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Marta asked this question about The Haunting of Hill House:
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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The Haunting of Hill House
by Shirley Jackson
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