In Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, the protagonist’s first name is Eleanor. Eleanor Vance is a shy, isolated young woman who has spent years caring for her demanding, disabled mother.
After her mother’s death, Eleanor accepts Dr. John Montague’s invitation to investigate Hill House. She travels to the remote mansion with Theodora, a bohemian artist, and Luke Sanderson, the estate’s young heir. Montague hopes to document supernatural phenomena, but Eleanor becomes the person most psychologically and emotionally affected by the house.
Eleanor’s identity is central to the novel’s uncertainty. She experiences strange sounds, writing on the walls, apparent supernatural attacks, and other disturbances more intensely than the others. Jackson leaves open whether Hill House is genuinely haunted, whether Eleanor has latent telekinetic abilities, or whether her loneliness and imagination shape what she sees.
Published in 1959, the novel is a landmark of psychological horror. Eleanor is often confused with Theodora because both women are major guests, while Dr. Montague is the investigator rather than the protagonist. The Netflix series uses the name Eleanor “Nell” Crain, but that adaptation is distinct from Jackson’s novel.