Consider Robin’s final, violent act. How might his killing of Pete Darling be interpreted in different ways, and what does the difficulty of settling on a single reading suggest about the novel’s treatment of masculinity and moral principle?

Compare and contrast The Hounding to other novels that use communal narration to examine how women are judged, such as Emma Cline’s The Girls (2016) and Lauren Groff’s Matrix (2021). How do the different authors use narrative techniques to expose The Dehumanizing Nature of Patriarchal Control?

What might the sturgeon symbolize? How does it illuminate the tension between the Mansfield sisters and the villagers as well as the relationship between each of these groups of people and the natural world?

How does Pete compare and contrast to Abigail Williams in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible (1953)? How do each of these characters weaponize gender norms and The Danger of Mob Mentality to serve their own ends?

The story’s narration alternates between several perspectives. Citing specific evidence from the text, analyze how Purvis uses literary techniques to give the point of view characters distinct voices. How do their perspectives reflect their character traits and narrative functions?

Although the four younger sisters possess some distinctive personality traits, they receive little development as individuals. How does this authorial decision reflect the theme of the dehumanizing nature of patriarchal control and impact the novel’s overall meaning?

Research other instances in which individuals were accused of possessing supernatural powers during the 1700s. How does this historical context inform the characters’ actions and offer real-world examples of Scapegoating Oppressed Communities in Times of Crisis?

Some novels in which women defy patriarchal oppression, such as Brom’s Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery (2021), expressly contain magic and other supernatural elements. In contrast, Purvis never confirms the paranormal accusations against the girls. How does this authorial decision contribute to the novel’s overall meaning?