It’s one of the best books I have read and had me totally hooked for a couple of days.
I agree with the most common interpretation that the house is really haunted, as in it plays psychological tricks on people. Different tricks on different people.
- The thermometer does not register any drop in temperature outside the nursery, but people feel it. At least the initial group does. Mrs. Montague and Arthur apparently don’t.
- Initially only Nell and Theo hear the banging on the door. The other two don’t. The door was entirely unharmed in spite of all that banging.
- The second banging is felt by all four who are sharing room with Eleanore. The whole house turns sideways, but all furniture is totally fine. Mrs. Montague and Arthur only complain about air circulation and some branch banging against a window.
- Theo’s clothes are all soiled, with the red paint or blood. But only when they examine it in Eleanore’s presence. When they re-examine it all days later, in her absence, the clothes are fine. Presumably there was no writing on the wall either when they re-examine that room. So possibly there was no writing on the wall the first time round with the chalk either and again they only felt it because of Eleanore.
- Eleanore also feels a smell in the library which no one else does. So was there a smell at all?
- Similar things had happened to that companion too in the past. She felt that someone was stealing from the house, but physically nothing was really stolen.
Basically, it seems to me that the house (and Eleanore with it) was haunting ONLY people’s minds, and did not alter the physical materialistic world at all. The only thing that doesn’t fit this explanation is voluntary closing of doors even when they prop them open…
A few more connections I noticed.
– Eleanore seems to have had psychic/poltergeist experiences twice in her life. When the stones started raining on their childhood house, it was soon after her father’s death. And the Hill House was soon (three months?) after her mother’s death.
– The companion of the older sister was accused of dallying with some man while the old lady died alone. Eleanore failed to wake up while her mother called her before her death. She is carrying that guilt. That’s probably why she connected so strongly with that companion’s story, the library tower etc.
– A few people died with their carriages overturning or horse bolting while entering or leaving the Hill House. The House seemed to decided who entered and left it. And it wasn’t all during darkness either, as was in Eleanore’s case.
– Eleanore had said it pretty clearly that the house did not want her to leave. The others did not understand what she meant. I believe the doctor’s call to let her go alone was right, because if there was someone else with her in that car, it might still have resulted in some accident.
Now the only thing I am entirely confused about is the relationship between Nell, Theo and Luke. All three seemed to be flirting with one another and jealous of one another from time to time. Luke stole Theo’s stocking? Why? And Eleanore seemed least bothered by that. And Mrs. Dudley and Mrs. Montague seemed to imply that perhaps there was something going on between Theo and Luke. But then earlier Theo was trying to tell Nell that Luke is taking advantage of her? I’m totally lost on that point. lol.
by Elf_from_Andromeda