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The Haunting Of Hill House Analysis

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The novel “The Haunting of Hill House,” written by Shirley Jackson, closely follows the traditional tropes of an American Gothic. The main character of the novel, Eleanor, begins her journey to self growth after accepting an offer to live in a suspected haunted house for the summer. Moreover, Eleanor meets three other people that have an important effect on her development as a person. These characters slowly begin to question their own sanity due to the house’s destructive nature. Jackson appeals to fans of the American gothic through her particular description of the house and how the characters interact with it in order to show the environments foil of an absolute reality. Shirley focuses a large part of the introduction of the house on describing its odd design and initial impressions. Dr. Montague describes the house as being on a “slight slant… that may be why the doors slam shut” and notes how “every angle is slightly wrong” (Jackson 77). This causes an uneasy feeling for the reader as they question the effect this will have on the characters throughout the novel. Also, Eleanor’s initial impressions of the house cause her to hesitate and question whether she has made the correct decision. When Eleanor first sees the house her reaction is the “house [is] vile. She shivered and thought, the words coming freely in her mind, Hill House is vile, it is diseased; get away from here at once” (Shirley). Shirley carefully establishes the setting for her reader as the

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