Hill+House+Jungian

Opening Activity: Discussion of Jungian analysis of literary works-what is Jungian, what are archetypes (refresher), what is the collective unconscious?

Summary Response: After scrapping together bits and pieces of past knowledge of Jungian literary analysis, and reading this article I have discovered a new archetypical symbol of the mother figure that sets the stage for __The Haunting of Hill House__. Initially the novel can seem to be a relation between the psychological studies of the Cold War at the time this novel was produced, however the article :__House Mothers and Haunted Daughters: Shirley Jackson and Female Gothic__ has pointed out an interesting view of this Gothic novel. This article suggests that the archetypical symbol of the mother is stressed throughout the novel that eventually leads to the breakdown of Eleanors mental stability. The article points out different stages of Eleanors mental stability and her views of her deceased mother, from the thoughts of Eleanor over a little girl refusing to drink her milk, to her comfort level around a stone cold none loving mother figure, Mrs. Dudley. Basically Eleanor is greatly effected by her feelings of guilt and hate towards her mother, and is more accepting of a mechanical dog of a host.

The Jungian approach to literary novels is normally associated with the collective unconsious of different cultures. Meaning, that completely different cultures often produce similar stories based off of the negatives of their societies, therefore as most cultures develope similarly they will produce stories and tales with similar characters (I.E. Cinderella story). Therefore Jungian is normally associated with archetypical symbols as these are the reflection of societies fears. More specifically throughout __The Haunting of Hill House,__ is the archetypical struggle between mother and daughter, Eleanor and her recently deceased mother. In the beginning of the novel, Eleanor eggs on a little girl who refuses to drink her milk because she is not drinking from her special cup, thinking to herself that should the little girl give up now she will never again have her own choice of free will. However later in the book Eleanor is more accepting of the houses hostess, Mrs. Dudley, a lady who is completely turned off from affection and ultimately will allow Eleanor free choice. Now this all makes sense throughout the novel, however to completely break down __The Haunting of Hill House__ historically I will hypothesize as to what the motherly figure may have represented during the Cold War. As I know, most novels are created around some very real problem or fear of the unknown, ultimately what does Eleanor's mother represent? I believe that Eleanor's mother represents societies fear of the unknown in its entirity. Why? Because as human beings we are afraid of the unknown because lack of control frightens us. To lose control of something is to risk harm or danger to your physical and or emotional self. Thus, when Eleanor is trapped taking care of her mother she is in reality not in control of herself, this represents our fear of the unknown. This is why humans crave power, to gain control and banish the fear.

Some posing questions: How do we see Eleanor's mother affecting her decisions to this point in the novel? Possibly what could the motherly figure in __The Haunting of Hill House__ represent in the real world of Shirley Jackson at the time?

What other possible archetypes are present throughout this novel? (body parts, colors, weather, etc.)

Could any of these symbols represent anything about the Cold War and the time period that this novel was written in?

Primary Articles: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=LitRC&userGroupName=litt24484&tabID=T001&searchId=R2&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=9&contentSet=GALE%7CH1420078278&&docId=GALE|H1420078278&docType=GALE (summary response article) http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=LitRC&userGroupName=litt24484&tabID=T001&searchId=R2&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=1&contentSet=GALE%7CH1420078271&&docId=GALE|H1420078271&docType=GALE (backgound knowledge) http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display.aspx?categoryid=27&entryid=263190&searchtext=fears+during+cold+war&type=simple&option=all&searchsites=4, (background knowledge)

Rsinn