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The terror of Shirley Jackson’s novel The Haunting of Hill House (1959) resides in the struggle of its protagonist to procure and maintain a stable sense of self. Eleanor Vance’s desperation to establish a collective and an individual identity is palpable in her continual self-affirmations that she both “belongs” to the group of guests in Hill House and exists as a separate entity. Identifying herself in relation to Theodora, the house’s other female inhabitant, is particularly crucial, given Eleanor’s history of dysfunctional relationships with other women. In Robert Wise’s 1963 film adaptation, The Haunting, Eleanor’s identity crisis is brilliantly conveyed through the use of mirrors in the cinematography and mise-en-scène. Throughout the film, mirrors function to trace Eleanor’s attempts and eventual failure to establish an identity in relation to Theodora.

From her arrival at Hill House, Eleanor is painfully aware of her “self,” or, rather, lack thereof. Bending down to pick up her suitcase, Eleanor notices her reflection in the freshly waxed floors (19:30) and is prompted to quickly catch up with the house’s caretaker, commenting, “I gather I’m the first one here, Mrs. Dudley” (19:40). On the way up the stairs, she is startled less by the ominous-looking gargoyles decorating the stairwell than she is by her reflection in a wall mirror (19:50). This is just the first of the excessive number of mirrors she will encounter in the house. Read more