Drivetime meets Queer Time: The Haunting of Hill House and Eleanor’s Death Drive
Date
2018
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Haverford College. Department of English
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Thesis
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Award
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eng
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Bi-College users only until 2028-01-01, afterwards Tri-College users only.
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Abstract
Drives, both literal and metaphorical, come together in The Haunting of Hill House. These drives occur in the car and in the home, two spaces that are symbolically important in terms of women’s independence and freedom, or lack thereof. I argue that the different drives are accompanied by distortions in the perception of time. The distortions are expressed both by the narrator and by Eleanor, the protagonist. Further, I argue that the warpings of time are due to the tension that Eleanor feels. She is torn between guilt, caused by the betrayals of her mother’s values, and the force of her and her newfound sexuality and independence. Eleanor veers between these two parts of herself and her inner conflict results in a catastrophic collision.