Haunted by the Family: A Psychoanalytic Study of Natalie Waite in Shirley Jackson’s “Hangsaman”

Abstract

This dissertation offers a psychoanalytic reading of Natalie Waite, the protagonist of Shirley Jackson‘s The Hangsaman (1951), by examining the family as a central source of psychological trauma and haunting. Drawing primarily on Freudian and post-Freudian psychoanalytic concepts such as repression, the unconscious, the uncanny, and identity fragmentation, the study argues that Natalie‘s mental disintegration is not an isolated pathology but a direct outcome of dysfunctional family dynamics. The Waite household is presented as an oppressive psychological space marked by emotional neglect, intellectual domination, and symbolic violence, all of which contribute to Natalie‘s unstable sense of self. The dissertation further explores Natalie‘s divided psyche through the emergence of the double, interpreted as a manifestation of repressed fears and desires that surface in response to familial control. Although the college setting appears to offer Natalie an escape from her family, the analysis demonstrates that this space ultimately reproduces similar structures of authority and alienation, reinforcing rather than resolving her psychological conflict. By situating Natalie‘s madness within a broader psychoanalytic framework, this study reconsiders mental breakdown as a complex form of survival and resistance. Ultimately, the dissertation highlights how the family‘s haunting presence persists throughout the narrative, shaping Natalie‘s identity and preventing any definitive resolution of the self.