Review - The Haunting of Hill House (Shirley Jackson) Analysis and Interpretation

The conclusion of our Haunting series where we wrap up the classic horror text by Shirley Jackson with three good things, three bad things, quotes, full literary analysis and recommendations.
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[@sirdoc1288]

Just finished the audiobook and I really connected with Eleanor and here's what I believe the real horror is. Eleanor had no life due to taking care of her mom; then, she is dumped in her sister's baby room and her sister treats her like a teenager. Her only hint of freedom is a car she has to share, which is the point of the scene where she warns the little girl to not let them take her stars away. Then she finally makes it from the "kids table" to the "adults table" when four people include her in the group. She is so excited to be apart of an adult group. Only for them to treat this adult woman as a child and physically force her to leave. The horror is that she dies as a nobody, noone wants her around and easily forgotten about. "Why aren't they stopping me?" Because they don't care. If she had not committed suicide, and showed up at Theo's house, "Well you told me to come, here i am." Theo would probably laugh nervously, quickly step outside to prevent Eleanor from entering and said something like, "This really isn't a good time. Maybe some other time." Yeah, I strongly connected with Eleanor.

[@martha12ab]

The book is like walking into fog which thickens and thickness and then suddenly it’s a clear day. At parts I’m just like- wait, what’s happening, where am I in the book? She’s so close to Theodora that they might possibly be related, share a bed, share clothes and then she hates her and in the end she couldn’t remember her name for a minute. They’re terrified going to bed but then happiest in the morning, like the house emits some drug every sunrise which wears off at sunset. Kind of like, you catch more flies with honey. Eleanor seems to dissolve into the house towards the end, she doesn’t say as much of the : I am Eleanor, I am wearing X and that is me. She is obviously insecure in her identity from the beginning and takes on more of the house’s. She even knocks on the doors like their first ‘paranormal’ experience at night.

[@TenguXx]

If I had thought, as the guy on the right did (I don't think anyone's names were mentioned?), that Eleanor had any chance of getting better at the end of the book, I probably wouldn't like the ending either. As it is, I thought the ending was the only possible ending that could have worked. From the time Eleanor ascends the staircase to the crash at the end, I was certain that Eleanor was going to kill herself, as the companion did before her. That whole sequence, as I read it, was the building of tension to the inevitable tragedy. There was never any possibility that Eleanor would have made it back to her sister's house. That would have meant going from one group of people who don't want her to another. The house, on the other hand, does seem to want her, from the messages on the wall to the mysterious hand holding hers in the night. I think that one of the most significant aspects of Hill House is its isolation. It was built away from the town for privacy, and it's never been inhabited by enough people to fill such a large space. All of the people who were described as living there for any significant length of time lived extremely lonely lives. It's not surprising, then, that the loneliest character in the book would be the most affected by the house.

[@melissasaint3283]

This is a very fine analysis, Lady!

[@TenguXx]

@@melissasaint3283 Thank you ^_^

[@ambravo190]

I agree loneliness plays a strong part in the story. I like how Eleanor becomes more absorbed by the house as she feels more and more unwanted by the rest of the team. As she realizes that her journey will not end with meeting a lover or with someone who cares and would make her life meaningful, her insecurity heightens and that is the way the house pulls her in and possesses her. As she is slowly being refused by Theo in the end, the house starts to become more welcoming to her and the supernatural activity actually makes her feel special..

[@swapneilghosh695]

While reading... I thought the quote meant, whoever walked in the Hill House.. Walked alone there.... But by the end... I finally get what that quote actually meant... It meant... Whoever walked alone in real life.. Had the entitlement to walk in the Hill House... The silence of the Hill House was a companion for those secluded from their loved ones.. So it's not "Whatever walked there, walked alone "...... It's.... " Whatever walked alone, walked there"

[@kristennowlin3642]

Do we need 6 scenes of them just sitting around drinking brandy? For the story: no. For the characters: yes.

