Laura Miller, in her recent introduction to a new edition of the book, describes it as "setting a trap" -- both for its main character, Eleanor Vance, and for its reader. The trap is an improved version of the old "Poe" model: get your reader into the head of the protagonist, and once they're there, you can lure them into the deepest and darkest places, and they'll have nowhere else to go!
But it's also more than just a trap. Eleanor is a a curious sort of person -- somewhat reticent, shy, and inwardly turned -- indeed, she could very well fit the profile of many members of today's Gen-X and Gen-Y generations. She's also been victimized by a bossy sister, and saddled with the care of their aging, ailing mother. In part as a result, she's had very little social contact outside the family; when she receives the invitation from Dr. Montague, the most significant thing about it is that it's an actual invitation -- and now, she's "expected" somewhere. Whether Hill House is haunted or cursed or just old and creepy matters not; what matters is that it's a house, a house where she's wanted, expected, and in which she belongs.
Which of course makes her the perfect central character for a horror novel.
According to an account by Paula Guran, Jackson had decided to write "a ghost story" after reading about a group of nineteenth-century "psychic researchers" who studied a house and somberly reported their supposedly scientific findings to the Society for Psychic Research. What she discovered in their "dry reports was not the story of a haunted house, it was the story of several earnest, I believe misguided, certainly determined people, with their differing motivations and background." Excited by the prospect of creating her own haunted house and the characters to explore it, she launched into research. She later claimed to have found a picture of a California house she believed was suitably haunted-looking in a magazine. She asked her mother, who lived in California, to help find information about the dwelling. According to Jackson, her mother identified the house as one the author's own great-great-grandfather, an architect who had designed some of San Francisco's oldest buildings, had built. Jackson also read volume upon volume of traditional ghost stories while preparing to write her own, "No one can get into a novel about a haunted house without hitting the subject of reality head-on; either I have to believe in ghosts, which I do, or I have to write another kind of novel altogether."
So, do you believe in ghosts? Does one need to, in order be enthralled by a tale that includes them? And as to houses, perhaps you know a haunted-looking one in your neighborhood. In your comments, let your fellow students know what views you had before -- and after -- entering Hill House; if you like, you can make use of these discussion questions, which are keyed to the first half of the novel.
I think this quote impacts readers because it tells us to enjoy being a child while you still can and not try to grow up too fast. Learning to live in the moment and enjoy the little things in life that bring you joy. The cup of stars signifies youth and innocence and how childhood can be a special time and to treasure the moments you have. The cup of stars feels playful and almost magical, how the images of the stars sit at the bottom of the cup, and when the little girl drinks from it, it's like she is drinking the stars. The little girl is offered milk from an ordinary cup, which could symbolize the end of childhood and on to adulthood. Eleanor tells the girl to not drink from the glass cup and to drink from the one that has stars at the bottom, and it symbolizes the transition from childhood to adulthood. Sometimes we feel like we must move on to the next thing, focusing on the future, and how we can miss being in the present.
ReplyDelete-Jessyca Iswanto
The idea of a house having a form of consciousness is a theme often explored in literature, including in works like "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson. In this novel, Hill House is portrayed as having a malicious and unsettling presence, but whether it actually possesses consciousness is open to interpretation. In reality, houses do not have consciousness. The concept of a sentient or conscious house is a literary device used to create atmosphere, convey psychological tension, and explore themes related to the supernatural or psychological horror. It adds an element of mystery and fear to the narrative, making it a compelling aspect of the story. Ultimately, whether one believes in the possibility of a conscious house is a matter of personal interpretation and perspective, often shaped by individual beliefs and the context of the story being told.
ReplyDeleteI found this quote as the first sentence of the haunting of hill house as an interesting choice. My take from it was that we need to dream or rest to stay sane otherwise we will go insane. I think when talking about the house not being sane because it holds darkness within implies that the house has not rested or existed without the darkness that lies in it and perhaps whoever goes in and stays there might not rest either. I don’t think a house can have a form of consciousness, maybe an aurora or feeling someone has when entering the house if the house has had a past that was very lively that it leaves remnants of the past that others can sense or feel.
