Set in rural Australia The Well runs parallel to ones that are greatly influenced by the gothic genre. Harper's farmhouse was in fact two substantial house joined by wooden verandas… the house was very big, very cold, old and dark with and only paddocks surrounding it. The cottage where Harper and Katherine moved into was 'one of the most isolated places. The stone cottage had four rooms ... all the windows of the cottage were broken and the verandah was rotten… the landscape was stark, ugly even in its bareness.. with only a deserted road leading to it. Readers, through Jolley's desciptive language can depict the images of a haunted, remote, scary and mysterious landscape. This image provides the quintessential settings for strange behaviours to arise as well as evoking the feeling of terror. Furthermore the paranormal life Harper and Katherine lives, segregated from civilization and fulfilled with only each other's company by sewing, cooking and throwing dirty dishes down the well creates an eerie atmosphere.
The title of the novel, The Well and the well located on the cottage are key components of developing the gothic genre. This is because wells are commonly associated as remote, threatening and dark places that should be avoided. An example is the movie The Ring where the title represents the image of a well where a child was hidden. Furthermore in the novel Jolley has cleverly used the well to symbolise access of the imagination. It is near the well where Hester and Katherine imagines the future by peopling the well with trolls, imprisoned princesses, a handsome prince and finally the 'intruder.' "To amuse themselves they pretended that someone lived in the well. A troll with horrible anti-special habits…an imprisoned princess…prince on a white horse. The trolls are a connotation of the gothic genre as they are mystical creatures and have characteristics of the paranormal. The apparent intruder in the well is according to Katherine named Jacob and he therefore evokes another ambiguous intertwining of the bible and the gothic genre. This because in the Bible Jacob had 12 sons and one daughter his favourite being Joseph. When Joseph was 17 he was given a fine coat from his father, indicating that he was of better things. His brothers' jealousy soon changed to hatred and eventually they decided to slay Joseph by heaving him down a well.
Characterisation of Hester and Katherine further creates the suspense and thriller evident in the novel. Hester Harper is the typical character of a gothic novel as she is a lonely spinster marginalised by society because of her crippled leg. It was her loneliness, lack of love and need for companionship that made her bring Katherine home. The eeriness of Hester's abrupt decision to bring Katherine home can be summed up by the words "I've brought Katherine Father…but she's for me." The quote and determination to never lose Katherine was due to her past experience where Hester faced the fact that Miss Hersfield, the governess whom she loved and thought she possessed had belonged all the time to her father. By facing this she also knew that when the time came she would also lose Katherine. Her possessiveness of Katherine became an obsession enabling readers to develop an issue of lesbianism. Hester's response to Katherine's dancing is full of sexuality and sensuality previously kept in abeyance. "Whenever she watch Kathy dancing, Hester…moved in a wonderful freedom within herself…her heart beat faster. She breathed more rapidly." In today's literature world homosexuality or homosexual elements, appear throughout the broad scope of contemporary gothic fiction.
Katherine is an abandoned child with no known roots and thus is the famous gothic character of the foundling. She is from the orphanage, an unwanted, unloved child who has already been rejected by people in the country until her lucky meeting with Hester Harper. Although the two are completely opposites where one believes in happily ever marriages with a prince in shining armour whereas the other believes marriage is simply for a male's sexual pleasure, together they are able to begin a family they have both been robbed off. Nevertheless readers are still suspicious of Katherine's origins. "Oh Miss Harper I will. Thankyou…she hugged and kissed her." Katherine displayed the affection on the first day that she was brought home where readers are left to question whether a normal person will show affection to a stranger - yet alone someone who is crippled. Or did Katherine already have an ulterior motive by knowing that Miss Harper was a well respected and rich lady and hence was already trying to take advantage of her, trying to win her love so she could be the surrogate daughter and heir to Hester's assets. This affection to manipulate coincides with many gothic novels like Withering Heights. The questioning and suspicion gets even stronger when readers learn about "Katherine's ability and willingness in the household" and that "there was nothing Katherine could not copy or learn." It is very unusual for a youth to be willing to stay at home and doing house chores unless they are endeavouring to achieve something. These is also Katherine’s constant pampering of Hester “Katherine …knowing Hester’s weakness for sweet things...I thought you’d like the sherry trifle.. To further emphasise the foundling is how there is so little mention of Katherine's past and the orphanage except for Katherine complaints. By this readers are reminded that Katherine's past and true identity are still not revealed thus creating a mysterious, suspenseful and gothic atmosphere However what further develops the gothic character of Katherine are her visions of the person in well. Readers are never told whether it was Katherine who stole the money or whether the man in the well was superficial. It is the unknowing of the truth, the unanswered questions and Katherine's unknown identity that makes The Well such a psychological thriller.
Elizabeth Jolley's novel The Well takes readers through events that are surprising and grisly and then an ending, which is left deliberately ambiguous. Set in an isolated rural countryside populated by the marginalised character, Hester Harper, the foundling, Katherine, the mythical character, the Troll, and surrounded by the elements of the paranormal. The gothic genre has proved to be influential in the psychological thriller, The Well.
