haunted house stories essay

A Haunted House Short Story Essay

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“A Haunted House” is a short story highlighting the experiences of a couple who bought a house only to experience the voices of ghosts, earlier owners of the house. Virginia Woolf carefully interplays an unconventional love story with a ghost story as they are murmuring, “Here we left it” (Woolf, 2013, p.3). The ghosts’ conversation reveals a couple looking for their treasure, love, and the author creatively lets the reader intermittently shift between conscious and subconscious moments to the very end of the story.

At times, the story does not sound like a ghostly narrative, but in some other instances, it does. Indeed, from a different viewpoint, “A Haunted House” is a visual illusion, which hugely demonstrates what it means to feel something beyond mere immediate comprehension – love. Although it does not have a clear beginning, middle, and end, the story’s plot takes the reader through subconscious dreaming and absolute consciousness. It is during the subconscious states that the narrators closely feel attuned to the imaginary ghosts. Woolf’s net of brilliance captures the slippery concepts, and the reader feels the ghosts are real, which makes the reader feel the imaginary murmurs.

Although “A Haunted House” is a short story, it has a prose-poem language, which gives it a rhythmical touch. For example, the narrator repeatedly says, “safe, safe, safe” (Woolf, 2013, p.4). The ghostly couple is so much in love, illustrated by how they move together, in the curtains, near the walls, and upstairs, holding hands, looking for their treasure. At times the coupe speaks in unison, and Woolf’s aim is to show the couple’s affection for one another. Additionally, they are looking for something they left here before, although the house has new, living occupants, indicating that they were here before.

In conclusion, a close analysis of the story rules out the possibility of it being either an unconventional love story or a conventional ghost story. Woolf creatively maintains the genre in between these two categories. Early on in the story, the reader feels the story would be explicitly scary. However, with time and the author’s poetic devices and experimental narrative style, the reader forgets about the expectation. Instead, the focus shifts to discerning what treasure they really are looking for. Thus, in “A Haunted House”, Virginia Woolf uses the ghost story pretext to write how important love is.

Woolf, V. (2013). A haunted house and other short stories (The original unabridged posthumous edition of 18 short stories) . e-artnow.

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A Night in a Haunted House: An Eerie Experience

Table of contents, the haunting atmosphere, unsettling encounters, confronting fear, a morning of reflection.

• Radford, B. (2014). The Science of Ghosts: Searching for Spirits of the Dead . Prometheus Books.
• McAndrew, F. T. (2016). Parsimonious Psychics and Psychological Profiling . Skeptical Inquirer, 40(6), 10-11.
• Braude, S. E. (2019). Thirteen Unpredictable Synchronicities: The Challenges of Studying an Evolving Phenomenon . Journal of Scientific Exploration, 33(4), 611-634.
• Houran, J. (2015). Assessing Haunted Places: A Review of Methods and Measures . Journal of Parapsychology, 79(2), 187-207.
• Carroll, R. T. (2003). The Skeptic's Dictionary: A Collection of Strange Beliefs, Amusing Deceptions, and Dangerous Delusions . John Wiley & Sons.

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“A Haunted House” by Virginia Woolf: A Critical Analysis

“A Haunted House” by Virginia Woolf, published in 1921 in Monday or Tuesday, revolutionized taditional ghost story writing and its elements.

Introduction: “A Haunted House” by Virginia Woolf

“A Haunted House” by Virginia Woolf, first published in 1921 as part of her debut short story collection Monday or Tuesday , revolutionized traditional ghost story writing. While eerie sounds like slamming doors and spectral footsteps abound, the haunting is unexpectedly gentle, driven by a poignant quest for lost love. This innovative approach, combined with Woolf’s signature evocative language, has cemented the story’s place in literature curriculums. It now serves as a powerful exploration of memory, the enduring presence of love, and the bittersweet pain of loss, resonating with readers to this day.

Main Events in “A Haunted House” by Virginia Woolf

Table of Contents

• Introduction to the Haunted House: The story begins with the description of a haunted house where a ghostly couple wanders hand in hand, searching for something.
• The Search Begins: The couple explores the house, checking various rooms and areas, indicating that they are searching for something they left behind.
• Discovery in the Drawing Room: Although the couple cannot be seen, their presence is felt as they move objects in the drawing room.
• Symbolism of Death and Treasure: The narrative delves into symbolism, suggesting death as a barrier between the living and the ghostly couple, who consider the buried treasure as their own.
• Environmental Description: The setting is described vividly, with the wind roaring, trees bending, and moonbeams splashing in the rain, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
• Memories of Joy: The ghostly couple reminisces about moments of joy and intimacy they shared in different parts of the house and garden.
• Close Encounter: The narrative shifts to a moment where the ghostly couple pauses near the sleeping inhabitants of the house, suggesting a tender and protective presence.
• Revelation: The couple reveals their presence to the sleeping inhabitants, lifting the lids of their eyes and proclaiming safety and joy.
• Final Reflection: The story concludes with the realization that the true treasure is the light in the heart, suggesting a deeper metaphorical meaning.
• Virginia Woolf and Context: Brief information about Virginia Woolf’s life and literary significance, providing background knowledge about the author.

Literary Devices in “A Haunted House” by Virginia Woolf

Characterization in “A Haunted House” by Virginia Woolf

Major characters:.

• Unnamed and anonymous
• Represent the eternal and universal nature of love
• Gentle, quiet, and peaceful
• Searching for their “treasure” (memories of their love)
• “Here we left it,” she said. And he added, “Oh, but here too!”
• “Kisses without number.”
• Represents the reader or an observer
• Curious and searching for meaning
• “What did I come in here for? What did I want to find?”
• “The light in the heart.”

Minor Characters:

• Personified as a living being
• Represents the couple’s love and memories
• “The pulse of the house beat softly.”
• “The heart of the house beats proudly.”
• Personified as a gentle and peaceful presence
• Represents the eternal and natural world
• “The trees spun darkness for a wandering beam of sun.”
• “Moonbeams splash and spill wildly in the rain.”

Characterization Techniques:

• Imagery: Woolf uses vivid and evocative language to create powerful images in the reader’s mind, such as “the wood pigeons bubbling with content” and “the hum of the threshing machine.”
• Symbolism: The house, doors, and treasure symbolize the couple’s love and memories, while the wind, trees, and moon represent the eternal and natural world.
• Personification: The house, doors, wind, and trees are personified to create a sense of living, breathing entities that embody the couple’s love and the natural world.
• Stream-of-consciousness: Woolf employs stream-of-consciousness narration to convey the narrator’s inner thoughts and feelings, creating a sense of intimacy and immediacy.

