Gossip says she hanged herself from the turret on the tower, but when you have a house like Hill House with a tower and a turret, gossip would hardly allow you to hang yourself anywhere else.
Shirley JacksonRead
There had not been this many words sounded in our house for a long time, and it was going to take a while to clean them out.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Communication can bring both connection and clutter to relationships.
This quote reflects on the impact of words and communication within a household. It suggests that the flow of conversation, while potentially healing or connecting, can also create a backlog of unresolved issues or emotional clutter that needs to be addressed and 'cleaned out' over time.
Themes
CommunicationRelationshipsWordsClutterEmotions
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a family gathering to emphasize the importance of clear communication.
More from Shirley Jackson
All quotes →It watches," he added suddenly. "The house. It watches every move you make.
Shirley JacksonRead
Within, 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.
Shirley JacksonRead
I can't help it when people are frightened," says Merricat. "I always want to frighten them more.
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I was pretending that I did not speak their language; on the moon we spoke a soft, liquid tongue, and sang in the starlight, looking down on the dead dried world.
Shirley JacksonRead
We moved together very slowly toward the house, trying to understand its ugliness and ruin and shame.
Shirley JacksonRead
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