The Haunting of Hill House

Novel

Bibliographic Details

The Haunting of Hill House

Shirley Jackson

Date of Publication: 1959

Publisher: Viking Penguin Inc. 1959

Summary:

            Dr. John Montague, a doctor of philosophy, has taken a sudden interest in a notorious haunted house – Hill House.  Hill House has a reputation full of mixed ghost tales, suicide, and other horrid gossip.  Dr. Montague is taking part in an experiment where he, and three other volunteered assistants [Eleanor, Theodora, and Luke], will live in the house for a full summer. 

            It becomes apparent that Eleanor is a desire for the ghostly house, and taunts her until she is mentally unstable.  Dr. Montague orders Eleanor to leave the house, and at this time she decides to drive straight into a tree – committing suicide.   

Quotation:

            “Within its walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone” (Jackson 246).

Reaction:

            This quotation is the final sentence in the novel, providing a sense of closure for the reader.  However, it was somewhat of a cliff hanger for me.  At the end, Eleanor gets herself into a car crash, but it is never stated that she died.  It is also mentioned how the house wanted Eleanor to become a part of it, so this quote triggers my curiosity.  I wonder whether Eleanor has, in fact, become an additional spirit that will roam and haunt Hill House forever. 

Film

Film Title: The Haunting

Release Year: 1999

Director: Jan de Bont

Writer(s): David Self (screenplay), Shirley Jackson (novel)

Additions/Subtractions	Effect on Film
The film does not include Eleanor experiencing the small town before she goes to Hill House.	This takes away from the unwelcoming vibe that, not only Hill House gives off, but the reputation of Hill House throughout the town as well.
In the novel, the doctor wants to study paranormal/supernatural activity.  In the film, the doctor is studying insomnia.	The primary study of the novel reassures the reader that Hill House is haunted for sure.  In the film, the haunting is initially very questionable.
In the novel, Eleanor is portrayed as the odd-ball.  She is separated from everyone else, and the others find her to be somewhat strange from the very beginning.  This isolation of Eleanor is not present in the Film.	This removes the connection between Eleanor and the haunted Hill House.  In the novel, she seems to, in some way, belong to the house.  In the film, she is just as normal as everyone else.

Slam

Bibliographic Details

Slam

Nick Hornby

Date of Publication: 2007

Publisher: Penguin Group Inc.

Summary:

            The novel opens with the introduction of Sam, an average fifteen year-old boy.  The narrator is an adult Sam, reminiscing about his childhood.  As a typical teenager, Sam does not have any major responsibilities; his main focus is skateboarding.  These comfortable living conditions soon take a turn when Sam starts to become involved with a new girl, Alicia.

            After dating for a while, Sam and Alicia drift apart.  The timing could not have seemed worse when Sam is informed that his ex-girlfriend is pregnant.  At war with himself, Sam is at a loss of what to do.  He attempts to run away from the situation, but quickly returns, still horrified at how this baby will alter his future. 

            Eventually, Sam realizes that the child is and will always be a responsibility and priority of his.  When the baby is born, Sam undergoes a new sense of both father and man hood.

Quotation:

            “There was a lot of work to do, and arguments to have, and kids to take care of, and money to find from somewhere, and sleep to lose.  I could do it, though. I could see that.” (Hornby 309)

Reaction:

            Sam is finally realizing that his future has not been ruined due to a teenage pregnancy. There are a variety of achievements left for him to make, and all he needs is persistence to reach his goals.  This quotation exemplifies how Sam has truly come into adulthood by the end of the novel.  He is no longer the young boy that ran away when he was informed that he impregnated his girlfriend.  Sam was a young man, dealing with life day by day, and accepting whatever comes.