The Woman in Black Revision Starter Knowledge vomit

The Woman in Black Revision

Starter: Knowledge vomit! • What do you know? On pieces of paper around the room are the titles of each chapter. • Write down everything you can think of that happens in each chapter. • Which characters appear? • Any important quotations? • Writers techniques?

New Key Words • Homodiegetic Narrator- A narrator who IS a character in the story (Arthur Kipps) • A Byronic hero – A key protagonist who doesn’t believe in ghosts at the outset but changes when he has experienced the presence of one. They are intelligent, sophisticated and educated, but struggling with emotional conflicts, a troubled past and ‘dark’ attributes. • Protagonist- the leading character in a piece of work • Antagonist- someone who opposes the leading character (Iago in the antagonist of Othello)

Conventions of a Victorian Ghost Story A ghost (funnily enough) An isolated haunted house Extreme weather conditions The motif of sleep and lack thereof First person narrative The use of women and children who are vulnerable/evil • A Byronic hero – A key protagonist who doesn’t believe in ghosts at the outset but changes when he has experienced the presence of one. They are intelligent, sophisticated and educated, but struggling with emotional conflicts, a troubled past and ‘dark’ attributes. • • •

The Plot – Chapter by Chapter

Chapter 1 – Christmas Eve What Happens?

Chapter 1 Summary • When the book opens, Arthur Kipps is sharing some fascinating thoughts about how he's always been affected by the weather. • He describes how he came to live at Monk's Piece and stumbled across it while out on a ride with his employer, Mr. Bentley. • Arthur is a solicitor and has worked with Mr. Bentley for many years. • Now he's married to a woman named Esmé and lives in Monk's Piece with her four children from a previous marriage; they have been happily settled for fourteen years. • It's Christmas Eve and Arthur is at home with Esmé and her children when the boys begin telling ghost stories. • Arthur is uneasy and leaves the room rather than share his own story. • Eventually he rejoins the party, but not before deciding to write down the story of what happened to him when he went to Crythin Gifford so many years ago. • And now the real story begins.

Chapter 1 Analysis • • • The title of the chapter ‘Christmas Eve’ suggests a time of celebration, family and joy, of anticipation. The mood at the start is ‘festive’, ‘happy’ and the main character has just enjoyed a good meal in the company of his wife and her children. From the first, there is a slightly unsettling mood as he has lost a wife in tragic circumstances and it feels as if this family is laid over the ghost of something dark. Gothic novels frequently use pathetic fallacy where weather symbolises characters’ emotional states. The narrator describes his love of all weather, starting with ‘sweet’ scents of summer, moving through autumn to winter, as if the writer is turning up the cold. Words like ‘chilling’ and ‘mist’ evoke emotional iciness and claustrophobia as Kipps says he can only see a few yards. In the gothic claustrophobia is a key theme, as well as building tension when the main character is trapped either with ghosts of his own fears. His home takes on a melancholy and unfortunate air as the ‘cellar oozed damp’ smelled ‘sour’ and the fires ‘sputtered and smoked’. The narrator himself draws attention to the link between weather and mood, almost deliberately casting himself as a typical gothic protagonist where he says that weather often affects his moods. This knowingness, almost suggests that Hill is playing with gothic conventions.

Chapter 1 analysis continued • The family start to tell ghost stories, which Hill has the narrator describe as typical eighteenth century melodramas: of ‘monastery ruins’ and ‘hooded monks’, evoking Matthew Lewis’ ‘The Monk’. • Dickens uses the convention of the ghost story also on Christmas Eve in ‘A Christmas Carol’ where the link between the darkest day of the year - the cusp of Christmas day - and being haunted by the past, and revenge is made clear. It becomes clear that Kipps is similarly haunted. Words like ‘unease’ ‘trouble’ ‘bitter’ and ‘nervous’ suggests a dark, underlying tension. • Hill alludes to a terrible event which has haunted him for many years. • Hill uses juxtaposition between the warm family atmosphere, the mock-horror at the ghost stories and the real agitation caused in Kipps to build tension. Words such as ‘banshee’, ‘ash’, and ‘collapsed’, suggest death and corpses, which is juxtaposed to the Christmas themed idea with words such as ‘cheerfully’, ‘sparkle’, and ‘glitter’, to create the feeling of suspense.

