Uncertain Language

When reading The Haunting of Hill House I found the speech of the characters to be interesting. It often resembled something one would find in a fairy tale, for example, when they give descriptions of themselves on page 44. It carried an unnatural pattern. One could say that the pattern is simply from another time period; however, I find it is intentionally worded to makes the readers feel off balance. As the story goes on one gets a better sense of each character and how they use their language. Eleanor is a perfect example. Her speech is generally weak and in most situations does not coincide with what she really thinks. She wants to belong no matter what. Each character has their own pattern and this creates a very subtle tension between the characters. This uncertainty in their speech and thought keeps the reader constantly analyzing; wondering whether the events taking place are pranks or real haunting activities. Being so uncertain can make someone feel uncomfortable and even scared.  If one considers the language pattern in The Fall of the House of Usher, while it is not the same, it definitely makes the mind run around to keep up. In the end it makes us uncertain of what is going on. The reader is left thinking whether the eerie events are the actions of an insane man, an ancestral curse, or something else all together.