Questions About La Maison hantée

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Answered Questions (41)

Did anyone else think the major theme or "horror" of the book is repressed female (lesbian) sexuality?

Robyn Copley-Hirst For me, yes.

More than that, I would say the novel only makes complete sense in that light. The most terrifying thing in the book is the traditional fa…moreFor me, yes.

More than that, I would say the novel only makes complete sense in that light. The most terrifying thing in the book is the traditional family structure. Anyone who does not fit into this has no place to belong.

We have these echoes of women who have no place in the world. They do not fit into the traditional family. The 'companion' of the previous lady of Hill House who had been hated to death by the family and had finally committed suicide. To me that read as a gay woman who the family could not accept had been left the house in the will. She's one of the first omens that there is no place for lesbians in society at this time.

We've then got Theodora. She and her 'room mate' are on a break. And this offers Eleanor the hope that there might be a family she can fit into: one with Theo.

I understand why some straight people might think that Eleanors revulsion at Theo's touch means she's not gay, but accepting something society tells you is repulsive is very complicated process, even today. Back then this absolutely would be typical for a lot of gay people with these feelings.

There's also that really interesting moment. Both women know they are about to ask the question: do you love me? This hope for a relationship is squashed not by some terrifying monster but by a vision of a traditional family picnic.

It's the traditional family that leaves no space for gay women... and in fact the family, for me, is the true haunting for all of the main characters.

Throw in those 'wink wink' moments: the holding eachother in bed, wondering whether to wear trousers, and only showing you have trousers when the other woman admits she does (this is code that still goes on today; revealing your hidden identity in small ways and fashions). I could go on about this book for days...

But, at the end of the book, Eleanor kills herself because she realises there is no place for her in a family. The odd family they've created at Hill House is coming to an end, her own family don't even have a bedroom or real bed for her to go back to, and finally Theo says that she will not allow Eleanor to live with her,

That's the killer, she's risked it all and been told no, Theo is going back to her girlfriend (sorry, room mate!). And this is as close as the publishers would have allowed Jackson to go at this time. This is the moment she decides to kill herself, just as the previous 'companion' had done at Hill House.

If the book had been any more obvious it would have been banned, or never published in the first place.(less)

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Is there a movie based on this book?

Jane The Robert Wise version (1963) is outstanding. Julie Harris is perfect in the role of Eleanor. I remember being terrified after seeing it for the firs…moreThe Robert Wise version (1963) is outstanding. Julie Harris is perfect in the role of Eleanor. I remember being terrified after seeing it for the first time many years ago. The 1999 remake is absolutely dreadful.(less)

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Why do you think Theo was so mean to Eleanor? It seemed to me as if she was always laughing at her and making fun of her but I don't know why. Was she simply that way? Was the house making her be like that? (don't think so but hey, there's a possibility)

Shelby I think a lot of it wasn't Theo being mean, or the point wasn't, so much as that the point is Eleanor perceived it as being mean or was anxious or par…moreI think a lot of it wasn't Theo being mean, or the point wasn't, so much as that the point is Eleanor perceived it as being mean or was anxious or paranoid about whether or not it was. She's an unreliable narrator. If you look only at the lines that Theo speaks, I felt that Theo was consistently sweet, caring and affectionate albeit often patronizing toward Eleanor besides some escalated squabbles that were partially Nell's fault. But Nell was often projecting her own negative emotions and anxieties into her perception of Theo's actions and lines.

This ambiguity works along with the larger themes of the book - were they projecting the horrors of Hill House? Were they only a manifestation of anxiety and fear? Was Eleanor alone causing them? Were they real evil activity?(less)

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Did the book leave any other reader questioning if Hill House was haunted? I know there were sounds and apparitions but I can't help feel that I, as the reader, have been duped. I see Ms. Jackson smiling in her grave right now.

Ava Teague I think the house is haunted, but not in the traditional sense. That's where the horror lies; you can't be sure what is going on or why. I can also se…moreI think the house is haunted, but not in the traditional sense. That's where the horror lies; you can't be sure what is going on or why. I can also see Ms. Jackson smiling in her grave (and it's an unsettling image), and I only wish she got more credit. I think this book is one of the most sensitive and thought provoking things I've ever read, not to mention that it's some of the most precise and masterful writing out there.(less)

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