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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?
Lindsey Lewis As I was reading this, from the first interaction between Nell and Theo, I said out loud "they're lesbians" and "they gay" almost every single page (m…moreAs I was reading this, from the first interaction between Nell and Theo, I said out loud "they're lesbians" and "they gay" almost every single page (my roommate was pretty exhausted by my excited squealing by the end). I mean, come on, they are 30 year old women holding hands and skipping through a field of flowers, Theo has a "roommate," Nell gets extremely jealous of Theo's friendship with Luke, and at one point in the book they are both wanting to say "do you love me?" When she added Luke into the equation, I was beginning to think "wow, they are not just gay they are poly!" (Side note, the 1999 film The Haunting portrays Theo as an openly bisexual and polyamorous woman when she says to Nell "my girlfriend doesn't think I have commitment issues, but my boyfriend does").

I definitely think that repressed sexuality and gender is a theme here because Nell has no experience at all with men or women and it is clear she has some reservations about falling for Theo. She is nervous and unsure of everything she does, and doesn't seem to even know who she is in general. She repetitively hums the song about journeys end in lover's meeting, and has very short-lived fantasies about marrying men, but they feel forced and childish, like she knows what is expected of her. It's clear from how negative she is toward herself that she has internalized a lot of gender roles and because she didn't fit into that mold, she feels like she is not normal or good. She is also clearly immature and at times an insufferable brat, which I kind of feel may be tied to how she was treated by her sister and being forced to care for her mother rather than developing her own personality and character.

However, I've also heard that much of Jackson's work has some lesbian undertones to it, which is pretty amazing given when this was written. And she doesn't seem to sexualize it or condemn it, either. It's just a sweet relationship that brings what little light in their experience into sharp contrast with the evil that is occurring around them. It shows how the house warps them from being sweet and affectionate into hostile toward each other. (less)
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The Haunting of Hill House
by Shirley Jackson
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