ENGL102 The Research Paper

Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of the Hill house” is a psychological horror novel that serves a more visionary effect than the title or the text suggests. The novel is written in 1959 and remembered by most as one of the best literary works in the horror genre. Although the skillful usage of gothic nuances makes the novel interact in the genre of terror rather than horror. Unlike other traditional ghost stories, the readers do not find themselves coming across a paranormal creature. Rather through the action of the characters and their encounter with blood-stained clothes, cold spots, and messages written on the walls, the readers get their limited view of the paranormal. It is important to keep in mind that the House itself is a character in this novel. These factors raise many contradictions throughout the novel. In a classic fashion of Shirly Jackson’s writings, the readers are made to question themselves constantly whether the paranormal occurrence of the story is actual or just a manifestation of the imagination of the characters. The thesis statement for this essay is to examine the conflict of paranormal incidents and demonstration of the characters’ imaginations presented in the novel.

The very beginning of the novel brings forth its paradoxical nature to readers by introducing them to the engaging elements of the novel. The opening paragraph is purposely arguable with a threatening undertone. We get to know the relation between the characters and the house through a chilling first passage which says “No live organism can continue to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality” (Jackson 1). By introducing the host as a Living organism, the readers are presented with a sense of confusion. Another interesting element of the novel is the phrase “Journeys end in lovers meeting” (Jackson 11). Most of the characters repeat this phrase over and over throughout the novel. But it is the main character Eleanor who repeats this line to the extent of an obsession. Though in a traditional context this phrase does not seem to be alarming. But the fate of Eleanor at the end of the novel indicates that the ‘End of the Journey was the Hill House itself. Again, the readers remain unsure about what the actual ‘End’ signifies? It is strongly suggested that Eleanor’s journey started by escaping from her mother and with her meeting with the house she finds another mother figure- “Her flight from the home, and lifelong tyranny, is an effort at escape and autonomy. But as though foreordained, her refuge turns out to be a house that is, as she experiences it, virtually a maw.

With the aim to establish another element of similarity, Shirley Jackson introduces the readers to the contrasts of “Inside and Outside” (Jackson 25). Generally, “Inside” is a place of asylum from the abandoned, confusing, and cruelty of the “Outside” world. Nevertheless, in this novel, the “Inside” zone of the Hill House and Eleanor’s past life is nothing like an asylum. It seldom provides for any security or sustenance. It is a zone of oppression that tortures and suppresses as a result of which one’s self is made to dissolve, “No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality” (Jackson 1). On the other hand, the Outside world reflects liberty. This ensures prosperity, self-perception, and personal liberation. Eleanor enjoys only a brief pleasure of experiencing this Outside zone before she is sent back to the Inside zone where she once again surrenders her liberty.

Another major question that lingers in the reader’s mind is whether the paranormal events are actual or just the manifestation of the imagination of Eleanor? The novel refuses to answer this question properly. Though it is evident from the narrator’s objective description that the house is Evil and caused harm to other people before, there are enough hints left in the text to make the readers believe that the apparent paranormal events experienced by Eleanor are a part of his imagination. This possibility is brought on by the novel much earlier when the it talks about Eleanor’s childhood memories where events pertaining to poltergeist-like figure involved nobody but Eleanor alone. This in a way makes the reader think that she made up most of these events in her brain.  In the text, Eleanor admits that she had been possessed by the house and in the end, she has “broken the spell of Hill House and somehow come inside. I am home” (Jackson 86). This constant reference to home might be a testimony to the post-war anxiety of the American household- “Hill House, frighteningly, is no model home; and yet more frighteningly, it may well be.

The novel ends without any resolution of the plot. The readers are left confused by the uncertainty of Eleanor’s death, was it an act of suicide by a mentally disturbed woman, or did it have a supernatural significance? The contradiction persists as the “Hill House appears secure against invasion, decay or destruction…and yet something both familiar and alien haunts it” (Pascal 56).   

The scholarly article by Wilson Michael attempts to understand that the role of ineffable in the movie which can be used to understand the novel as well as the movie is based on the novel. The Haunting of Hill House movie which helps to bring out the realism of the movie.  According to him the notion of the ineffable is related to religion and naturally this thing cannot be described as the interaction between the human and divine. Abraham while speaking with the divine says, “ as one overcome by the brightness of the divine glory.” (Wilson, pg- 114-123). This is a procedure which deals with some sort of experience which cannot be explained in language. He mainly talks about the concept of realism, god and their believe and what is the implication which leads to the wordless destruction. “ The idea of ineffable is of course first a religious concept, the thing that cannot be described entangled with the word that cannot be uttered derives from human encounter with the divine.” (Wilson, pg- 114-123). This article basically talks and discusses about the realism, madness and sanity. This aspect also runs in the novel as some of the characters seem appear to be mixing up imagination and reality as seen in the case of Eleanor. I think this article was successful in showing the concept of realism the relation and connection between god, and human believe and their connection. This article focuses on the ineffable and how it is important to understand the concept of ghost. This concept of ineffable discussed in the article can be used to understand the novel as the characters in the novel seem to rely on the divine entity time and again for a sense of security.

