Kayla Balcerak 3/5/2015
Mr. Ferrarello Period 10 The Take Over of Supernatural Terrors
Are there really forces behind this old house or is Eleanor going insane? The Haunting of Hill House leaves the audience wondering and presents a sense of mystery. Shirley Jackson’s early writing of poetry and short stories, and her experience living in an old house influenced her theme of the supernatural through characterization and foreshadowing. The Haunting of Hill House is considered one of the best written ghost stories in the twentieth century; full of emotion and terror.
Shirley Jackson was born on December 14, 1919 in San Francisco into a socially important family. When Shirley Jackson was a young girl she was strongly…show more content… The theme of the supernatural gives Shirley Jackson a strong tie between characters and the house since all of the staying characters have a relationship with the topic (Novels for Students 205-206). Dr. John Montague is a psychic researcher who is conducting the study in the old house. He had been in search of the perfect place to conduct his study and after interviews, readings of papers, and meeting the current owners of the home he had found the perfect house. Two females as his assistants; Eleanor Vance and Theodora. Eleanor was chosen because of her poltergeist experiences and Theodora was chosen because she scored exceptionally well on a test in ESP mental powers (Novels for Students 202-204). The team become aware of the house’s past and gets settled in. Strange happenings and manifestation take place and all of the characters experience the same things except for certain events aimed towards Eleanor. While Mrs. Montague comes in to help solve the mystery Eleanor loses herself to the house as she becomes vulnerable to the supernatural cold spots (Novels for Students 205-206). Dr. Montague doesn’t feel like she is safe after her blink of death experience climbing a staircase, so he sends her home. Eleanor doesn’t feel any sense of belonging anymore and kills herself by running her car into a tree(Jackson a.p). The study is ended immediately and the doctor has no answers. “Silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, now walked alone (Novels for Students