Major Themes in “A Haunted House” by Virginia Woolf

• Exploration of Memory and Time: Throughout “A Haunted House,” Woolf explores the fluidity of memory and the passage of time. The ghostly couple’s search for their hidden treasure serves as a metaphor for the way memories can be lost, rediscovered, and cherished over time. For example, they recall moments of joy spent together in different seasons, indicating the timeless nature of their love. Additionally, the shifting perspectives and fragmented narrative style reflect the nonlinear nature of memory, highlighting how experiences from the past continue to resonate in the present.
• Symbolism of Death and Transcendence: Death is depicted as a transformative force that transcends physical boundaries in the story. The presence of the ghostly couple, who have passed into the realm of the afterlife, suggests a continuation of existence beyond death. Symbolically, death acts as a barrier between the living and the dead, yet it also serves as a conduit through which the couple can interact with the living world. Their search for the buried treasure symbolizes the eternal quest for meaning and fulfillment that transcends mortal existence.
• Exploration of Love and Intimacy: Love and intimacy are central themes in “A Haunted House,” as evidenced by the tender interactions between the ghostly couple. Their affectionate gestures, such as holding hands and sharing kisses, convey a deep emotional bond that persists beyond death. The couple’s presence near the sleeping inhabitants of the house reflects a protective and nurturing love, suggesting that love has the power to transcend even the boundaries between the living and the dead. Through their actions and words, the ghostly couple affirm the enduring nature of love and its ability to bring comfort and joy.
• The Quest for Meaning and Fulfillment: The search for the buried treasure in “A Haunted House” symbolizes the human quest for meaning and fulfillment. The treasure represents something valuable and significant that is sought after by both the living and the dead. However, the ultimate revelation that the true treasure is the “light in the heart” suggests a deeper, more spiritual understanding of fulfillment. This realization highlights the importance of inner illumination and personal growth as the ultimate sources of meaning and contentment in life.

Writing Style in “A Haunted House” by Virginia Woolf

• Stream of Consciousness: The story unfolds through the narrator’s fragmented thoughts and memories, blurring the lines between reality and the ghostly. (e.g., “Whatever hour you woke there was a door shutting.”)
• Sensory Details: Vivid descriptions evoke a sense of place and atmosphere. (e.g., “…the wood pigeons bubbling with content and the hum of the threshing machine…” and “…Moonbeams splash and spill wildly in the rain…”)
• Symbolism: Objects and actions carry deeper meaning. (e.g., The closed windows represent death and separation, while the open doors symbolize the enduring presence of love.)
• Figurative Language: Metaphors and similes add depth and imagery. (e.g., “…spread about the floor, hung upon the walls, pendant from the ceiling—what?” and “…Death was the glass; death was between us…”)
• Repetition: Woolf uses repeated phrases like “Safe, safe, safe” and “Here we…” to create a rhythmic quality and emphasize key themes.

Literary Theories and Interpretation of “A Haunted House” by Virginia Woolf

Topics, Questions, and Thesis Statements about “A Haunted House” by Virginia Woolf

Short Questions/Answers about/on “A Haunted House” by Virginia Woolf

• Who are the true “haunters” and what is their purpose?
• The story doesn’t depict traditional ghostly figures. Instead, the “haunters” are the lingering memories of a couple who once lived in the house, evidenced by phrases like “Here we slept,” she says. And he adds, “Kisses without number” Their purpose seems to be revisiting moments of their shared happiness, with the sleeping narrator and their book as a connection to the present.
• How does the house itself function as a character?
• The house acts as a bridge between the past and present. The repeated heartbeat-like rhythm (“Safe, safe, safe” the pulse of the house beat softly) reflects the enduring presence of the couple’s love within its walls. Additionally, the house’s reactions like “spread about the floor, hung upon the walls” when the ghostly couple searches, suggest a sentience that acknowledges their presence.
• What is the significance of the shifting perspectives between the narrator and the ghostly couple?
• The story constantly switches between the narrator’s present experience and the memories of the past couple. This highlights the contrast between the solitude of the narrator (“My hands were empty”) and the vibrant love that once filled the house (“Here we left our treasure—” Stooping, their light lifts the lids upon my eyes.”). It also hints at the narrator’s potential connection to the past through the house’s memory.
• How does Virginia Woolf challenge the typical ghost story genre in “A Haunted House”?
• Instead of fear, the haunting evokes a sense of poignant longing. The “ghosts” aren’t malicious entities, but representations of enduring love that transcends death. Furthermore, the focus isn’t on the narrator being scared, but rather on the beauty of the couple’s past and the possibility of the house holding a connection to it. (“Oh, is this your buried treasure? The light in the heart.”)

Literary Works Similar to “A Haunted House” by Virginia Woolf

• “The Dead Woman” by Georges Rodenbach : This haunting tale explores themes of loss, memory, and the persistence of the past. Set in a decaying mansion, the story follows a protagonist who becomes obsessed with the memory of a deceased woman, blurring the boundaries between reality and illusion.
• “The Beckoning Fair One” by Oliver Onions : Onions’ story delves into psychological horror and the supernatural, following a writer who becomes increasingly entangled with a mysterious presence in his rented apartment. Like Woolf’s work, it explores themes of obsession, memory, and the uncanny.
• “ The Yellow Wallpaper ” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman : While fairly well-known, Gilman’s story is often overlooked in mainstream discussions. It follows a woman’s descent into madness as she becomes fixated on the wallpaper in her room. Like Woolf’s work, it delves into themes of confinement, mental illness, and the oppressive nature of patriarchal society.
• “The Enchanted Bluff” by Willa Cather : Cather’s story captures the magic and nostalgia of childhood through a tale told by a group of adults reminiscing about an enchanted bluff from their youth. Like Woolf’s writing, it explores the power of memory and the way it shapes our perception of the world.
• “The Repairer of Reputations” by Robert W. Chambers : Chambers’ story is part of his collection “The King in Yellow,” which inspired aspects of H.P. Lovecraft’s mythos. “The Repairer of Reputations” is a dark, atmospheric tale set in a dystopian future where the line between reality and delusion becomes increasingly blurred. Like Woolf’s work, it explores themes of madness, obsession, and the fragility of identity.