[@charlotteemily20]

The characters are the story! (house included)

[@janettripper3132]

Lol it was very Mad Men. Have u seen the 1963 movie? I was a little scared

[@kumaridesilva3992]

I think we did need 6 scenes because at the end we find out they've only been there one week out of the summer they planned on staying. As you are reading and following from Eleanor's point of view it feels like they been there a much longer time

[@Barbara-uq8up]

Although I think a bigger ending would have been more satisfying, what I came to appreciate about the "smallness" and almost insignificance of the ending, is that it shows how insignificant Eleanor and all the characters were for Hill House. The story is truly about the house, not about the characters. In the middle of the book the doctor mentions in conversation everyone that died in hill house and how people couldn't leave it behind. The book's ending shows how this story is just that, Eleanor is not any more important than the companion that commited suicide. They are all just small occurences in the history of Hill House, that has stood for eighty years and might stand for eighty more.

[@n.m.9938]

I wish I had friends like you. With who I could sit and discuss a book for hours with all its depths (I am a psychologist, so deep analysis is my thing)...no one in my family and friends reads😔

[@lisakinney3747]

You are in the same predicament as I. I just finished The Haunting of Hill House and am wishing in "my cup of stars" that I had someone to discuss this book with!

[@spencercorpuz]

Do you like Fantasy Novels?

[@n.m.9938]

@@spencercorpuz no... in fact, I haven't read any yet😅😅 I don't know, but those worlds don't attract me... maybe, in a future My favourites are classics and I like reading mystery/thriller too You?

[@spencercorpuz]

@@n.m.9938 Yeah it's pretty much all I read. I co host a fantasy podcast, and we're always having people on to talk about their favorite fantasy books, which is why I asked. For a long time I knew what it felt like to wanna talk about a book but have no one to do it with 😂

[@AngelicaMartinez-to4xp]

I agree with the red beard guy. I wanted so much from this novel, and even though there's a psychological thing going on, it felt flat. But it could be the time period in which this novel was written. Beautifully written though.

[@katryonkelly3772]

Awesome review! I've always loved this type of haunting. Where its less about the ghosts popping out and saying boo and more about the setting bringing out the worst of the protagonists. Honestly, horror in general is best when the monsters are merely extensions or representations of human faults. Makes the piece far more relatable and therefore scarier. Silent Hill (the games) does this incredibly well by having the town and monsters shape around the person's repressed desires and memories. I'd love to write a novel around this concept! Have you guys checked out the new haunting series? I heard its pretty good.

[@StrippedCoverLitMedia]

I think Dalton has seen it. I dont have internet besides my phone, so I have not. Have you read much Shirley Jackson?

[@katryonkelly3772]

@@StrippedCoverLitMedia Only the haunting. I've been meaning to read her debut novel " The road through the wall" I'm a sucker for semi autobiographical works.

[@StrippedCoverLitMedia]

@@katryonkelly3772 We Have Always Lived in the Castle is really good too.

[@julielynn86]

I just finished this book today, having begun it only yesterday. I enjoyed it and found the writing really good, but I was confused at intervals and I was most certainly left perplexed with the ending; it was unexpected and abrupt and left me wanting for some sort of resolution. I wanted to hear about the characters after that event. I wanted more. Still, I enjoyed this book. I'm pleased to have discovered your channel and am now off to investigate your other videos. :-)

[@iammikeware]

I'm scheduled to direct the stage play for a community theatre. The tallest task will be getting my performers (particularly Eleanor) settled on the idea of Hill House being a character. This video has been a tremendous help in gathering ideas on fleshing out the relationship between Eleanor and Hill House. Thanks!

[@StrippedCoverLitMedia]

I had no idea there was a stage play version. I genuinely hope you come back and tell me how it went. It might also help it you have the Eleanor actress read the opening paragraph of the novel. One of the greatest opening paragraphs of all time.

[@ambravo190]

It's an interesting interpretation. I felt that the doctor is the academic, his wife is the pretentious, Arthur sort of the enthusiastic, Theo is the sensible to the supernatural but does not comunícate with the spirits, and Luke is the descendant of the ghosts. But it was Eleanor the real medium who truly had the supernatural touch but could not control it because the house finally possesses her…. The house is the abusive seducer, it pulls the strings correctly with Eleanor. She fears being lonely and not being special and the house offers her an escape from both. Eleanor becomes more absorbed by the house as she feels more and more unwanted by the rest of the team. As she realizes that her journey will not end with meeting a lover or with someone who cares and would make her life meaningful, her insecurity heightens and that is the way the house pulls her in and possesses her. As she is slowly being refused by Theo in the end, the house starts to become more welcoming to her and the supernatural actually makes her feel special, only she is singled out by the house, only she hears the mumbling, to the point where she does not want to get out. I agree as well that what makes her kill herself is the fear that makes her irrational because she sees how weak, lonely and needy of others she truly is. And the house knows it…