ReplyDelete-Ashley Hernandez
Can a house be evil?
ReplyDeleteI believe that if many monstrous acts were performed in a location, we often think of that place as evil. Unless the house has been completely remodeled, it will show proof of the type of people that lived there. If you know the history of the house, you can get a sense of the lifestyle it contained, but if you don’t, it’s hard to attribute human traits to an inanimate object. This question reminds me of a movie I watched as a child, “Monster House”. In this film, a boy was neighbors with a cranky old man who lived in an eerie house. The boy and his friends discovered that this house was actually alive and had intent to harm children. The house is found to be fueled by the man’s late wife who was terrorized by teenager when she was alive and thus lived out her suffering through the house. In the end, the children blow up the house and the wife’s spirit is finally released and the old neighbor is finally freed from being trapped in their suffering.
-Hannah Parker
The first quote of the story is quite unique and interesting. Realistically I don't believe that a house can have a consciousness. But in literature this can be used as a an element of mystery and as psychological horror to the reader. This house seemed quite eerie and seemed evil. So it is up to the reader to believe or not that a house can have a conscious.
ReplyDelete- Rebecca Fyrer
The quote really hits home for readers because it talks about missing the fun times of childhood. In 'The Haunting of Hill House,' Eleanor tells a girl not to drink from a plain glass, saying it could mean the end of her childhood. Even though people don't all grow up the same way, the idea of having a 'star cup' that keeps the magic of being a kid is nice. We don't always know when or where our joyful childhood feelings went, but wouldn't it be great to have something that reminds us of that magic? The plain glass is like a regular, boring part of growing up, and the 'star cup' is like a symbol of fun and happiness.
ReplyDeleteThis idea connects with readers because everyone understands that growing up means losing some of the simple and happy moments from childhood. Wanting a 'star cup' is like wishing we could keep those good feelings a little longer instead of rushing into the serious and less fun parts of being a grown-up.
The Haunting of Hill House is based around the vulnerability of the human mind and how fear and paranoia can affect how one perceives the world. Throughout the story a group of people, John, Eleanor, Theodora, and Luke experience strange events within the house. The women experience a chilly air and a loud knock on the door one evening. A strange creature is observed by the men running down the hallway. They uncover a peculiar cold area outside the nursery. Eleanor notices a foul smell coming from within the library. Luke eventually finds the words "HELP ELEANOR COME HOME" scribbled in the hallways. Eleanor is afraid that the house has singled her out, and the group becomes increasingly wary of her after each incident. Some of the characters in the story also begin to have special abilities, such as Eleanor being able to hear all sounds in the house, no matter how far away she is. Fear begins to take over their minds which ultimately begins their panic.
ReplyDeleteReal houses cannot have a consciousness, yet they can have a sort of feel and memory within it. As for in the story, the Hill House has an effect on those who live there and those who live around it and it can be in some way conscious. The evil that comes from the house can be inferred as its consciousness, and everything that occurs throughout the story is the caused by the house itself. The house in the story is psychologically damaging to the residents, hence why there have been suicides on the property. The house grabs a hold of the resident and makes them feel as though they belong to it and therefore cannot leave. The hill house is in its own way, supernatural and conscious.
ReplyDelete- Garet Reilly
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't subscribe to the notion of a house having consciousness, I do entertain the idea of it being possessed, influenced by supernatural beliefs. The description of Hill House as "not sane" and "holding darkness within" resonates with me, evoking a sense of unease upon entering. This brings to mind the movie "Monster House," where the house itself is portrayed as possessing a sinister personality. In this animated film, the eerie and unsettling qualities of the house are brought to life through its physical features and behaviors. Much like Hill House, the Monster House becomes a metaphor for a space that goes beyond the ordinary, tapping into the supernatural to create an atmosphere of fear and suspense.