Suggested Readings about/on “A Haunted House” by Virginia Woolf

• Woolf, Virginia. A Haunted House: The Complete Shorter Fiction . Random House, 2003.
• Drewery, Claire. Modernist Short Fiction by Women: The Liminal in Katherine Mansfield, Dorothy Richardson, May Sinclair and Virginia Woolf . Routledge, 2016.
• Reynier, Christine. “ The short story according to Woolf.” Journal of the Short Story in English. Les Cahiers de la nouvelle 41 (2003): 55-67.
• Reynier, Christine. “Virginia Woolf’s Ethics of the Short Story.” Études anglaises 60.1 (2007): 55-65.
• Hafley, James. “On One of Virginia Woolf’s Short Stories.” Modern Fiction Studies 2.1 (1956): 13-16.
• Goldman, Jane. “The feminist criticism of Virginia Woolf.” A History of Feminist Literary Criticism (2007): 66-84.

Representative Quotations from “A Haunted House” by Virginia Woolf

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Home › British Literature › Analysis of Virginia Woolf’s A Haunted House

Analysis of Virginia Woolf’s A Haunted House

By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on September 21, 2022

In 1921 Virginia Woolf published her first collection of short stories, titled Monday or Tuesday , which included “A Haunted House” as the opening piece. Although she continued to publish short fiction, this proved to be the only collection of such work published in her lifetime. Leonard Woolf, her husband, later chose the story for inclusion in the posthumous A Haunted House and Other Stories (1944).

Just 10 paragraphs long, “A Haunted House” depicts an unnamed, ungendered character who perceives (or perhaps dreams) that a loving but long-deceased couple haunts the country house he or she inhabits. Centuries ago, a woman died there, and her lover left for faraway lands, returning only in death. Reunited, the pair now wander around the rooms and the surrounding gardens, reminiscing to each other about the past, searching for “their joy.” This search disturbs the contemporary couple currently in residence: As they try to sleep or read, they sense movement—doors opening and shutting, the ghosts walking, the house beating as if it were a human heart.

Formally, the story resembles a prose poem more than a traditional narrative. Several repeated lines (“safe, safe, safe”) act as refrains, and repeated phrases (“treasure buried”) serve as poetic conceits, or unifying metaphors. The structure also prefigures the stream-of-consciousness style and seamless use of multiple points of view that Woolf perfected in novels like Mrs. Dalloway (1925) and The Waves (1931). As in these other texts, here she creates a collage of bits of dialogue, forcing the reader to unravel the identity of each speaker or pronoun. Sometimes the ghosts speak to each other; sometimes they speak to the inhabitants of the house. Likewise, sometimes the couple speaks to each other; sometimes they speak to the ghosts; sometimes they speak directly to the reader.

George Charles Beresford

The action, however, occurs not in the plot but in the thematic amalgamation. Concerns more fully explored in later Woolf works, including sensual perceptions of the natural world, the relationships between individuals, and a preoccupation with mortality, gestate in “A Haunted House.” Our inability to decide conclusively whether the narrator imagines, dreams, or actually witnesses any supernatural phenomenon echoes The Turn of the Screw (1897), a novella by Henry James in which an interpretation of the story hinges on an evaluation of the protagonist’s sanity and trustworthiness. Like James, Woolf reacts against the constricting social mores of Victorian society: In contrast to the repressive atmosphere of late 19th-century England, an exuberant sexuality infuses this story, from its descriptions of light altering the colors of apples, leaves, and roses, traditional symbols of carnal love and knowledge, to the ghosts’ recollections of their “kisses without number.”

These traces of romantic pleasure may stem from the house’s real-life inspiration—Asheham, an estate in Sussex rented by Woolf and her sister in 1911. Virginia and Leonard courted along its grounds, and they spent their first night as a married couple beneath its roof. But Asheham itself iterates Talland House, where Woolf summered happily as a child and to which she imaginatively returns throughout her oeuvre (Lee, 25). However, an unease permeates the story, reminding us that the house is, after all, haunted.

“A Haunted House” concludes with the narrator waking in the night, frantic, crying out. Indeed, Woolf rented Asheham after her doctors advised her to leave London to recuperate from a mental breakdown, and the story might therefore be read as a portrayal of someone suffering from psychological torment. Published just two years after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I, the story also reflects a very real loss: Close to 3 million soldiers suffered casualties, almost 1 million fatally, during the socalled Great War. A whole generation of European men and women lay buried, and their ephemeral sacrifice haunted the country.

Analysis of Virginia Woolf’s Stories

Analysis of Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw

Analysis of Virginia Woolf’s Novels

BIBLIOGRAPHY Benzel, Kathryn N., and Ruth Hoberman. Trespassing Boundaries: Virginia Woolf’s Short Fiction. New York: Palgrave, Macmillan, 2004. Lee, Hermione. Virginia Woolf. London: Vintage, 1999. Woolf Virginia. “A Haunted House.” In Monday or Tuesday: Eight Stories. 1921. Reprint, New York: Dover, 1997.

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Essay on A Haunted House

Students are often asked to write an essay on A Haunted House in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on A Haunted House

What is a haunted house.

A haunted house is a place where ghosts or spirits are believed to live. These houses often have a scary and eerie feeling. People say they hear strange sounds, see odd things, or feel a spooky presence in these houses. These experiences make them believe that the house is haunted.

Stories about Haunted Houses

Many stories are told about haunted houses. Some are from books or movies, while others are shared by people who claim to have experienced it. These stories often involve ghosts, strange noises, moving objects, and other unexplained events.

Why are Houses Said to be Haunted?

Houses are said to be haunted for many reasons. Sometimes, it’s because something sad or scary happened there, like a death or a crime. Other times, it’s because the house is old and makes strange sounds. People’s imaginations can make them think a house is haunted.

Visiting a Haunted House

Visiting a haunted house can be scary but exciting. Some people do it for fun, especially during Halloween. Others do it to try and see if ghosts are real. But remember, it’s always important to respect others’ property and feelings.

250 Words Essay on A Haunted House

Appearance of a haunted house.

Haunted houses often look old and empty. They may have broken windows, an old rusty gate, and a garden full of dead plants. At night, these houses might seem even scarier with the moonlight casting long, dark shadows.

There are many stories about haunted houses. Some people say they have heard strange sounds, like footsteps or whispers. Others tell of doors opening and closing on their own. Some even claim to have seen ghosts!

Haunted Houses in Movies

Haunted houses are popular in movies and TV shows. They make the story exciting and scary. The characters in these stories often have to face their fears and find out the truth about the ghosts.

Visiting a haunted house can be a fun adventure, especially during Halloween. Some people like the thrill of being scared. But remember, it’s all just for fun. Ghosts and haunted houses are more a part of stories and our imagination than real life.

