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.