Inthelastsentence answers “Did Nell drive her car into the tree so...”

Emmie asked this question about The Haunting of Hill House:

Did Nell drive her car into the tree so she could die and be a ghost at Hill House or did she just want to die if she couldn't stay? Jackson purposefully leaves us in the dark on Nellie's intent- even Nellie's own thought- her final thought- "Why am I doing this?"

Inthelastsentence I just finished it and have a few questions myself but maybe I have an answer to yours.
Firstly I think that she wanted to stay. She didn’t want to die…moreI just finished it and have a few questions myself but maybe I have an answer to yours.
Firstly I think that she wanted to stay. She didn’t want to die and I don’t think she thought about staying or dying. She wanted to stay and that was a „solution“.
Secondly I think that it was the house (too) that didn‘t want her to leave. Jackson wrote, that you can’t just leave Hill House if it doesn’t want you to leave.
And my last point is the ghosts of the older sister and the mother. We know that the sister always thought about Hill house being hers and Nellie says in the car „I won’t go and hill house belongs to me“ which is basically what the sister always said. Then we know that the mother (i think it was her) died because she drove against the tree (maybe even this same one). I just can’t shake off the feeling, that Nellie was a bit possessed from the house or the ghosts. She wasn’t thinking clearly and that would explain the“Why am I doing this?“ at the end.(less)

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Emmie Fantastic- that makes a lot of sense! I totally agree- Jackson gives this “out-of-control”/“controlled-by-something-else” feeling when Nell runs up th ...more
Dec 04, 2018 07:14PM

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The Haunting of Hill House

by Shirley Jackson

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