I think the idea of houses being haunted is very popular in storytelling and movie making. There has been multiple franchises that focus around this idea of ghost haunting houses. For example the conjuring series, the first movie about a house in Burrillville being haunted. I'm not exactly sure if I fully believe in the idea of a house being haunted by spirits. Im also not saying that I don't but I wouldn't be surprised if it was truly a possibility. The house from the conjuring movie is right in the town next to mine. There's a whole business around it where you can stay in the house for hundreds of dollars. Whether the house is actually haunted or not they make a living off of people believing it is.
ReplyDeleteThe quote about the stars stood out to me because it is not a theme that I would have thought would be in a novel about a haunted house. I think it relates to the opening quote of the novel saying that in total reality we would go mad. There must be some mixture between reality and dreaming and Elenor seems to swing between these two states. When she was at her sister’s, all she had was her boring life and before that of taking care of her mother. Now she gets an opportunity to “have something happen to her” and she gets totally lost in her own dreams. She didn’t want to see the little girl end up with a future like Elenor’s reality.
ReplyDeleteThe first sentence of the story suggest that concept of sanity is tied to a certain level of unreality or imagination. This idea seems to lay the foundation for the novels exploration of the characters mental state and how the house influences them.
ReplyDeleteKaleigh Hopkins
The concept of a haunting house has been popular in horror films and story for a very long time. The combination of a dreaming concept and and it actually being real caught my eye the most in this first part. This haunting house really brings out the vulnerability of others and how being scared and having fear can affect people.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe a house can have a form of consciousness in the standard sense. I believe that a house can have a story behind it that many people believe and this can kind of bring the house a consciousness about it in a sense. In RI we have the Conjuring house which many people believe is Haunted but the idea of this creates the eerie sense of the house and makes it almost alive in a way with the tales and the stories behind what makes this house haunted. Another sense to this is a show I watched recently called The Watcher and it was about this one house where weird things would happen to it the neighbors would be very weird and strange with the home and it seemed to have some sort of aurora about the whole house. I guess it seems like these houses have been around forever and when people see the conjuring house I guess some may think it has a consciousness to it and creates this creepy and weird atmosphere around it.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of a house having a form of consciousness, as portrayed in literature or films like "The Haunting of Hill House," is typically a fictional or metaphorical concept. In reality, houses do not possess consciousness or awareness. Consciousness is generally considered to be a characteristic of living organisms with complex nervous systems. In works of fiction, the notion of a haunted or malevolent house often serves as a metaphor for psychological or supernatural themes. It can symbolize the impact of the past, repressed memories, or the psychological state of the characters interacting with the environment - Katherine Arthurs
ReplyDeleteI do not think a house can have a form of consciousness. I do think that people can feel the energy a house gives off. I think some houses can have bad energy and can be haunted which can make it seem as if the house has some type of consciousness, but it is the spirits that reside within haunted houses that create that sense and make a person feel like the house is affecting them like how the Hill House impacted Eleanor.
ReplyDelete-Elena Ruggieri
I Like how the quite hits head on, explaining that life goes by so fast. Take the minute to believe in the fantasies. Explore the unknown and give it a chance to believe in. Our youth is spent wondering when we can be like our older cousins or older friends being able to buy what we want or do what we want with no rules. When in reality the older cousins and the older friends just want to go back to the youth era. In the story it reveals that Eleanor told the girl not to drink the milk from the glass up but to drink the milk from the cup with stars at the bottom. The cup with the stars at the bottom lets you remember the joyous time of youth and makes everything more memorable. I also don't think the house can have any type of consciousness. Yes the house may have a past, but i dont think a structure would have a conscience.
ReplyDeleteThe cup of stars signifies the person she wants to be and everything she wants for herself; once she loses that she becomes someone else. It has so much significance and power to the readers because it shows the daily struggle of every individual in which we fight every day to be ourselves or what society wants us to be. The Cup of Stars stands for individuality, freedom, and appearance and that was what Eleanor wanted for the little girl because she wish she had that for herself.
ReplyDeleteOlolade Ojekunle