In the end, haunted houses are interesting because of the mystery they hold. They make us wonder about what might be living beyond what we can see. But it’s always important to remember that it’s just a story, and there’s no need to be too scared.

500 Words Essay on A Haunted House

The idea of a haunted house.

Haunted houses often look scary from the outside. They are usually old and in bad condition. The paint might be peeling off and the windows might be broken. The gardens around the house are often overgrown and unkempt. This creates a feeling of fear and unease. At night, these houses can look even more frightening because of the dark shadows and strange noises.

Inside a Haunted House

Inside a haunted house, things can be even more eerie. The rooms are often dark and filled with old, dusty furniture. Cobwebs hang from the corners and the air is heavy and cold. Some people say they can feel the presence of spirits when they enter these rooms. Strange things can happen in a haunted house. Objects might move on their own or doors might slam shut. People have also reported hearing strange noises like whispers or footsteps when no one else is around.

Stories About Haunted Houses

Visiting a haunted house can be a thrilling experience. Some people go to haunted houses for fun, especially around Halloween. There are also professional ghost hunters who visit haunted houses to try and capture evidence of the paranormal. They use special tools like voice recorders and cameras to try and capture the spirits on tape.

Haunted houses are a part of many cultures around the world. They are a source of fear, curiosity, and excitement. Whether or not you believe in ghosts, the idea of a haunted house can still give you a chill. It’s a reminder of the mystery and unknown that still exists in our world.

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

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A Haunted House

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Summary: “a haunted house”.

British author Virginia Woolf’s “A Haunted House” was first published in Monday or Tuesday (1921), a short story collection. The story also gives its title to a collection of her short stories curated by her husband, Leonard Woolf, after her death in 1941. It is both a ghost story and an impressionistic exploration of subjectivity and perspective and blurs the boundaries of classical ghost story telling. This is a procedure common in modernist writing: subverting classical, canonical modes of storytelling by creating uncertainty about what the story is really about or the identity of the narrator or characters.

This guide refers to the version of the text in A Haunted House and Other Stories , published by Mariner Books in 2002, which follows the text of the first edition, published in 1921 in the volume Monday or Tuesday .

The narrator describes a “ghostly couple” enacting events inside a house that are typical of ghost stories: a “door shutting” and another “opening” (3). The couple is identified as a man and a woman looking for something they have left behind some time ago, probably when they were alive. They identify the item only as “it.” They search the house and are careful to be quiet so as not to wake the people who live there.

However, the narrator, who lives in the house, is already awake and alert to the sounds of the ghosts. The narrator is awake reading, making annotations in the margin of their book. They get up to go and seek out the sounds themselves, but they find an empty house and can only hear pigeons and the sounds of a farm outside. The narrator is unsure what they are looking for and also begins to meander through the house, from the garden to the loft, like the ghosts.

The couple takes turns in trying to guess where “it” is. After some conjecturing, the couple enters the drawing-room of the house. It is a gloomy place with “window panes [that] reflected the roses; all leaves were green on the glass” (3). Finally, they find “it” in the drawing-room. However, the narrator enters the drawing room and once again sees nothing and hears the sounds of the garden outside. The house seems to whisper to the couple, “Safe, safe, safe” (4), with a sound that imitates a heartbeat. The house then whispers again to the couple about some type of treasure, and the couple supposes that this treasure might be buried in the garden.

At this point, the story changes the space from inside the house to the gardens outside. Just like the ambience inside the house, the gardens are also gloomy, although there is sunlight shining over them. The trees cast a shadow over the gardens, stooping “darkness for a wandering beam of the sun” (4). Feeling the presence of the ghostly couple in the gardens, the narrator feels the presence of death among them. The narrator says that the woman—the female ghost—had died “hundreds of years ago” before her husband (4). The narrator reveals that after his wife died, the man (now the male ghost) left his house and set about travelling the world. After this period, the husband returned to the house in the southern part of England. The house whispers and pulses again, repeating the phrase from before, “safe, safe, safe” (4); however, this time, the house is glad.

The story switches to nighttime. The sunlit gardens, although filtered by the trees, change to a nightly environment, windy and rainy. The setting then changes to inside the house again: “Moonbeams splash and spill wildly in the rain. But the beam of the lamp falls straight from the windows. The candle burns still and still” (4). The ghostly couple continues to wander through the house. The narrator listens to the movement of the ghosts and understands what they intend to do: “whispering not to wake us, the ghostly couple seek their joy” (4). The treasure the ghostly couple seeks is something that may give them peace and joy. However, the narrator still does not know what the treasure might be.

The ghostly couple reminisces about the happy time that they spent in the house, kissing and enjoying the garden in all seasons. They come near the door of the bedroom where the narrator lies half asleep and half awake. The couple enters the room; the male ghost looks at a couple sleeping on the bed—the narrator and another unknown person designated only by the word “us.” The male ghost identifies that the couple sleeping are in love: “‘Look,’ he breathes. ‘Sound asleep. Love upon their lips’” (4).

The ghostly couple stands above the sleeping couple and watches them sleep for a long time. The environment changes again; the wind outside faces their direction and the moonbeams shine on the floor and seem to traverse the walls. The narrator focuses on the face of the ghosts as they search for the treasure they left behind.

The final paragraph of the story begins with the phrase repeated by the house, “safe, safe, safe” (5). This time, the pulse that the house emits is proud, as if it guarded the couple sleeping peacefully. The ghosts talk to each other and indicate that they have found the sought-after treasure they have been seeking for a long time. “Again you found me” (5), the male ghost says. The female ghost agrees and recalls the places where the male ghost has been: the drawing-room and the gardens. The ghosts then bend over the sleeping narrator and the light they now carry wakes up the narrator. Again they hear the pulse of the house beating loud, “Safe! Safe! Safe!” (5), now with exclamation points indicating a sudden change of mood of the house. After crying out, the narrator finally understands what the treasure that the ghostly couple has been seeking is: “The light in the heart” (5).

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Mortality & Death

A Summary and Analysis of Virginia Woolf’s ‘A Haunted House’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘A Haunted House’, by Virginia Woolf, both is and is not a ghost story. In less than two pages of prose, Woolf explores, summons, and subverts the conventions of the ghost story, offering a modernist take on the genre. ‘A Haunted House’, which first appeared in Woolf’s 1921 short-story collection Monday or Tuesday , can be read here .

