The Wife Upstairs

Gothic novels gained popularity throughout the 18th and 19th centuries; they typically feature an atmosphere of mystery or suspense, a damsel in distress, the supernatural, visions or omens, and strong emotions. Throughout The Wife Upstairs, various characters refer to Gothic or Gothic-influenced novels. These allusions include those to Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, the text that inspired Hawkins’s novel and a work that itself borrows heavily from the Gothic tradition. Hawkins thus pays homage to Brontë’s text through her use of Gothic elements while also creating an atmosphere of mystery and suspense throughout the novel.

One of the more prominent Gothic tropes that Hawkins borrows is the presence of a mysterious, threatening, and powerful male character. Jane repeatedly hears thumping coming from the third floor of Eddie’s home. She jokes to Eddie, “I’m creeping around upstairs like I’m in a gothic novel or a bad horror movie” (301). She grows paranoid and begins to question Eddie’s role in the disappearance of his wife. Bea likewise compares Eddie’s actions to that of a villain within a gothic novel, saying he has “kept [her] locked away in this house like something out of a goddamn gothic novel while he seduce[s] the naïve young woman who walk[s] his dog” (423).