[@ddlamay]

Good thought-provoking review. ...My take on Eleanor...I think you have to follow the arc of her story from the very beginning. She's escaping a domestic hell where she feels that she doesn't belong and has no worth. The stakes for the rest of the book are such: either she can find that communal belonging in which she can be valued, or she's homeless in an uncaring world. ...She tries to find belonging with Theo. She tries to find belonging with Luke. At last, the only community that will take her in (swallow her) are the demons of that House. So she slowly falls under this very irrational, violent influence which she fights against for a good part of the book. She slowly surrenders to this 'possession' and only comes to her senses at the last split-second. So, in my opinion, the build-up to the violent climax begins near the very start of the book. So I didn't find it disappointing but very sad.

[@ArgyleDinosaur]

I love The Shining. I'm not a huge horror novel reader because I tend to not get scared, but I enjoyed the family drama in The Shining.

[@StrippedCoverLitMedia]

And I think the horror elements of the Shining work well into the family dynamic as well. Dad is always working. Dad is always mad. Mom is always worried. There's a lot of meta level stuff happening.

[@frannieforthoughts9527]

I think I'm on board with Dalton on this one! I had the same problem with Shirley Jackson in We have always lived in the castle, too much build up and eeriness that fizzled in the end even though the book was still a good one to read. And I will check out House of leaves at some point, I've been wanting to do so for ages. Ps. Dalton's sneeze was everything!

[@DavidMacDowellBlue]

I found the novel compelling in the extreme. But it is not a "plot-primary" novel. It is about character and atmosphere and theme. There are those who see story telling and novels as mostly about plot. Honestly, these people are wrong. And the story works, including the ending. It is supposed to be abrupt, yet at the same time inevitable.

[@kristenguadiano1880]

Just finished the book today. I love your theory on the underlying theme having to do with art. That really blew my mind and makes me want to re-read it. Anyways, I liked y'all's video, it helped me put a lot of this into perspective. Keep it up✌️🖤

[@justjuanreader]

Wonderful series of videos, as always! Thank you for this. I look forward to rereading Hill House.

[@StrippedCoverLitMedia]

And hopefully putting up a review on it?

[@marky437]

Is the writing style a product of the time? Like the writing style of John Wyndham esp in "The Midwich Cuckoos". House of Leaves also popped into my head as an recommendation lol

[@StrippedCoverLitMedia]

I think it very much is. But it is not pronounced in a bad way. Just a plain fashion. And I think it is hard to fault that.

[@dennislillie8047]

The weakest character in the book, I thought, was Mrs. Montague. Thanks to this review, I now have a better understanding of her function within the narrative, other than just comic relief.

[@ektaabali2194]

I finished reading this last night and felt so unsettled afterwards! I felt like there was so much build up not only with Nell's character but with the house... and then nothing. The climax ended on a flat note and we're left unsatisfied. The worst thing an author can do to a reader! The mystery of Hill house was left unresolved. I'm left wondering if perhaps that was Jackson's intention? It is horror after all. To leave us unsettled and brooding about it. Was Nell the ghost? Was she possessed? Did the house take her? We're left wondering and thus the horror of hill house leaves us haunted too. I get that, if that was her intention but I don't like it haha. The TV show had a wonderful 'aha' moment when everything came together and we 'get it'. There was a logic to it that was extremely satisfying.

[@StrippedCoverLitMedia]

To me, the intent was a bit different. I think the "meaning" or "moral" is that we're all haunted houses of a sort and we carry our ghosts with us. But to be fair, that's my opinion right now. It'll change and change again. And that's my favorite thing about literature.

[@ektaabali2194]

@@StrippedCoverLitMedia wow, I do actually love that point of view!

[@l.p.5703]

Great review.I disagree with a few things here. There was no question of whether or not the haunting was in Elenor’s head. At least not for me. I think the point was that she was so scared about not having anywhere to go that she would rather stay in this haunted grim place. And at the end as she was leaving, I don’t think we were meant to feel she was okay. She was begging all the way. I felt the build up and loved the sudden ending.