‘A Haunted House’ is at once easy and difficult to summarise; how we analyse the story depends on which aspects we emphasise. In summary, the narrator describes the house where she and her partner live. Whenever you wake in the house, you hear noises: a door shutting, and the sound of a ‘ghostly couple’ wandering from room to room in the house. The narrator (whom we can assume, tentatively, is female) claims to be able to hear this ghostly couple talking to each other. It’s clear they’re looking for something:

‘Here we left it,’ she said. And he added, ‘Oh, but here too!’ ‘It’s upstairs,’ she murmured. ‘And in the garden,’ he whispered. ‘Quietly,’ they said, ‘or we shall wake them.’

Next, the narrator describes reading a book outside while hearing the ghostly couple, in the background, hunting for this mysterious thing around the house. But as soon as she drops the book and goes to look for them, there is no sign of the ghostly pair – just the sound of the wood pigeons and the threshing machine.

The narrator confides that you could never see the ghosts, just reflections of apples and leaves in the sunlit windows. The house itself seems to be speaking, saying something about buried treasure. The light is fading, and the rooms are darkened. The narrator imagines the male ghost leaving the female one behind for some reason. It is now night-time, and the ghostly coupling continue to ‘seek their joy’. They appear to reminisce over the bed (where the living, present-day couple now sleep) where they once slept, centuries ago.

The narrator then imagines the ghostly couple standing over her as she sleeps, and, holding a lamp over the bed of the living couple, the ghosts pause, still seeking ‘their hidden joy’. Then, the narrator wakes up and feels that she has solved the mystery, and now understands what this ‘buried treasure’ is what the ghostly couple have been seeking: ‘the light in the heart’.

‘A Haunted House’ seems to be Woolf’s attempt to convey the feeling of sensing something just on the edge of hearing or sight: something you cannot see head-on but which you sense in the house with you, just on the periphery of your vision. We can probably all relate to the experience of being alone in a house and feeling that every creak, every hum, every far-off sound betokens something – a ghost, or an intruder, for instance.

Woolf’s story seeks to encapsulate that experience. That title, ‘A Haunted House’, is ripe with potential irony. And it is only ‘potential’ – for all we know, there may have been a ghostly couple in the house with the story’s narrator.

But it’s suggestive that the narrator seems most attuned to the presence of the ‘ghosts’ when she’s in states of semi-consciousness or her mind is somewhere else: just waking up, or engrossed in a book, for instance. Consider the very first sentence of the story: ‘Whatever hour you woke there was a door shutting.’

Three things suggest themselves here, at least. First, the use of the second-person pronoun ‘you’ attempts to involve us in the narrator’s experiences, as if to suggest that we have all felt something similar to this, things on the margins of our conscious experience. Second, the fact that she begins by talking about just waking from sleep – something that will come again at the end of the story – suggests waking from a dream.

Third, the fact that she mentions waking at any hour is indicative of someone who might fall asleep at any moment – someone who daydreams in the most literal sense, falling asleep during daytime, and therefore (arguably) more prone to confusing dreams with reality.

‘A Haunted House’ might be described as a short story – and, in one way, as a ghost story – but its language is almost that of a prose-poem. The rhythmical prose beats like a heart with the repeated refrain: ‘“Safe, safe, safe,” the pulse of the house beat softly.’ This mantra reappears later, with ‘softly’ changed to ‘gladly’, and then again in the final paragraph as the couple are reunited, with the adverb changed to ‘proudly’ and ‘pulse’ upped to ‘heart’ – and, suggestively, the tense shifted from past to present, as ‘beat’ morphs into ‘beats’:

‘Safe, safe, safe,’ the heart of the house beats proudly. ‘Long years—’ he sighs. ‘Again you found me.’ ‘Here,’ she murmurs, ‘sleeping; in the garden reading; laughing, rolling apples in the loft. Here we left our treasure—’ Stooping, their light lifts the lids upon my eyes. ‘Safe! safe! safe!’ the pulse of the house beats wildly. Waking, I cry ‘Oh, is this your buried treasure? The light in the heart.’

Was it all a dream? The pulsing sound that beats through the prose in its almost poetic rhythms could almost suggest the quickening heartbeat of the narrator as s/he awakes. The accumulation of active present participles, of ‘sleeping’, ‘reading’, ‘laughing’, ‘rolling’, and ‘stooping’, only intensifies the here-and-now of the moment being crystallised in prose.

That final phrase, ‘The light in the heart’, looks back to the use of both ‘heart’ and ‘light’ earlier in the same paragraph. Woolf’s ‘story’ positions itself neatly between dream-vision and ghost story, reinventing both using the new style of modernism and that movement’s interest in shifting tense and perspective. As with much modernist fiction, perception, rather than objective reality, is foregrounded.

In an essay on Henry James’s ghost stories, published in 1921 – the same year as ‘A Haunted House’ – Virginia Woolf called for new writers to find fresh and original ways of arousing fear and terror in readers of ghost stories:

To admit that the supernatural was used for the last time by Mrs. Radcliffe and that modern nerves are immune from the wonder and terror which ghosts have always inspired would be to throw up the sponge too easily. If the old methods are obsolete, it is the business of a writer to discover new ones. The public can feel again what it has once felt—there can be no doubt about that; only from time to time the point of attack must be changed.

Woolf sought to do this with ‘A Haunted House’, a story which is both a ghost story and a riposte to, or analysis of, the conventional ghostly tale. But, given that final phrase, ‘The light in the heart’, it is also a love story, and – given its relative plotlessness, its brevity, and its prose-poetry style – barely a ‘story’ at all.

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4 thoughts on “A Summary and Analysis of Virginia Woolf’s ‘A Haunted House’”

I hadn’t read this before and thought when it started that it was going to be the narrator herself taking on a male and female persona and looking for love. Because it seems like to me if she only hears them when she wakes or when she’s reading that they only exist in her mind and not in “reality.”

Reblogged this on Greek Canadian Literature .

Oh, this is definitely going on my TBR list. Thanks! I wonder that she suggests Radcliffe, rather than Poe, as the last “supernatural” horror writer, though. I suppose didn’t much go in for ghosts, per se, but it still seems an odd oversight.

I loved this story. I discovered it last year and read it several times, then featured it on my blog as well. I had never read a ghostly story like this before and it truly stands out. One of the lines that has remained with me was ‘Death was the glass; death was between us …’ Love the brevity of the story too—kind of like being given a private glance into the other side of reality.

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5 Haunted House Stories That Will Make You Scream

There are jump scares, tragic tales, and even real estate angst..

