The Haunting of Hill House
by Shirley Jackson
read: 2019
Guardian 1000 Novels
I live in an old house, so some of the descriptions in The Haunting of Hill House hit close to home. Inexplicable doors, rooms that aren't quite square leading to a disoriented mental map, bizarre decorating decisions - none of these are foreign to someone who loves old houses, just a bit exaggerated.
*** SPOILERS BELOW ***
The psychology of the ending, too, rings true. The reader is left a little unclear how many of the events are actually happening and how much is in Eleanor's head; it's no wonder the main characters are also left with this question. That Mrs. Montague and Arthur experience no phenomena after arriving later suggests to the other three characters that everything might be in their imagination. And clearly, Eleanor was a little disturbed to begin with and her experiences at Hill House cause her to lose what grasp on reality she had. Careful recollection and examination would reveal that Luke, Dr. Montague, and Theodora had experiences that Eleanor cannot be blamed for ... but it is understandable that they do not want to recall and examine too closely, preferring to blame the crazy lady.
No comments:
Post a Comment