Be Charmed by These Bewitching Books from 2025
Regan asked this question about The Haunting of Hill House:
Did anyone else think the major theme or "horror" of the book is repressed female (lesbian) sexuality?
C'lestial I personally don't think so. Eleanor, was a very repressed person and lived mostly in a fantasy world created in her mind. Her life appeared to be str…moreI personally don't think so. Eleanor, was a very repressed person and lived mostly in a fantasy world created in her mind. Her life appeared to be strictly sheltered from reality, as she took care of her mother for years until the one night Eleanor decided not to get up and her mother died. I think that tended to send her even farther down the hole of being mentally/emotionally imbalanced, along with afterwards, having to live with family who used her and didn't care for her. Eleanor spent so much time coping by living in her imaginary world in her mind, she had no idea what actual reality and dealing with real people and situations were. Once she came to Hill House, she found she had a hard time relating; going back & forth between her self made reality to what was actually going on. Theodora appeared to me as most likely lesbian or bi, but Eleanor didn't really know one way or the other what she was. More likely she looked at Theo as someone to protect her and be her friend, which many women prefer another woman's company for comfort and understanding than a man. It doesn't state whether Eleanor had any kind of relations with any man in her past, so of course she'd probably be a little gun shy around Luke. I think this story was more of the horror of a woman who was not emotionally equipped to exist in the real world at that time in her life. And between this and the experiences she had at Hill House just sent her all the way into insanity.(less)
flag
More questions about The Haunting of Hill House…
Image for The Haunting of Hill House
The Haunting of Hill House
by Shirley Jackson
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more