Feminism in the Story "The Haunting of Hill House"

Subject and Section
Professor’s Name
Date
The Haunting of Hill House: Jackson and Her Hidden Genius
The Haunting of Hill House was a novel written by Shirley Jackson for Leonard Brown (Jackson 1). It was a fictional horror story that depicted the mid-twentieth century and explored the masculine societal norms against womanhood that aimed to nurture women forever to confine their innovative minds. The author used various figures of speech to convey the message that men must refrain or discontinue considering women as kids as if they do not have their rationality and snatching them their authority to decide for their sake. The novel illustrated how women are caged inside the gender box, an idea created by rampant men, especially during the story’s setting. Therefore, Jackson provokes the rationality of the close-minded society by forming an informal protest against male domination via a platform that can be easily understood and distributed to several audiences, declaring an informal and silent war against male ascendancy.
Feminism and the Characters in the Story
The characters in the story embraced masculinity and femininity at the same time. However, Jackson focused on the latter than the former. We shall analyze the significant characters of the story through the lens of feminism.
The first character introduced was Dr. Montague, a doctor of philosophy whose life purpose is to investigate supernatural phenomena and prove his worth by publishing his findings (Jackson 1). Here, masculinity or patriarchy was represented as having a high rank in society by finishing a high education level. During this time, although women were able to study, they were regarded as having a lower intelligence quotient than men or cannot handle what men can, intellectually. Jackson balanced this by allowing Dr. Montague to search for assistants, ultimately hiring women (1-2). Although women are frequently illustrated as assistants, they were seldom employed in dangerous or frightening tasks like this since they are regarded as vulnerable and enclosed in domesticity. He symbolizes men who were the only people who were allowed to create rules at the time.
Eleanor symbolizes all the women before they could gain access to their rights. She was introduced next as a thirty-two-year-old woman who spent her adult years caring for a disabled mother. Her life was unhappy and full of silent criticisms, accusations, and guilt-tripping as if her life’s purpose was only about this, and she was compelled to abandon her genuine ambitions. Despite being imprisoned in her domestic role, the letter of Dr. Montague enlightened her mind, and she began considering her purpose again. However, Eleanor’s family was hesitant, overlooking her strengths and seeing womanhood as a weakness against possible perpetrators like Dr. Montague. Eleanor disregarded her family’s wishes and was banished from the home (Jackson 2).
Here, Jackson gave a voice to a child-like character, Eleanor, who pursued to be included in a team ready to conquer an evil home. Because she spent years of torture from her oppressive mother and sister, Eleanor did not initially think about her aspirations (Boylan 22). However, she began breaking away from the domestic stereotype as she received the doctor’s letter. She was prohibited from leaving the house, as she was not allowed to drive their car. Due to this, she gathered all her strength and left, riding a taxi going to Hill House. It was her first time, making it a nerve-wracking experience (Jackson 5). Nevertheless, once she stepped out of their home, she started to gain independence.
Jackson made Eleanor recognize that she can mend the broken parts of her personality and embrace a new identity by leaving the house that instilled in her mind that she is nothing but a chore-handling woman. Jackson also implied that Eleanor understood that the issue is more significant than just being jailed inside her family’s home. Instead, she knew that this is the central problem in society, prohibiting women from wandering into horizons. Initially, she lacked control over her life because it was what society dictated, but she is now ready to take on challenges that deviated from the gender stereotypes.
Jackson made Eleanor’s transformation rather abrupt, from a weakling to a totally independent and mentally strong woman. As she enters the Hill House, she stated, “What a complete and separate thing I am, she thought, going from my red toes to the top of my head, individually and I, possessed of attributes belonging only to me” (37). She began recognizing her strengths instead of focusing on her weaknesses. She also knew what she likes and dislikes, rather than dictating what she should and should not like, like how she was raised and domesticated in her home as if a woman was an animal suitable for following orders from a patriarchal society.
Theodora, the other recruited assistant, was the epitome of deviance in a patriarchal society. Women are confined to rules, from how they talk to the way they interact with other people. They must maintain refined actions and refrain from showing strength or intelligence. However, Theodora’s beliefs and actions were the opposite. Theodora demonstrated masculine attributes and beliefs. In her apartment, she sketched “Theo” instead of “Theodora,” where the former sounds like a man’s name. Unlike Eleanor, Theodora has already broken away from the gender stereotypes. She evaded the domestic space and disregarded things such as responsibility and conscience. For her, these are only for Girl Scouts, and she is not one of them. She has also gone into fights and frequently quarrels with other people, even with friends. Despite these, Jackson presented her with a touch of femininity as manifested by dwelling in a world of soft colors and the use of floral perfumes (3).
Jackson’s illustration of Theodora shows that women must be given choices, and they must not be forced to be in a place where they do not belong, like this character, who plays between masculinity and femininity. She was never vulnerable, but she also had soft features based on her preferences for perfumes and colors.
Second-Wave Feminism and the Setting of the Novel
Feminism was introduced when women began to recognize their worth in society and wanted to claim their rights. It involves gaining a stand on cultural, sociopolitical, and econ...