"The Lovely House" is a short story by Shirley Jackson published in 1950 that involves the conflict of real versus surreal and is full of ambiguity. Jackson forces her readers to use suspension of disbelief and analyze the text in order to understand the full extent of the complex story.
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Author
Shirley Jackson was born in San Francisco, California in December 1916. She attended Syracuse University where she graduated with her BA in English in 1940. After graduating, she married Stanley Edgar Hyman. She died at the age of 49 due to heart failure.
Her work mostly consisted of short stories and novels. Her first short story, My Life with R.H. Macy, was published in 1941. Her most well known is The Lottery, which was published in 1948.
Plot summary
"The Lovely House" consists of three main parts. In part one, the main character Margaret starts her summer vacation with her friend Carla Montague. The Montague's home is a huge and over-decorated house that is set among lavish grounds. The house has many themed rooms; for example there is the fan room, the painted room, and the room with the tiles. Every room contains one or more tapestries with a picture of the house on it. Another curiosity is in the room with the tiles, a mosaic of a girl with the words "Here is Margaret, who died for love."
In part two, Carla's long-anticipated brother arrives with a friend. Paul, the Captain, Carla and Margaret pass time in various parts of the grounds. Margaret and Paul often separate from the other two, which seems to disturb Carla. One afternoon when Margaret and Paul are looking at the river they discuss the tower and Paul tells Margaret that there is an old lady, an Aunt or a Great Aunt or a Great-Great Aunt, that hides away in the tower because she hates the tapestries. Eventually Margaret ascends the tower and meets the old lady, whose name is also Margaret. The encounter goes strangely and Margaret leaves in a hurry.
In part three, the Montagues say farewell to their son by hosting a ball. The old lady shows up at the ball to see and reminisce with Paul. Margaret overhears part of a strange conversation between the two that implies they were young together even though now they appear to be quite different ages. After the ball, the Captain points out the many ways the house needs repair. The family immediately become defensive and the meal ends. After breakfast Margret and Paul are in the drawing room. Paul becomes defensive about the state of the house, then abruptly takes his leave of Margaret. The family then says goodbye to the Captain. It is at this point in the story that the reader realizes that the Captain is Carla's brother. The reader is left wondering what the relationship between Paul, Margaret and the elderly Margaret is.
Analysis
In terms of American Gothic writing, The Lovely House by Shirley Jackson define its work by the motif of the house. One of the most prominent themes is the characters obsession with the beauty of the house; most action in the story involves admiring different views of it.
Jackson uses various techniques to slowly reveal the ghost in her tale. The reader is led to believe that Paul is Carla's brother, but in the end it is clarified that the Captain is. The tower of the house is also described ambiguously: in the first two parts, it is a place someone might live but in the third part Mrs. Montague refers to it as "ruined." There are hints that the tower is to be understood as a symbol of Margaret: the innocent love-struck child becomes a decrepit old woman who died from love.
Once it is revealed that the Captain is the brother, the story takes on a new meaning with the supposition that Paul is a ghost. Carla's distress in part 2 makes sense if only Margaret sees Paul -- when Margaret wanders off with Paul Carla complains that Margaret is always wandering off by herself.
Main themes
When Carla's brother, the Captain, comes home, the family seems to the reader to be complete once again.
Carla is always saying that Margaret is acting odd; to the reader Margaret is just always with Paul but Paul is really nonexistent and Margaret just spends much time by herself.
The tower is old and ruined; this symbolizes Margaret's death and her never-dying love for Paul.