The Haunting Of Hill House

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. A text’s atmosphere is a feeling created through the details and language used to describe a setting.

• How does Shirley Jackson establish an atmosphere of terror when the Eleanor arrives at Hill House? (topic sentence)
• Give at least 3 examples of details, images, or phrases that support the terrifying effect of Hill House’s atmosphere. Explain how these details, images, or phrases accomplish this task.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how the atmosphere supports the theme of Imagination and the Dangers of the Human Mind.

2. Throughout the novel, Eleanor grapples with her sense of identity.

• How does Eleanor’s identity change as she drives toward Hill House, and why? (topic sentence)
• Give at least 3 examples that show Eleanor’s identity changing throughout the novel. Connect these examples to Eleanor’s circumstances at each moment in the story.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how Eleanor’s shifting identity supports the theme of The Fragility of Identity or Imagination and the Dangers of the Human Mind.

3. Throughout the novel, Eleanor repeats the phrase “journeys end in lovers meeting.”

• When does Eleanor first state this phrase, and why? (topic sentence)
• Give 2 examples, one from the middle and one from the end of the book, of moments when Eleanor repeats this phrase. To what is she connecting this phrase? How is the phrase ironic?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how this phrase supports the theme of The Futility of Human Nature.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. How do Eleanor and Theodora serve as mirrors or doubles of one another throughout the novel? In what ways are the characters different, and in what ways are they similar? Give at least 3 examples of the ebb and flow of Eleanor’s attachment to Theodora and what Theodora represents for her. Then, connect their relationship to a theme or themes in the novel. As you compose your response, support your assertions with details and language from the text. Cite any quotes in MLA format or the format required by your teacher.

2. How does Eleanor’s relationship with her family provide context for the rest of the novel? How does her relationship with her mother play an important role in her actions in the house? Is her relationship with her mother proof that her experience in the house is primarily psychological? Provide examples of details from the text that provide context for Eleanor’s psychological deterioration. Then, connect Eleanor’s relationship with her family to a major theme or themes in the novel. As you compose your response, support your assertions with details and language from the text. Cite any quotes in MLA format or the format required by your teacher.

3. To what extent are Eleanor’s experiences in the house psychological, supernatural, or a mix of both? Write an essay in which you provide examples from the text that support your position. Then, connect Eleanor’s psychological or supernatural experiences to a major theme or themes in the novel. As you compose your response, support your assertions with details and language from the text. Cite any quotes in MLA format or the format required by your teacher.