The Haunting Of Hill House

Chapters 1-2

Reading Check

1. 3 months (Chapter 1, Part 1)

2. Dr. Montague plans to investigate and document the paranormal activity of the house and then publish a book about it that will make him famous. (Chapter 1, Part 1)

3. 11 years (Chapter 1, Part 2)

4. Dr. Montague believes that Eleanor may be a magnet for psychic phenomenon due to the strange occurrence of her house being pelted by stones after her father’s death. (Chapter 1, Part 2)

Short Answer

1. Hill House is in perfect condition, unlike the stereotypical haunted house, which is often described as decaying, decrepit, or broken-down. (Chapter 1, Part 1)

2. Eleanor is described as misanthropic, having no friends and an extreme dislike of her sister. (Chapter 1, Part 2)

3. Theodora is described as a social butterfly with psychic abilities. She appears to be a foil to Eleanor: Where Eleanor is isolated and nervous around others, Theodora is charming. (Chapter 1, Part 2)

4. Carrie and her husband dismiss her completely, acting as if she is not there. Carrie does not even consider Eleanor’s point that she owns half the car, and she insults Eleanor by insinuating that she is “running off” with a strange man for improper reasons. (Chapter 1, Part 3)

5. Theodora is much more confident in Hill House and does not feel anywhere near as alarmed and afraid as Eleanor. (Chapter 2, Part 2)

6. The two have become fast friends, calling each other cousins. (Chapter 2, Part 2)

Chapters 3-4

Reading Check

1. He was killed. His horse “bolted and crushed him against the big tree.” (Chapter 3, Part 3)

2. Camping (Chapter 3, Part 3)

3. Eleanor is shocked, calling Theodora’s painted toes wicked and foolish. (Chapter 4, Part 3)

4. Eleanor believes she hears her sick mother calling for her, banging on the walls. (Chapter 4, Part 6)

Short Answer

1. Eleanor feels elated to be part of a group and to feel that she finally belongs and can speak easily with others. (Chapter 3, Part 3)

2. Eleanor thinks about how contented she is with herself. She feels that she has a firm identity at Hill House, that she is the one with the red shoes who can play bridge. This is ironic, because she has not told anyone at Hill House anything important or true about herself and has instead built a new identity. (Chapter 3, Part 5)

3. Eleanor says she lives in the cottage she saw when she was driving to Hill House. She lies because, in keeping with her behavior so far in the novel, she is creating a false identity and presenting who she would like to be rather than who she is. (Chapter 3, Part 5)

4. Eleanor feels that, by calling the house “Hill House,” Theodora is telling the house where they are and pretending to be overly familiar with it. She considers that it may be overconfidence on Theodora’s part. (Chapter 4, Part 5)

5. He fears that the house will find the “flaws, faults, and weakness” in all the guests and then tear them apart. He makes Eleanor promise that if she ever feels the house getting to her, she will leave immediately. (Chapter 4, Part 5)

6. Theodora and Eleanor experience a loud, crashing knocking on their door, and then a terrible laughter once the presence realizes it cannot enter. In the moment, the women are terrified, but afterward, they try to play it off, mocking one another for being afraid. (Chapter 4, Part 6)

Chapters 5-6

Reading Check

1. “HELP ELEANOR COME HOME” (Chapter 5, Part 1)

2. Theodora’s clothes have been smeared with red paint, similar to her red nail polish, and “HELP ELEANOR COME HOME” has been written on walls again. This time, Eleanor finds it funny and can’t help laughing at Theodora. (Chapter 5, Part 2)

3. Luke reveals that he never had a mother. (Chapter 6, Part 1)

4. Theodora and Eleanor see a flash of light, and then they begin to run away. Theodora looks back and sees something that terrifies her, though we never learn what exactly she sees. (Chapter 6, Part 3)

Short Answer

1. Eleanor wakes up feeling extremely happy and confident. She even calls Hill House by name, like Theodora does. It appears that Eleanor feels some sort of belonging or attachment to the house. This is surprising due to the terrors she experienced the previous night. (Chapter 5, Part 1)

2. Eleanor believes that Theodora must have written her name on the wall, and Theodora believes that Eleanor wrote her own name. The women become increasingly wary and mistrustful of one another, each believing the other is trying to manipulate and steal the others’ attention. (Chapter 5, Part 1)

