Chapter 4 Summary

Howie finishes his repair knot and then finishes tying his shoe. He then begins to observe his hands engaged in the tying, seeing them as the hands "of a mature person." His shoes no longer look new either. Howie stands up, rolls back his chair and steps towards his door, next doubting that his daily activity of tying his shoes could have caused his shoelace to snap all on its own and considers a theory he calls the "walking-flexion" model.

In a footnote, doorknobs are discussed, particularly the doorknobs in Howie's childhood home. The two-page footnote then transitions to discussing ties, and how proud he is of the tie he buys himself a year after he takes his current job. He expresses doubts about the walking-flexion model and then walks to his co-worker Tina's cube, noting on the sign-out board that he is...