[@thefancifulreader1445]

I read the Haunting of Hill House for the first time very recently, and gave it a 4/5. Your thoughts and interpretations were very interesting!

[@StrippedCoverLitMedia]

Your thoughts on the book?

[@thefancifulreader1445]

@@StrippedCoverLitMedia overall, I enjoyed it a lot. I thought the atmosphere was perfect, and the haunting was written in a satisfying, subtle way (it had a similar feel to me of a haunting in a horror movie that relies more on eerie practical effects than over the top CGI). The characters were all very unique, though sometimes their dialogue felt a bit unnatural to me. That could have been a product of when it was written though. Some of it just felt a little awkward. I loved that the ending wasn't a happy one. It can get boring reading as much horror as I do, and seeing happy endings where no one dies time and time again. And the ending mirroring the opening really struck the right chord for me. I suppose one thing I could say I was disappointed by was that I was hoping to see more of the haunting. Not necessarily a resolution, just more. The writing style was one I appreciated. It was so beautiful and distinctive. I especially loved the line "the sound of her feet on the wood of the verandah was an outrage in the utter silence".

[@insiderobinsworld9959]

"...so piss on ya." My favorite line of the video! So funny!

[@cosmicbenignity8346]

This book didn't do it for me. The horror wasn't that creepy in my opinion, and that whole Luke and Eleanor scene at the summer house didn't make any sense, almost felt random. The convolution is excellent, I'll give it that, but I just don't see the big deal this book ostensibly imbues.

[@mariusa.5863]

Really enjoyed listening to your conversation, got great new insights, thank you! I missed an analysis of Theodora's and Eleanor's relationship, though. Yes, I am talking about the queer subtext. ;)

[@spencercorpuz]

Really enjoyed this analysis, made me consider the book farther than I initially did. At first I didn't like it and I still feel similar to the guy on the right, but you've opened my eyes to quite a few tidbits.

[@TaraLynn218]

You guys got a like from me just for that amazing sneeze. The video was great too!!

[@blog_of_obvious_things]

thanks for a great review! I wasn't sure if I want to read it, but now I will

[@StrippedCoverLitMedia]

Have you read any Shirley Jackson?

[@TheApryl]

People who need every single thing spelled out for them or they aren't satisfied... ugh.

[@richardhambel648]

What was the point of the picnic outside? The statues? The rabbit? Why did it say Luke is a liar? Why was Theo's room ravaged and blood splattered everywhere? Curious what you think. I thought these would be significant but am still not sure why they were in there.

[@mariusa.5863]

The picnic scene ... I think Eleanor and Theodora both get scared by a ghostly family picnic because that's what they're afraid of: the horrors of ordinary family life. Theo living as an independet, probably gay women with her "friend" apparently decided against it as well as Eleanor who ran away from her family and dreams of living with Theo, whatever that means.

[@BetweenLinesAndLife]

I was unsure if I should pick it up or not because of Dalton‘s apprehension but I think the approach of analyzing it under the idea of art totally sold me. „Being haunted with the need to create.“ I am totally curious to see if I would pick up on this reading! Do you think I would enjoy this book? Or Shirley Jackson in general?

[@StrippedCoverLitMedia]

I do think you would enjoy Shirley Jackson. Maybe start with her short stories to sort of build a taste for what she does.

[@BetweenLinesAndLife]

Stripped Cover Lit Interesting! Any recommendation where to start with that? The Bird‘s Nest and Hangsaman also sound interesting to me. Have you read any of those? I own We have always lived in the Castle . So basically I just need to get started finally :D

[@isslambensalem7647]

What a great review!! Thank you for this!

[@amor2874]

I will say for about a quarter of the book I was actually scared reading it at night 😅 4/5 stars for me.

[@thomas3803]

Good review ending had me laughing pfft

[@StrippedCoverLitMedia]

That Dalton fella is a character.

[@anthonylambson6398]

I the assumption that genre writers are "bad writers" is such garbage IMO.

[@marky437]

This is one book I always wanted too read but never got round to buying, don't know why but will have to seek it out and give it a read :-)

[@StrippedCoverLitMedia]

You'll have to check back in with your thoughts. This is a text that is polarizing in an interesting fashion.

