Haunting of Hill House 82-181

Summary:
     Dr. Montague, Luke, Theodora, and Eleanor all decide to explode Hill House, so that they know the house better. They went to the library tower, where the companion was rumored to have hanged herself. Eleanor, for some odd reason could not make herself go in. Dr. Montague later reveals that Hugh Crain designed the house with odd, slanted, angles, causing imbalance, confusion, and doors to close without door stoppers. He called Hill House a ''masterpiece of architectural misdirection.'' (Jackson 106). Being a doctor, he tried created many theories as to why people may feel a certain way after living in Hill House; he hypothesized that people assumed that their loss of balance after leaving Hill House, was due to supernatural manifestations. In the drawing room, they found a statue of Hugh, his daughters, the companion, Ms. Dudley (the current housekeeper), and a tree that possible symbolized the protection of the house. Near the nursery room, they found a cold spot they couldn't explain. At night, Eleanor woke up yelling ''Coming, mom!'' and went to Theodora's room when summoned, and they held each other in horror as a loud banging noise banged along the hallway towards them. It seemed to be driven away when Dr. Montague and Luke ran to their room after hearing their screams outside; they were lead on a wild-goose chase by some creature that resembled a dog that ran by their room two hours before the ladies woke up. They did not hear the banging, described by Theodora to sound like cannons. The next day, they found chalk letters that spelled out ''HELP ELEANOR COME HOME.'' They wiped off the chalk and later, went to investigate the cold spot. The thermometer would not read the temperature, suggesting that the cold spot was room temperature, even though it froze Dr. Montagues hands to the point where he couldn't hold his chalk longer than a few minutes. Theodora returned to her room with blood on the walls, spelling out ''HELP ELEANOR COME HOME ELEANOR'' on the wall, and her clothes shredded and covered in red. It seemed that Eleanor had a nightmare of voices in the other room, one of a mumbling adult, and the other, a small child crying. Later that day, Luke found a book in the library tower, titled Memories for Sophie Anne Lester Crain; A Legacy for Her Education and Enlightenment During Her Lifetime From Her Affectionate and Devoted Father. It was a book about eternal damnation, Hell, and the 7 deadly sins, written and illustrated by Hugh Crain, himself. For some reason, afterwards they sat by the fireplace of the Parlor room (where they held meetings and gathered to relax/socialize), Eleanor and Theodora argued. Eleanor ran out, and Theodora followed her, they seemingly unconsciously walked toward the brook nearby where they desired a picnic when they first arrived and saw a...family, a child, and a puppy picnicking. For some reason, they were frightened by this, and ran back to Hill House in great hurry. Could that be a memory of Eleanor's projected? Either way, on the  next day, Dr. Montague's wife was to visit; instead, Eleanor went to the hills for some time alone. She asks herself ''What am I going to do?''

Quote:
'' ''In back, that kind of overspreading apple-tree kind of thing, thats--''
''A symbol of the protection of the house, surely,'' Dr. Montague said. ''

Reaction:
     When Dr. Montague said the apple tree symbolized the protection of the house, I thought, maybe the house protected it's secrets. Maybe there were secrets within the house it did not want outsiders to know. All the 'supernatural' events could be the house's attempts to separate the group, scare them away, and keep it's secret. That quote made me think, and it made me want to continue reading to see if my theory, rather than Dr. Montague's many theories, was true. It also made me wonder what that secret, if any, was.

Haunting of Hill House (pg 1-82)

Summary:

     Dr. Montague is a doctor of philosophy with a degree in anthropology. He invited Eleanor Vance, Theodora, and Luke Sanderson (nephew of the owners of the Hill House) to occupy Hill House for a few days in order to analyze supernatural manifestations and psychic disturbances on the human body. When they all met up there, after dinner, Dr. Montague explains the history of Hill House. Hill House was built by Hugh Crain, 80 years ago. His first wife died when her carriage overturned, minutes before seeing the new house. His second wife died of a fall. His third wife died of tuberculosis. He, himself, eventually died travelling in Europe shortly after. He had two daughters, and the older one inherited the Hill House after her sister married. She bought a companion from the village to live with her, but the older sister died of pneumonia after a few years. The house became legally the companion's after a fierce lawsuit against the younger sister. Constantly harassed by enemies, gossip, and the younger sister, she eventually killed herself. The house was then legally given to the Sanderson family, who sent the younger sister to the police station when she tried to harass them; they never lived there for more than a few days. The younger sister then died a few years later. Dr. Montague suggests that the evil in the house has ''enchained and destroyed it's people and their lives'' and ''is a place contained of ill will.'' (Jackson, 82).

Quote:

''Journeys end in lovers meeting, she thought, remembering her song at last, and laughed, standing on the steps of Hill House, journeys end in lovers meeting, and she put her feet down firmly and went up to the veranda and the door.'' (Jackson, 36).

Reaction:

    I chose this quote because it sounded almost poetic in a pessimistic way. Here, Eleanor Vance was the first to arrive at Hill House and senses an eerie feeling--and urgent feeling of the need to escape from here. Normally, she isn't the type to accept spontaneous invitation (especially not from strangers), but when she accepted the invitation and started driving to Hillsdale, she felt as if she were on a long journey, just her and the road. However, she thinks 'journeys end in lovers meeting' over and over again, and it seems to be foreshadowing something ominous.