The Hollow of the Three Hills

On the surface level, “The Hollow of the Three Hills” could be interpreted as a story of Good Versus Evil, but subsequent or deeper readings show that the conflict is more nuanced. The conflict is not only between the old woman and the lady, but is both internal, with the lady dealing with The Destructiveness of Guilt and Shame, and external, as the lady struggles with The Danger of Strict Religious Beliefs. The old woman serves as a conduit through which the lady comes face-to-face with her shame, contributing to her ultimate death. The old woman’s role in the story is primarily to expose the lady to the consequences of her actions. Seeing the destruction caused by her leaving gives the lady great pain and distress. However, the lady is not simply a villain; she is also a victim of an oppressive society.

In one of the visions, the lady’s preacher husband announces to his congregation, which is her community, that his wife has “broken her holiest vows” (Paragraph 15), leaving him and their dying child “desolate” (Paragraph 15). This public shaming would not have been unusual in the Puritan religion, and readers can assume that the lady would have heard many other women shamed as well before she left the community.