[@teny238]

I felt like there was a never-ending build up and never satisfied with what was delivered as "scary stuff". I was always disappointed with the manifestation in Hill House: words on a wall, knock on doors, cold spot.... Really? Give me something horrifying! I was hoping to have a truly terrifying manifestation. That being said, maybe Shirley wanted her readers to always question the haunting by making the manifestation doable by Eleanor's telekinesis, that questioning was disturbing and uncomfortable, but not scary for me, unfortunately.

[@martinsFILMS13]

The guy with the man bun is wrong !

[@StrippedCoverLitMedia]

The good looking one is always right.

[@meimei8718]

I like your video. Thank you for making it.

[@StrippedCoverLitMedia]

Thanks for being here.

[@kellyyork3898]

With regard to Hill House, Jackson makes you think, “Who’s Zooming Who?”

[@amazingsupergirl7125]

Geez the guy on the left acts like he can’t stand the other guy

[@keter1234]

Manbuns are the new mullet.

[@marieaddams5818]

i am wondering if the other guy just doesn't like it because it was written by a woman - i am loving that the other guy is highlighting that a genre of modern horror was set up by a woman. yeh i get that this book is built upon so much earlier literature.

[@sweetsu3s]

All the action could have been created by Eleanor.

[@xeno_phobik]

I agree with much of the guy on the right. I felt lost in a lot of the action of the book, the continuity was strange and unusual. Honestly I didn't really feel the haunt. Was Eleanor possessed? Was that the focus? Or was it the bump in the night aspect of each night that was the haunt?

[@therealmattdamon5161]

These guys love rolled up sleeves and the third button

[@dylanwolf]

ARRRRGGHHH. You are folding the page back. Book Torture! Peek inside the pages when you read, have some respect; that book's lifespan depends on your consideration.

[@StrippedCoverLitMedia]

Books are tools, not relics.

[@dylanwolf]

@@StrippedCoverLitMedia Alas, that is where we must disagree. All books have a finite number of copies printed. The life of every copy will come to an end, hopefully after the book has been read many times. When the last copy dies the heart is ripped from the book's content - indeed in the past that would have been the end of the text. Even today I'd claim that physical books have a presence in the world far exceeding the electronic copy of the text. Each book is a physical totem of all the times they have been read. Wow, I can't imagine a dedicated reader such as yourself being so derogatory about books as to deem them merely a tool. The might apply perhaps to a Haynes Repair Manual for a Mini Cooper, but to a book for reading rather than consulting when up to your elbows in engine oil... never, a tool, never, my friend, never.

[@random_thoughts5343]

I'm sorry.. it bored me silly. Was like slogging through mud.

[@StrippedCoverLitMedia]

Are you normally a horror reader?

[@random_thoughts5343]

@@StrippedCoverLitMedia I literally will read any and everything that looks like it might be good.. horror included. Only thing you wouldn't catch me reading would be romance. 👍

[@StrippedCoverLitMedia]

@@random_thoughts5343 I will concede that some of Jackson's stuff is an acquired taste. And her scenes have nothing on the explicit nature of, say, Stephen King. But I can't say she's boring. I think the book coming off as boring sometimes is the risk that is taken when writing "psychological" texts. If it misses for a reader, its boring. The same thing gets me with a lot of fantasy writing.

[@random_thoughts5343]

@@StrippedCoverLitMedia Don't get me wrong.. I wasn't calling all of Shirley Jackson's writing boring.. just this particular book. In hindsight I should have said that in my original post.. I wouldn't want to make people think she is a completely boring writer altogether. Couple of my all time favorite short stories were written by Jackson.. I just found this particular book hard to slog through. Maybe I do better with Shirley Jackson in the smaller doses?? 😁👍

[@StrippedCoverLitMedia]

Do you have the "Let Me Tell You" collection?

[@thecourrrr]

I gave The Haunting a 4/5 I'm still on par with Dalton's view. It just fizzled in the end for me and I think Dalton was right that it needed more mythos in the end. If you guys decided to do another horror novel you should do John Wyndham's novels.

[@millennialhousewife5097]

These dudes are arrogant.

[@StrippedCoverLitMedia]

What an arrogant thing to say.