3. Eleanor admits that she would like to surrender to the house. The others are disturbed and angered by her comment, knowing that the house is evil and wants to harm them. (Chapter 5, Part 3)

4. After Luke reveals that he has never had a mother, Eleanor tells him he should “grow up” by himself. Eleanor has become increasingly self-centered and projects this on everyone around her, believing others to be selfish and boring when she cannot sympathize or have compassion for them. (Chapter 6, Part 1)

5.  They argue about Luke. Theodora claims that Luke is playing with Eleanor and making a fool of her; Eleanor says that Theodora does not know what she is talking about. (Chapter 6, Part 2)

6. Theodora and Eleanor both wonder if the other loves them. Despite their quarreling, the two seem to have a bond; they care for one another and want to be close. (Chapter 6, Part 2)

Chapters 7-8

Reading Check

1. The daisy dies immediately in Eleanor’s hand. (Chapter 7, Part 1)

2. Mrs. Montague arrives to assist her husband with investigating the paranormal activities in the house. (Chapter 7, Part 2)

3. Eleanor states that she will live with Theodora after they leave the house. She goes so far as to say that even if she is unwanted, she will follow Eleanor. Theodora is disturbed by this and tells Eleanor that she should go back to her own home. What Theodora doesn’t know is that Eleanor does not have one. (Chapter 8, Part 2)

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Eleanor feels that she is cursed to be mobile, to not have a specific place she is rooted and to call home. (Chapter 7, Part 1)

2. The planchette calls itself “Eleanor Nellie Nell Nell,” and says that it wants “home.” The planchette also states a desire for “mother” and repeats the word “home” several times. This reveals that the house is indeed connected with Eleanor and may be expressing Eleanor’s subconscious desires more than she understands. (Chapter 7, Part 3)

3. Hill House now communicates directly with Eleanor, as she hears its noises in her head. She can predict what is about to happen because the house lets her know ahead of time. It appears Eleanor and the house have become completely intertwined. Eleanor feels assured and special, as if the house chose her to connect with over the others. This connects to Eleanor’s deep desire to belong and to have a home of her own. (Chapter 7, Part 4)

4. Eleanor reveals that she neglected to bring her mother medicine, and her mother died. Her mother knocked on the wall and called and called, but Eleanor never woke up. This corresponds directly with what Eleanor heard during one of her first nights at Hill House, when she woke up thinking that she heard her mother knocking on the walls. (Chapter 8, Part 3)

5. Eleanor thinks about her future with Theodora, how they will live together and search for beautiful things, and how she will call herself just “Eleanor” as Theodora only goes by a first name. This connects to Eleanor’s lack of an identity. She wants to merge with Theodora, to be just like her, and to find a home with her. (Chapter 8, Part 3)

Chapters 9

Reading Check

1. Eleanor believes she hears her mother asking her to “come along” about the house. (Chapter 9, Part 1)

2. She tears it apart with her teeth. (Chapter 9, Part 1)

3. Eleanor finally explains that she does not have a home, that she made up the cottage and the stone lions, that she sleeps on a cot in her sister’s apartment. (Chapter 9, Part 2)

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Eleanor bangs on the doors of Theodora, Luke, and Dr. Montague. She is angry at Theodora and Luke for being “faithless” and having no loyalty to her, and she has become so linked to the house that she is now what haunts it. (Chapter 9, Part 1)

2. Eleanor feels connected to the house and to its creator, Hugh Crain. She dances emphatically with the statue and sings madly as she does so. Eleanor appears to have lost her sense of reality and has fully immersed herself in the world of the house. (Chapter 9, Part 1)

3. Eleanor feels that she is at last at home. After an excruciating search for belonging and an attempt to merge with Theodora, she has been left isolated and now merges with the evil house. (Chapter 9, Part 1)

4. Eleanor recognizes the other guests, but not Theodora, because Theodora has caused her the most psychological harm. If Theodora does not exist, she cannot harm her. To protect herself and her fragile psyche, she blocks Theodora’s existence out. (Chapter 9, Part 1)

5. Eleanor wonders why the others are not stopping her. This reinforces the theme of belonging, and that Eleanor does not feel connected to or loved by the others. A part of her believes that they will stop her and show that they care for her, as they did last night. However, it is too late, and Eleanor commits suicide on Hill House grounds. (Chapter 9, Part 3)