Haunted houses are so popular that selling a home that is reported to have paranormal activity isn’t all that hard. As author Dan Nosowitz writes, “sometimes a haunting can be a turn-off, but it all depends on the market and, well, the ghosts.” In other words, not all haunted spaces are the same. Take a tour through the troubling histories and fraught futures of some of the world’s scariest places in these Atlas Obscura stories.

Planning on Selling Your Ghost-Ridden Home?

Depending on your state, you may not have to mention the spirits that lurk around..

The real estate market has rules and regulations for how to deal with homes that have been damaged by natural disasters or have been sites of burglaries, suicides, and murders . When it comes to ghosts, disclosure laws tend to be a bit different.

The Staten Island House with a Dubious Past

A suicide, a fire, and a murder..

For 21 years, this historic, “cursed” home has been mostly empty, but the stories of its past continue to haunt it. Atlas Obscura podcast host Dylan Thuras talked with its current owner as he was trying to turn it into an elderly retirement home with no success. It seems that the mansion continues to cause trouble for those who dream of giving it a new life.

Would You Work as An Actor at a Supposedly Haunted Prison?

This writer and comedian did just that..

In 2012, comedian and writer Shannon Brown worked as a monster at the Terror Behind the Walls haunted house inside the long-closed Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. As she spent her time “dropping dozens of bodies,” Brown reflected on what it was like working at a former prison where reports of paranormal activity date back to the 1940s.

Lighthouses Carry Tragic and Unexplainable Tales, Too

These towers do more than just light the way for the living at sea..

Lighthouses, despite their roles as guiding signs of hope, are often haunted by dark stories and mysteries. From drownings to gruesome murders , the grueling aspects of working and living at a lighthouse can take a toll.

If You Love Creepy Mansions, This One Might Be For You

Satan is said to have attended a game of cards at this irish home..

Loftus Hall, a 12th-century Irish mansion went on sale in 2020 for a generous price of $2.87 million. The price is the least interesting part of this gigantic home, however: stories of ghosts, knights, colonialism, and being stood up by Queen Victoria are the real appeal.

Podcast: Brown Dog Statue

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Home — Essay Samples — Geography & Travel — Haunted House — Descriptive Paper On A Haunted House

Descriptive Paper on a Haunted House

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Blogs / Crime, Horror, and Thriller / 50 Horror Story Ideas and Scary Writing Prompts

Craft the Perfect Crime

50 horror story ideas and scary writing prompts.

Feeling brave? Well, step right up to the literary house of horrors. We’ve got a smorgasbord of terror just waiting to tickle your dark fancy. 

Fifty fear-inducing prompts are lurking in the shadows, ready to jumpstart your next nightmare-on-paper. From whisper-quiet creeps to full-blown bloodbaths, we’ve got it all. So grab your favorite writing weapon, find a nice dark corner, and let’s dance with the devil, shall we? 

Fair warning: side effects may include insomnia, paranoia, and an irresistible urge to check under the bed. Enter at your own risk, and remember—in here, the monsters are all in your head.

Or are they?

Horror Writing Prompts

Horror goes for the jugular. It’s visceral, often graphic, and aims to shock and disturb. Think buckets of blood, unspeakable monsters, and that feeling in your gut that says, “I shouldn’t be watching this, but I can’t look away.”

These stories often involve supernatural elements like ghosts, monsters, or dark forces, but they can also be about more human dangers, like serial killers. Think of classic slasher movies or haunted house tales where something goes bump in the night, and you can’t help but peek around the corner in suspense.

Ready for some horror writing prompts? Here’s a list that’ll make your skin crawl and your imagination run wild:

• A young woman buys an antique mirror at a flea market. She soon notices that her reflection doesn’t always mimic her movements. Sometimes, it seems to be trying to communicate—or even step out of the glass.
• Every time you kill a spider in your new house, two more appear. Your walls are starting to move…
• You’re a sleep researcher studying night terrors. Your newest patient’s dreams start invading your own sleep.
• A group of friends rents an Airbnb for a weekend getaway, but the basement door is padlocked with warnings not to enter. Strange noises and voices come from below, and one by one, the friends start vanishing after midnight.
• A suburban book club unwittingly summons an ancient evil when they read passages aloud from a mysterious leather-bound tome.
• A child’s drawing of a “new friend” bears an uncanny resemblance to a figure from local folklore associated with missing children.
• After a strange meteor shower, people’s reflections start acting independently—and violently.
• You’re on a solo hike when you stumble upon a hidden village. As you explore, you realize none of the inhabitants cast shadows.
• A true crime podcaster moves into a house to investigate an old murder. The house seems to be “helping” with the investigation.
• Every night, you wake up with new, intricate scars. They’re slowly forming a map—but to where?

There ya go, a smorgasbord of spooky scenarios to sink your teeth into. Any of these tickle your terror bone? Or should we keep fishing in the lake of nightmare fuel?

Scary Story Ideas

Scary is horror’s slightly tamer cousin. They’re designed to make you feel frightened, but not always in a deep, emotional way. They might be about anything from a jump scare to a creepy situation that gives you the shivers. Scary stories can be quick and to the point, like a campfire tale meant to spook you for a moment rather than leave a lasting sense of dread.

In scary stories, it’s all about that build-up of dread and those jump-out-of-your-skin moments. Scary stories are the ones that make you want to pull the covers over your head but leave one eye peeking out.

Let’s dial it back a notch and cook up some scary stories that’ll give you the heebie-jeebies without sending you into therapy. Here’s a fresh batch of fright-lite for your campfire chronicles:

• You’re home alone and your dog keeps barking at the closet. When you open it, there’s nothing there. Then you notice tiny, wet footprints leading under the bed.
• A babysitter keeps getting prank calls asking if she’s checked on the children. Plot twist: she’s not babysitting tonight.
• Your GPS insists on rerouting you down increasingly deserted roads. The voice starts to sound… hungry.
• Every night, the last person to leave work hears a child giggling in the empty office. Tonight, you’re working late.
• You wake up to dozens of missed calls from Mom. The voicemails are just static and distant screaming.
• That creepy doll your aunt gave you keeps showing up in different rooms, no matter where you hide it.
• On a dare, you say “Bloody Mary” three times in the mirror. Nothing happens—until you go to bed and see her reflection behind you.
• Your new smart home device has started locking doors on its own and whispering your name at night.
• During a power outage, you see a face pressed against your window. You live on the 20th floor.
• You’re scrolling through your phone’s camera roll and find photos you don’t remember taking – of yourself sleeping.

There you have it—ten tales to tingle your spine without melting your brain. These are like horror’s gateway drug—just scary enough to get your heart racing, but not so terrifying you’ll need to sleep with the lights on… probably. 

