Isolation In 'The Haunting Of Hill House'

When reading ghost stories, a common occurrence or idea often takes place in all these stories. This occurrence is the repeated idea of the female character as either the victim of the supernatural occurrence or is the ghostly victim. The female characters are often the victim either in life, death, or both. This idea often coincides with the theme of isolation, as isolation is often a strong factor in the cause of the female character’s often untimely demise. Isolation in the ghost story genre is common as the mental isolation or physical isolation is from society and impacts emotional connection to others. The isolation mentally, physically and in some case both, causes the female character’s ultimate destruction in the end. Isolation is

The main character, Eleanor Vance, can be seen as the victim of the novel. She ultimately commits suicide, like Maria, because of her susceptibility to the supernatural elements and experiences that happen in the haunted Hill House that Eleanor gets invited to stay at with others to investigate this paranormal phenomenon. Eleanor has been isolated from society because she has taken care of her mother for eleven years. This job has led to Eleanor missing out on many experiences and social interactions that has cause her social awkwardness and withdrawal from society. As in the novel, it states Eleanor “ had spent so long alone, with no one to love, that it was difficult for her to talk, even casually” (Jackson 3). This isolation causes her to make what can be considered a reckless decision to take up Dr. Montague’s offer to stay at Hill House. This then leads to Eleanor’s tragic suicide, which closely resembles the circumstances that lead to Maria’s suicide in The Shadow in the Corner as well. The social isolation that Eleanor experiences causes her to come in contact with supernatural forces and become impacted by them on a deeper level than the other characters in the