How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
No live organism can continue for love to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within […]. (1.1)
Right out of the gate, we get a sense that the portrayal of home won't be shiningly positive in this novel. Not only is the place isolated, it's also not even sane in the membrane—or whatever the domicile equivalent of the membrane is.
Quote #2
I would never have suspected it of myself, [Eleanor] thought, laughing still; everything is different, I am a new person, very far from home. (1.95)
The home limits Eleanor's identity and her ability to be herself. Unable to re-imagine herself in her home, she must escape its confines to try something new. Please note the irony that she's escaping to a new home.
Quote #3
"It's harder to burn down a house than you think," Luke said. (3.98)
Oh absolutely. First, you have to get the fire burning hot enough, and then there are the insurance companies to deal with, and—oh, maybe we were supposed to take this quote figuratively, not literally. Even then, it can be really hard to destroy your house, since it is your home, after all. Where else are you supposed to go?