The gothic genre

The gothic genre

The gothic genre is used by novelists to express emotions such as fear, love, pain, and strength through elements like imagery, repetition, symbolism, and irony. In the book, the Haunting of Hill House, the gothic genre shows how the family dynamics are themselves ‘haunted’ and/or ‘gothic.’ The book is based on a hill house that has stood for 80 years. The neighbors speculate that there is something evil in the house. Therefore, Dr. Montague moves into the house to establish if the house is haunted. He has an interest in the supernatural. He invites Theadora and Eleanore who have telepathic abilities. Luke joins them as a representative of the family. The book tells the story through the eyes of Eleanor. She is thrilled to be part of the team that discovers the mystery of the Hill House. She has spent most of her adult life taking care of her mother hence has never gotten the opportunity to do something on herself. While their goal is to establish if the house is haunted, the story ends with them being exposed as haunted by the dynamics in their families. The analysis shows that the gothic genre shows how Eleanor and Theodora feel suffocated, insane, and conflicting identities by family dynamics.

Family Dynamics is suffocating

Shirley Jackson uses the gothic genre to show how family dynamics are suffocating hence ‘haunting’ the victims. Eleanor is 30 years yet has spent most of her adult life, taking care of her mother. She had a seemingly toxic relationship with her mother (Jackson 41). In addition, she feels that she is still taking care of her married sister. Her tormenting past leads to unstable and toxic behavior, which annoys other people in the house; hence, they ask her to leave. The rejection of her housemates makes her furious. Also, the house reminds Eleanor of her deceased mother. She equates, leaving the house to how she betrayed her mother. As such, she believes that the only way to stop feeling guilty about the betrayal is to stop existing. The house presents a perfect environment for her to commit suicide. The author says, ‘the house exudes the smell of the grave, a reminder of her mother, from the library door, the entrance of the tower in which the woman is said to have died already,’ (Jackson 112). Here, the author uses imagery to show the themes of death, darkness, and decay in a family. Suffocation occurs when one has limited access to air, and it may lead to death. It is a struggle that only provides minimal opportunities for survival. In the same way, Eleanor has minimal chances of surviving is she continues to stay in an environment that provides memories of her annoying and ungrateful mother.

Family Dynamics leads to insanity

Similarly, the author uses the gothic genre to show how family dynamics can lead a member into madness, which is ‘haunting.’ Madness is insanity that makes one lose a sense of reality and self. In the book, characters like Eleanor and Theodora have experiences that threaten their sanities. For example, Eleanor has telepathic abilities, which make her suitable for being part of the team that investigates the house (Van Loo 25). Yet, she cannot prevent herself from being haunted by the spirit of her mother. While in the house, they consider each other as family. However, when Eleanor fails to control reactions towards the memories of her mother, they tell her to vacate the house. She is furious.

Consequently, she commits suicide by plunging her car into a tree. She says, “am doing it, I am doing this all by myself, now, at last; this is me, I am really doing it by myself’ and then thinks, “Why don’t they stop me” (Jackson 152). Here, the author uses repetition to show the fear in Eleanor as she plans to commit suicide. Also, the repetition shows how extended stay in the house has contributed to Eleanor going insane. Further, it shows irony in how Eleanor eventually caused her death in an environment that one could have considered it the safest (Murphy 177). Gothic fiction is based on the exploitation of fear. The author knows that the readers of gothic literature are seeking out to be terrified. It is based on the belief that human beings fear the unknown. As such, Jackson shows how fearful Eleanor is of plunging into the tree so that the reader fears what can happen if she succeeds in committing suicide. Her death symbolizes her reunion with her mother.

Family Dynamics Lead to Conflicting Identities Within an Individual

Also, Shirley uses the gothic genre to show family dynamics are ‘haunted’ because they contribute to conflicting identities among characters. Gothic genre implies the existence of a supernatural world. In this novel, the author has connected the possibility of a supernatural world to repression, which leads to the presence of two selves, whereas there should be one. In addition, the author shows how Theodora’s background has led to variations in her character. She displays conflicting personalities hence making her appear ‘haunted.’ For example, in the beginning, the author presents her as charming and kind. However, as the story progresses, the readers realize that she is selfish and frequently utters disrespectful words to her housemates, especially Eleanor (Jackson 96). The author presents Theodora’s character as an alternation between tormenting and protecting. It creates a confusion of identity, which makes Eleanor compare her relationship with Theodora to how she used to relate with her mother. She expected her mother to be caring, yet the latter was cruel. Conflicting personalities is a common element of the gothic genre. It shows that an individual can possess both desirable and regrettable traits. As such, it is ironical that Theodora has telepathic skills, which cannot help her understand the conflicts and mysteries in her life and how they influence how she relates to others.

In conclusion, Jackson shows that family dynamics are haunted since they lead characters into suffocating circumstances, insanity, and conflicting identities. The characters unite with a uniform objective of ascertaining the claims that the house is haunted. Initially, the characters appear that they have control over their problems. However, the events in the house show that their pasts show that are equally haunted. The haunted house reminds Eleanor of the cruelty of her mother; hence, she feels like the only way for her to stop feeling this way is to end her life. Similarly, family dynamics threaten the sanity of Eleanor when she repeatedly mentions her name before plunging her car into the tree. Further, the book shows that family dynamics lead Theodora to develop conflicting identities. Her character spontaneously changes from kind and charming to disrespectful. Generally, Jackson uses repetition, irony, and imagery to illustrate the themes of fear, death, and conflicts in the gothic genre.