Shall we creep on to the next stop on our fear tour?

Spooky Writing Prompts

Spooky stories are more about atmosphere than outright terror, relying on eerie vibes and things that go bump in the night. They’re like walking through a foggy graveyard at night—chilling, mysterious, and maybe a little eerie, but not necessarily terrifying. 

Spooky tales often have a ghostly or magical element to them and are more likely to give you goosebumps than nightmares. Think of Halloween stories with witches, ghosts, or things that go “bump” in the night but don’t actually harm anyone.

Here are ten spooky writing prompts, focusing on atmosphere, mystery, and eerie chills:

• The local cemetery has a gravestone that changes inscriptions. Tonight, it bears your name.
• On Halloween night, you explore an abandoned mansion and hear childlike laughter in the empty halls.
• Every night at midnight, a candle lights up in a vacant house. When you step inside, the candle goes out.
• You find an old photo album, and a blurry figure appears in each picture, getting closer with every shot.
• You take a shortcut through a forest and hear soft voices all around you, whispering secrets.
• An old music box in the attic of your new house plays by itself on full moon nights. The melody sounds… familiar.
• Footsteps echo outside your window at 3 a.m., but there are no footprints and no sign of anyone.
• In a deserted town, your car breaks down, and a shop sign reads, “Closed Until They Return.”
• A shadow on your wall doesn’t match anything in your room and slowly starts to move.
• The paintings in your house subtly change whenever you’re not looking directly at them.

So, feeling sufficiently spooked? Or should we keep channeling the spirits of storytelling past for more ethereal inspiration? Maybe it’s time to turn up the heat and dive into those psychological horrors that’ll really mess with your melon. 

Psychological Horror Story Ideas

Psychological Horror is like the quiet one in the corner who’s actually the most disturbing of them all. This is where things get deep. This bad boy gets inside your head, making you question reality, sanity, and whether that shadow in the corner just moved. 

Instead of relying on gore or monsters, psychological horror stories focus on mental fear—paranoia, anxiety, and confusion. The real horror is often what’s happening inside the characters’ heads. You’re left wondering what’s real and what isn’t, which can make it even scarier. 

These stories often explore themes of madness, obsession, and the fragility of the human mind, leaving you unsettled long after you’ve finished the story.

Ready to have your brain turned inside out?

• You start noticing small inconsistencies in your daily life—objects slightly out of place, conversations you don’t remember having. Is your memory failing, or is someone gaslighting you?
• Every night, you dream you’re someone else. Every morning, you wake up with new memories that aren’t yours. Which life is real?
• You discover your childhood imaginary friend was real—and they’re back, demanding payback for being “abandoned.”
• A mysterious app appears on your phone. It shows predictions of future events that always come true… then it starts showing your death.
• You wake up in what seems to be your normal life, but everyone insists you’ve been in a coma for years. Which reality do you trust?
• Your therapist has been secretly recording your sessions and selling them as a hit podcast. But the stories aren’t yours—they’re much, much worse.
• Every time you pass a specific stranger on the street, they smile at you knowingly, as if they’ve been watching you for years.
• Every time you fall asleep, you wake up in a different person’s body. You’re starting to forget who you really are.
• You realize your whole life has been a scripted TV show, but only you know it. How do you escape when everyone else is an actor?
• Your reflection starts giving you advice. It’s helpful at first, but its suggestions become increasingly disturbing and violent.

So, feeling a little unmoored from reality yet? Maybe checking over your shoulder to make sure your reflection isn’t watching you? Good—that means we’re on the right track. 

Remember, in psychological horror, the real monster is usually… you. Sweet dreams!

Short Horror Story Ideas

Alright, let’s cut to the chase and serve up some bite-sized terror. Short horror stories are like jump scares in text form—they hit you fast, leave you breathless, and stick with you long after you’ve finished reading. These puppies are perfect for those nights when you want a quick fright without committing to a full-blown horror novel.

Think of these as the horror equivalent of a shot of espresso: small, potent, and guaranteed to keep you up at night. Ready to dance with the devil in the pale moonlight? Let’s go:

• The last person on Earth sits alone in a room. There’s a knock at the door.
• You receive a text: “I’m outside your house.” It’s from your own number.
• Every night, the same nightmare. Every morning, a new unexplained scar.
• A mysterious Polaroid appears under your pillow each morning, showing you sleeping.
• You’re home alone. Alexa says, “I’ve called the police. Get out now.”
• The face in the window isn’t your reflection. It’s smiling.
• Your pet cat brings you a “gift.” It’s your missing wedding ring.
• A ouija board spells out your name. You’re alone in the room.
• The family portrait on the wall has changed. You’re no longer in it.
• A child’s laughter echoes from the basement. You don’t have kids.

These little nightmares are like potato chips; bet you can’t write just one. They’re short, sharp shocks to the system that’ll leave your readers checking under the bed and side-eyeing their mirrors.

Tips For Using Horror Story Starters

Are you getting into the spirit of things yet? You’ve got the seeds of terror in your hot little hands, but how do you nurture them into a forest of fear? Then let’s talk about how to take these creepy kernels and grow them into full-blown nightmares. Here’s the down-and-dirty guide to turning prompts into pulse-pounding horror stories:

• Embrace the “What if?” game. Take that starter and run with it. What if the creepy doll could talk? What if the ghost was actually trying to warn you? Let your imagination off the leash and see where it leads you.
• Know your scare style. Are you going for subtle creeps or full-on gore? Psychological mind-bends or supernatural spooks? Tailor the prompt to fit your preferred flavor of fear.
• Build the atmosphere. Horror is all about mood, baby. Use all five senses to drag your readers into your terrifying world. Make them smell the musty air, feel the clammy touch on their skin.
• Develop your characters. Even in horror, we need someone to root for (or against). Give your characters depth—it makes their inevitable doom all the more delicious.
• Decide: Are you going for a slow burn or a fast fright? Decide on your pacing. Some stories are best as a slow creep of dread, others as a rollercoaster of terror. Choose your tempo and stick to it.
• Twist it up. Nothing beats a good plot twist in horror. Take the expected and flip it on its head. Make your readers gasp – then scream.
• Remember, less is more. Sometimes, what you don’t show is scarier than what you do. Leave some things to the imagination—it’s usually darker than anything you could describe.
• End with a bang (or a whimper). Your ending can make or break your story. Go for the gut-punch finale or the lingering sense of unease. Just make sure it packs a punch.
• Read it out loud. Seriously. Nothing exposes weak spots in your terror tale like hearing it. If you’re not creeping yourself out, back to the drawing board.
• Have fun, you sicko. Remember, you’re here to entertain—yourself included. If you’re not having a blast conjuring up these creepy scenarios, neither will your readers.