The article aims at discussing about certain reasons on why women are treated as being transgressive in nature and what should a women do. The author tries to show that women has always been subjugated in the society so women are actually good in writing horror fictions because of their transgressive nature. This article specially speaks about the women who made horror stories and other strange fiction, it does not survive. Women have been primary architects of speculative literature of all kinds, from Gothic ghost stories and psychological thriller to science fiction. And their personal lives are almost as fascinating as their novels. Kroger while talking about the women’s contribution to the genre of horror says, “Horror has been penned by men and women alike, but its important to acknowledge that women have been contributing to the genre since its inception.” (Kröger and Melanie pg-36). The article in this book is pretty much relevant and the author has given emphasis on the women power which is pretty much needed. The only thing which was missing is the few case studies on women and this could have highlighted some factors. “In any era, women become accustomed to entering unfamiliar spaces, including territory that they’ve been told not to enter.

The scholarly article calls for the use of the Freudian maternity ideas in Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House (1959) to question Mother's subject role in psychoanalysis. In the sense of a popularizing psychoanalysis in the mid-20th century, Hill House maternity questions the post-Freudian America's heteronormative roots. “ the most real and least affected group of people I had ever known.” (Ruth pg-12).This article was successful in showing the concept of maternity ideas which are related to Freud and followed Freudian ideology and concepts. This has paper has established successfully about the psychoanalysis theory along with Freuds concept. Overall the paper is written well all together. “ Though he was not yet overweight, as he would later become, he had the build of a teenager who spent most of his time reading.”  (Ruth pg-18).

Shirley Jackson exposes beneath classics like The Lottery and Hill Haus the turbulent life and inner darkness of the literary genius. Ruth Franklin sees Jackson as "including the great Hawthorne, Poe and James tradition,"( Jackson pg-44). showing how her peculiar addition to the canon "so uncannily channeling the women's nightmares and inconsistencies that it's 'nothing less than America's hidden history of her still.”(Jackson pg-46). Franklin explores the interplay of real talent and experience between living, working and time, making this fine book a real contribution not only to life, but to the history of women in the middle of the 20th century. This article is quite satisfactory in nature and is pretty much successful. Thus the article in this book is pretty much relevant.

Richard Pascal's in his scientific paper tries to place Hill House in milieu of family and social reforms post the period of WWII. As per him, the 1950 parental model has shifted from being authoritarianist Victorian to becoming more 'child-centered' and that has resulted in causing anxiety in general regarding monstrous and spoiled youngsters. Pascal being the mother to four guys, makes use of Jackson's life who happens to be the author of memoirs with respect to two family and thus shows that she has a lot to do with both the domestic as well as the supernatural. In the text, the opening lines in the paragraph goes on to announce that, "whatever walks there, walks alone" (Pascal pg-26). In conformity with Gothic narrative convention, the "whatever" appears to be unidentifiable, even with regard to whether or not it is a single entity or a plurality - or somehow both. "Walking alone"  connotes isolation, yet it may be what the "whatever" does in oxymoronic togetherness.

At the very center of the novel lies the conflict between supernatural and psychology as the anthropologist recruits a group of people that are sensitive psychologically. The memories and troubled past of the characters lead to them mixing up psychological and supernatural. The author further complicates the question of supernatural and psychology when Eleanor commits suicide before them. This is because the author goes on to say that all the people except Eleanor are emotionally as well as physically effected by the house. The characters in the novel are effected by the house, as the author mentions, but their experiences cannot be ignored completely as well. This is simply because the author never clearly states if all these events were a product of the psychological imbalance of the characters or the actions of some ghost. The author traps the readers by making use of Gothic horror and mixing it with the familiarized tales of haunted-homes.  Pascal appears both to agree and disapprove of this - he recognizes that Eleanor's "para psychologic tangle," but also argues that "the title walking alone" refers the members of the Crain family still roaming the halls. He recognizes the "parapsychological tangle" of the house. This will help to use the element to recognize the opposition if someone do not agree with this section. This article is pretty much interesting to grab the attention of the audience as well. "we have the spectacle of an entire city terrorized by one-half of one per cent of its residents. And the terrorists are children.

Reference

Evans, Lynne. "“Help Eleanor Come Home”: Monstrous Maternity in Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House." Canadian Review of American Studies 50.1 (2020): 102-120.

Franklin, Ruth. Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life. Liveright Publishing, 2016.

Jackson, Shirley. The haunting of the hill house. Penguin, 2013.

Kröger, Lisa, and Melanie R. Anderson. Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror and Speculative Fiction. Quirk Books, 2019.

Pascal, Richard. "WALKING ALONE TOGETHER: FAMILY MONSTERS IN" THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE"." Studies in the Novel 46.4 (2014): 464-485.

Wilson, Michael T. "“Absolute Reality” and the Role of the Ineffable in Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House." The Journal of Popular Culture 48.1 (2015): 114-123.

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