# How does The Circular Staircase develop the theme of The Supernatural and Rationality?

> The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart

## Answer

The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart develops The Supernatural and Rationality across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.

Characters frequently attribute strange events to ghosts or supernatural forces, but the narrative consistently provides rational explanations, emphasizing the power of reason over superstition.

Thomas interprets the stopped clock and lamp as omens of death, while Rachel dismisses superstition.

Liddy's belief in a ghost and the mysterious pounding sounds create tension between superstitious fear and rational investigation.

Liddy's ghost hypothesis and the billiard cue as a possible ghostly weapon contrast with Halsey's rational examination for a secret door.

## Evidence

- [iii-mr-john-bailey-appears](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_circular_staircase_se/chapters/iii-mr-john-bailey-appears.md): Thomas interprets the stopped clock and lamp as omens of death, while Rachel dismisses superstition.
- [xv-liddy-gives-the-alarm](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_circular_staircase_se/chapters/xv-liddy-gives-the-alarm.md): Liddy's belief in a ghost and the mysterious pounding sounds create tension between superstitious fear and rational investigation.
- [xvi-in-the-early-morning](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_circular_staircase_se/chapters/xvi-in-the-early-morning.md): Liddy's ghost hypothesis and the billiard cue as a possible ghostly weapon contrast with Halsey's rational examination for a secret door.
- [xviii-a-hole-in-the-wall](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_circular_staircase_se/chapters/xviii-a-hole-in-the-wall.md): Liddy believes the hole is ghostly, while Rachel and Jamieson seek rational explanations, highlighting the tension between superstition and logic.
- [xxv-a-visit-from-louise](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_circular_staircase_se/chapters/xxv-a-visit-from-louise.md): Eliza's belief in a 'burning eye' and the mysterious hole contrast with Rachel's attempts to find a natural explanation.
- [xxx-when-churchyards-yawn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_circular_staircase_se/chapters/xxx-when-churchyards-yawn.md): The chapter contrasts the eerie, gothic setting of a nighttime churchyard with the rational, investigative purpose of the exhumation.

## Links

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