COVE

 This painting depicts a solitary house set against a dusky sky. The sky is filled with spots of purple, blue, and orange, as the sun casts long shadows across the landscape. The house looks old with darkened windows and a peaked roof, adding to the ominous atmosphere. The house seems to be isolated with no signs of like nor activity, creating uneasiness throughout the painting. This portrayal resonates with the themes of isolation and mystery within The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. Both the painting and the novel express "The Macabre" through their depiction of ominous houses shrouded in darkness and secrets.

In the novel, it states, "Hill House has a reputation for insistent hospitality; it seemingly dislikes letting its guests get away. The last person who tried to leave Hill House in darkness-it was eighteen years ago, I grant you-was killed at the turn in the driveway, where his horse bolted and crushed him against the big tree." This quote emphasizes the ominous and supernatural aspects within the novel as well as within the painting. This emphasizes the theme of "The Macabre" within the novel and the painting. Later in the novel is states , "As she closed the door of the blue room behind her, Eleanor thought wearily that it might be the darkness and oppression of Hill House that tired her so, and then it no longer mattered." This quote further signifies the ominous and spooky feeling within the novel, emphasizing some sort of supernatural being present within the house. 

Richard Pascal states in their article, "Walking Alone Together: Family Monsters In "The Haunting of Hill House," "Eleanor is absorbed into Hill House-or else, at the very least, the promise of a return to such amniotic oneness is the delusion that lured her to her death there." This quote further signifies the darkness within the house, expressing the theme of "The Macabre" within the novel, as well as portrayed in the painting. 

Works Cited

Hopper, Edward. “House at Dusk, 1935 - Edward Hopper.” Www.Wikiart.Org, 1 Jan. 1970, www.wikiart.org/en/edward-hopper/house-at-dusk.

House at Dusk, 1935 by Edward Hopper, www.edwardhopper.net/house-at-dusk.jsp. Accessed 2 May 2024.

Klein, Annika Barranti. “48 Terrifying the Haunting of Hill House Quotes by Shirley Jackson.” BOOK RIOT, 1 Nov. 2019, bookriot.com/the-haunting-of-hill-house-quotes/.