Now, armed with these tips and those prompts, you’re ready to unleash holy horror. Just remember: with great power comes great responsibility. Try not to traumatize your readers too much, okay? 

On second thought, go ahead and traumatize ’em. That’s what they’re here for, right?

Ryan Routh was camped out for 12 hours and didn't have Trump in his line of sight when Secret Service fired at him

The man arrested in connection with an apparent attempt to assassinate Donald Trump is a former supporter who turned against the former president in part for foreign policy reasons and later traveled to Ukraine , where he made an ill-fated attempt to raise a volunteer force to fight the Russians.

The revelations about Ryan Wesley Routh emerged Monday, a day after a Secret Service agent rousted him from a hiding place at the West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course where Trump had been playing. Sheriff’s deputies later took him into custody.

Routh, it was revealed in court papers, had been camped out in a wooded area with a loaded SKS-style rifle near the course for 12 hours before he was spotted, raising new questions about whether the Secret Service was doing enough to protect a politician who had already survived one assassination attempt.

Trump was on the fifth fairway and not in Routh’s line of sight when the agent “engaged” the suspect, said Ronald Rowe, acting director of the Secret Service. Routh also never fired his weapon.

But Routh, 58, was equipped to kill, the criminal complaint said. 

In addition to a digital camera and two bags, investigators found a loaded SKS-style 7.62x39 caliber rifle with a scope that had an “obliterated” serial number and a black plastic bag containing food likely to sustain Routh while he waited in the wooded area.

Routh was arraigned Monday at the Paul G. Rogers Federal Court House in West Palm Beach on charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

The FBI has confirmed it is investigating “an apparent attempted assassination” of Trump on Sunday, but so far Routh has not been charged with trying to kill him.

Body camera video released by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office shows Routh wearing sunglasses and a pink T-shirt pulled over his head, exposing his midsection. He had been told to pull his shirt up to show he had no concealed weapons, Martin County Sheriff William Snyder told NBC News. He was arrested without incident.

The next day, Routh appeared unruffled, dressed in prison scrubs during his brief court appearance. He said he has a 25-year-old son, and he told the judge he has no money but owns two trucks in Hawaii, where he now lives, that are worth about $1,000 each.Represented by a public defender, Routh was given a Sept. 23 return court date and was then sent back to jail.

There was no discussion of a possible motive. In a self-published book, Routh said he voted for Trump in 2016 and came to regret it after Trump made what he called a “tremendous blunder” in 2018 and withdrew the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal.

“I must take part of the blame,” he wrote in “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War: The Fatal Flaw of Democracy, World Abandonment and the Global Citizen-Taiwan, Afghanistan, North Korea and the end of Humanity,” which was published last year. He added that Trump “ended up being brainless, but I am man enough to say that I misjudged and made a terrible mistake and Iran I apologize.” 

“You are free to assassinate Trump as well as me for that error in judgement and the dismantling of the deal,” Routh wrote.

Then he added, “No one here in the U.S. seems to have the balls to put natural selection to work or even unnatural selection.”

Federal investigators released a criminal complaint that said Routh had been staking out Trump International Golf Club for about 12 hours, starting at 1:59 a.m. Sunday, until 1:31 p.m. Sunday, when a Secret Service agent walking the perimeter saw what appeared to be a rifle poking out of a tree line.

The agent, the complaint says, fired in the direction of the rifle and flushed out a man, later identified as Routh, who was seen getting into a Nissan SUV and driving away, according to a witness. Officers located the vehicle and pulled Routh over on Interstate 95 less than an hour later, and the witness who saw him leaving the golf course identified him.

Trump survived an attempted assassination in July when a bullet grazed one of his ears while he was addressing supporters at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was killed, and so far investigators have not divulged a motive.

Routh has, of late, been living in a small town outside Honolulu with his son, according to public records and statements made in court. But he had spent most of his life in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he ran a roofing business, according to public records. Records show he had more than 100 run-ins with the law but never did any time. 

In 2002, court records show, Routh was convicted of illegally possessing a machine gun.

Court records for a person named Ryan Routh also show a 2003 divorce, along with multiple civil judgments after contractors and individuals sued a roofing company he helped run.

Routh still has kin in Greensboro, according to a public records search. His relatives were reluctant to speak with reporters Monday.

A former neighbor, Kim Mungo, said Routh lived next door to her for 18 years and never brought up politics or Ukraine with her. She described him as “gorgeous” and said the house belonged to his ex-wife. 

Mungo said she had been watching over the house while Routh was moving permanently to Hawaii.

Asked whether she ever saw weapons in the residence, Mungo said she had seen some rifles — and one very large animal.

Routh was active on social media. In 2020, he posted on Twitter (now X) that he had supported Trump in 2016 but was deeply disappointed in him. He also used X to signal his support for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who was then running for the Democratic presidential nomination. And like Trump, he disparaged President Joe Biden as “Sleepy Joe.”

While he was living in Hawaii, Routh made several contributions, from $1 to $25, to the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue in 2019 and 2020, according to Federal Election Commission records.  

In his 291-page tome, Routh bristled at being pinned down as a political partisan.

“I get so tired of people asking me if I am a Democrat or Republican as I refuse to be put into a category and I must always answer independant,” he wrote.

Routh disparaged Trump as a “fool” and a “buffoon,” but he credited him for reaching out to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Biden “has yet to be man enough to make that phone call and do the right thing,” Routh wrote.

Routh was also a vocal supporter of Ukraine and visited it in 2022. That summer, NBC News spoke with Routh, who said in a message that the West’s “limited response” to the Russia-Ukraine war was “extremely disappointing” and called the moment “an indictment of the entire human race.” There was never any formal interview, and Routh’s comments were not included in NBC News’ coverage of the war.

In an interview with Newsweek Romania in 2022 , Routh said he had volunteered to fight for the International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine but was turned down because of his age and lack of combat experience.

Instead, Routh claimed, he opted to help with military recruitment efforts in Kyiv. A representative of the International Legion told NBC News on Monday that Routh never served in its military.

In his book, Routh appeared to be unhappy with how the government in Kyiv treats foreigners who joined its fight against Russia.

“Sadly Ukraine does not roll out the red carpet for foreign fighters and volunteers, nor do they celebrate their sacrifices and help,” he wrote.

Corky Siemaszko is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital.