Character Clues

Character Analysis

Clothing

Clothing not only characterizes our Hill House residents, but, in an odd way, it can also uncharacterize them. Yeah, we know that's not a word, but we're all still alive, so let's move on.

When clothing first appears in the novel, we learn a lot about Eleanor and Theodora through their chosen articles. Eleanor buys slacks in a half-baked attempt at rebellion against her dead mother but then loses the courage to unpack them, keeping them in the bottom of her suitcase (2.29). Any woman who finds slacks scandalous, even way back then, must have some issues.

Then, when she and Theodora get dressed, Eleanor chooses a red sweater, and Theodora chooses a yellow shirt. The bright colors here contrast the two women against the dark and gloom of Hill House. Eleanor even points out that the choices are meant to be "utterly at war" with the horror-filled house (2.68). In both instances, the clothing is chosen in reaction to something or someone else, such as Eleanor's mother or Hill House.

Later, clothing returns to show Eleanor's uncharacterization—that is, her personality becoming consumed by Hill House. When Theodora discovers her clothes have been destroyed in Hill House's bloody attack, she borrows Eleanor's clothing, in particular the red sweater. On cue, Hill House begins to take Eleanor's personality, bit by bit.

Eleanor begins to hate her former BFF Theodora and fears losing her own name (in other words, her entire identity). Later, she feels separated by the group, and Mrs. Montague even assumes that Theodora is the Nell the ghosts speak of (7.135). In the end, it becomes clear that Eleanor must leave Hill House for her own safety, and Theodora returns the clothes she has borrowed in a symbolic attempt to return Eleanor's true personality to her.

Direct Characterization

Be careful when reading any form of direct characterization in this novel. It can be a slippery thing, since most of the novel is told from Eleanor's perspective, and she is a notoriously unreliable narrator. In other words, whether or not we can accept any direct characterization will depend on whether or not we trust Eleanor's understanding of the character.

For example, Eleanor thinks of Dr. Montague as "simple" and "transparent," a man who "believes every silly thing he has ever heard" (5.95). Are we to believe this account of Dr. Montague? On the one hand, he certainly believes in aspects of the supernatural and speaks his mind about that. On the other hand, he doesn't believe Mrs. Montague and Arthur's planchette-driven dialogue with the ghost. We get information that both supports and refutes Eleanor's claims.

So, what are we to make of this direct characterization? Is Eleanor on to something? Is she telling us a fact about Dr. Montague? Or is she misguided? Perhaps this characterization tells us more about Eleanor than about the person she's characterizing. Like we said, it's slippery stuff.

Food

At Hill House, a person's relationship with food also offers a glimpse into his or her character. Once again, the examples are numerous, so we'll just come up with few to get you started:

1. The little girl in the restaurant refuses to drink anything that is not in her "cup of stars" (1.61). Her refusal shows us her uncompromising character, and Eleanor's approval of that resolute nature shows us the type of person Eleanor wishes she could be.
2. Theodora's hunger for life manifests as a literal hunger for food. She wakes up every morning famished for breakfast.
3. Eleanor imagines Dr. Montague as the kind of man who'd eat jellied scones by the fire (3.24). While we never see him with a jellied scone, he certainly enjoys Mrs. Dudley's cooking—and a fair share of brandy to go with his chess games.
4. Eleanor mentions that everything that came from her mother's kitchen lacked "taste or color" (4.126). Although we never meet her mother alive, this telltale detail provides us with everything we need to know about this unpleasant lady.
5. Even Hill House seems to eat. Eleanor mentions she's "disappearing inch by inch into this house, I am going apart a little bit at a time because all this noise is breaking me" (7.183). It almost sounds as if Hill House is eating up Eleanor, or at least her sanity. Hm, we wonder what sanity tastes like. Sea salt and caramel-covered pretzels, perhaps?