In Xenobe Purvis’s The Hounding, the transformation of the Mansfield sisters into dogs is a psychological projection born from patriarchal anxiety. The novel argues that a society built on male authority perceives female independence as a fundamental threat to its order. In response, the men of Little Nettlebed dehumanize the sisters, recasting their pride, solidarity, and self-sufficiency as something “unholy” and animalistic. This narrative of monstrousness justifies the men’s escalating desire to exert violent control over women who refuse to occupy their designated, subservient place.

As the novel’s primary antagonist, Pete embodies this misogynistic worldview. His obsession with the sisters stems from their refusal to show him deference. He internally seethes about women who “didn’t know their place in the order of things” and feels a rageful “desire to punish” them for forsaking “nice, feminine qualities like meekness and humility” (43). Anne becomes the main target of his general hatred of women after she defies his attempt to strand the sisters mid-river by simply wading to shore. He perceives this act of independence as an assault on his authority as a man. He resents the girls’ “silent disdain” and feels they possess a “cunning power” that can turn a “strong man weak.” For Pete, Anne’s defiance is an intolerable challenge that must be met with suppression and punishment, leading him to instigate the village’s persecution of the girls.

This fear of female autonomy extends beyond Pete to the wider community. Long before the rumors of canine transformation begin, the sisters are viewed with suspicion precisely because they are a self-contained, independent unit. Temperance observes that the girls “had always seemed separate from the goings-on of the village” (11). Their isolation is seen as a public affront. Pete complains that they are a “[w]ild bunch, no discipline at all,” (22) and his greatest grievance is that they “do what they like” (22). Their refusal to seek male approval or participate in village life on its prescribed terms renders them outsiders. This pre-existing mistrust provides fertile ground for the fantastic accusations against them. Their otherness is already established, making it easy for the villagers to believe they are not just different, but fundamentally inhuman.

The mob hunt reveals that the ultimate purpose of the efforts to dehumanize the sisters is a brutal and desperate attempt to enforce patriarchal order. By labeling the sisters as monstrous dogs, the villagers can reframe their violence as a righteous crusade. The Prologue notes the mob feels “safe and enfolding, walking shoulder to shoulder towards a shared enemy” (1). Ultimately, Anne herself recognizes the true nature of their persecution. She explains to her grandfather that their punishment has “nothing to do with the idea of [them] becoming dogs, and everything to do with the fact of [them] being girls” (180). Through the persecution of the Mansfield sisters, Purvis exposes the violence of patriarchal societies that refuse to acknowledge the personhood of women who defy their control.