes the reading a little more defensible.
The area of a circle specifically representing Room 1 doesn’t make sense to me, but I might be missing something there. The half circle evincing two incorrect doors makes even less sense IMO. You could just as easily twist that into a clue for 41 being a PART of your journey because it’s PART of a circle and mehhh.
I do love the cheeky pi in this archway, though. This page works best for me as pure symbolism and stage-setting. When it comes to Maze’s front matter, poking around for “go to this door” messages is often even less fruitful than usual. The geometry stuff here is simple and stylistic, and it serves well as a splash of color for the math-brained reader:
Pi goes on forever. According to this intro, so does the maze. Pi is also irrational. The guide makes clear they have no plans to elucidate the maze for us.
Pi (beyond just being a greek letter) conjures ancient masters, golden ratios, secret labyrinths. At least to me!
The text makes a couple mathematical references which are not controversial (“circling and dividing” “finding the center”). The depiction of a HALF circle above the arch also works well with the question of “which half is the Maze”, tickling the reader with the existentialism that the core riddles are stewed in.
The theme of halves is important to the book… and I’ll loosen up a bit and say you could even tie this into the guide’s hybrid identity if you really wanted. You don’t even need to go there, though—I think the pi works as a strong part of the cover’s identity because of its simplicity. I don’t fault you for looking for a πr² though, and I’ve enjoyed thinking through this longstanding theory!
I see your point. Still, I don’t think using πr² is much of a stretch here. The π symbol is clearly visible in the doorway. The umbrella handle, which could represent r (the radius), may not be as obvious, but given Manson’s style, his clues often carry a playful or subtle tone.
Why not πr³? That is not a standard formula. The more familiar ones involve the area of a circle (πr²) or a semicircle (πr or ½πr²). In this context, πr² feels more appropriate.
You’re right that there is a strong theme of halves throughout the text and rooms, but I would argue there is also a recurring theme of full circles or cycles in the Maze. That is why the area of a full circle, πr², makes sense to me, especially as it leads into Room 1.
I also believe that the clues in each room do not point to just one direction, whether correct or not. Often, they refer to the room just left as well. In Room 1, for example, there are technically two correct doors: Rooms 20 and 26. These represent both the beginning and the end of the path, completing a cycle.
This idea of cycles supports the use of πr², and the light forming a half-circle on the incorrect doors also fits this theme.
The rain may be a red herring. If it can rain in Room 6, then it can also shine. But, yes, there should be more parasols due to the other rooms containing sunshine, negating any consistent rule with this interpretation. The Maze may be embracing this inconsistency as one more form of ruse.
I was thinking the umbrella is actually a parasol and to be used to ward off the sun not rain. This coincides with the guide’s dislike for the sun as has been established. The parasols were lining up with this theory as they were found either outside or pointing to rooms (doors) where the sun is involved: the Prologue page which leads to the sunlit Room 1 (or outside wgen exiting the Maze); Room 8 pointing to Room 31, a courtyard; Room 42 by Door 37 which leads to a room with no roof. But in Room 10, the parasol points to Room 41 which breaks the rule (though there are mushrooms in Room 41 and there is a mushroom known as a parasol)…just thoughts
I think it’s an interesting idea, and this certainly makes sense regarding the prologue umbrella. Room 31, despite being outdoors, is not sunny, though, and there are sunnier rooms out there with no connections to umbrellas, making it difficult to apply this as a universal principle.
There is an umbrella in 8, which the group may be instructed to take with them (the Guide’s admonition is not made clear to the reader), and this room leads to 6, where it is suggested the group can feel actual rain. This seems a more likely connection, though I would be surprised if this were the only reason for the umbrella, or if the other umbrellas all had similar significance.