Chapter 1 analysis continued • The contrast emphasises the dark undertone, specifically the idea of ghosts - ‘ghoulish’ and ‘banshee’ are not ordinary ghosts, they are a particularly malevolent and destructive kind. The ominous mood centres on the past - which is still shrouded in mystery. The fact that Kipps can’t bring himself to talk about it exaggerates how horrible it must be, and allows the reader’s imagination disturbing space in which to fill the gap with all manner of horrors. • The use of time in the chapter follows gothic conventions of novels like Frankenstein where the framing narrative sets up a contrast between now: a ruined man, and the past where a young, whole, hearty man rushes towards a terrible fate. • The first person style colours the events black - as we experience them through the eyes of his terror and agitation - while bringing us claustrophobically close to them. The novel is told from Kipps’ point of view which, in the second chapter goes into the events of the past that have caused his nervous breakdown.

Consider: • How small details revealed in this chapter will become significant later on. • E. g. The fact that Edmund, the youngest child, was the one whom Arthur loved most (his own son, as we find out in the final chapter, dies at a similar age). • The wife’s name is given as Esme but we soon realise at the start of chapter two that he was married or engaged before. • In this chapter Arthur Kipps is very troubled by Ghost stories, but was adamant as a young man that he did not believe in them.

Key Quotations- 1 • “… a true story, a story of haunting and evil, horror and tragedy” • “Tomorrow was Christmas Day, and I looked forward to it eagerly and with gladness, it would be a time of friendship, fun and laughter. When it was over, I would have work to do” • “My spirits have for many years now been excessively affected by the ways of the weather…” • “I was trying to suppress my mounting unease, to hold back the rising flood of memory” • “I wanted to banish the chill that had settled upon me and the sensation of fear in my breast” • “The truth is quite other, and altogether more terrible”

Chapter 2 – A London Particular What happens?

Chapter 2 - Summary • It's November. Twenty-three year old solicitor Arthur Kipps is going on a business trip for his boss, Mr. Bentley. • He's headed to the home of recently deceased Alice Drablow to sort out her affairs and attend her funeral. • Alice lived on a distant estate called Eel Marsh House outside the town of the unpleasantly named Crythin Gifford. • Mr. Bentley tells him that it'll take at least a day or two to sort everything out, and then sends him off to take the train.

Chapter 2 – Analysis • Like in chapter 1, chapter 2 begins with a description of the weather – a ‘pea souper’ or a ‘London particular’ indicating the thick fog. Hill uses pathetic fallacy to introduce a sense of foreboding. • The presence of steam locomotives is another element of a traditional ghost story. • An air of mystery is built around Alice Drablow. The pace of the story is slowed down by the introduction of dialogue which feeds the reader simple facts through Arthur’s questioning of Mr. Bentley. He uses short, clipped and sometimes incomplete sentences to help indicate surprise. • Mr Bentley first introduces the reader to the conspiracy of silence.

Consider: • Bentley pauses before he answers Kipps

Key Quotations-2 • “ – but because of the fog, the thickest of London peasoupers, which had hemmed us in on all sides since dawn – if, indeed, there had been a dawn, for the fog had scarcely allowed any daylight to penetrate the foul gloom of atmosphere” • “It was a yellow fog, a filthy, evil-smelling fog, a fod that chocked and blinded, smeared and stained. Groping their way blindly across roads, men and women took their lives in their hands, stumbling along the pavements, they clutched at railings and at one another, for guidance. ” • “Mrs Drablow was, as they say, a rum’un. ” • “’Children. ’ Mr Bentley fell silent for a few moments, and rubbed at the pane with his finger, as though to clear away the obscurity, but the fog loomed, yellow-grey, and thicker than ever, though, here and there across the Inn Yard, the lights from other chambers shone fuzzily. A church bell began to toll. Mr Bentley turned. ”

Chapter 3 – The Journey North What happens?

Chapter 3 - Summary • The journey by steam locomotives is described first from King’s Cross to Crewe and then across to the fictional town of Homerby near the east coast. • The first journey passes without much thought but the second journey is described in much more detail as Kipps’ discomfort increases. • The weather is again emphasised. This time it is the Sea Frets or mists that are described. • The reader is introduced to Samuel Daily who we learn knew of Mrs Drablow.

Chapter 3 – analysis • This chapter is very short but as the chapter moves on certain quotes become significant: • “I began to be less comfortable, for here the air was a great deal colder and blowing in gusts from the east with an unpleasant rain upon its breath”. • The writer indicates that Arthur is travelling towards an inhospitable place. Personification/pathetic fallacy are used to imply that the weather is tormenting him. The fact at the air is “colder” indicates that there might be a ghostly presence to come. • “I tried not to sound concerned, but was feeling an unpleasant sensation of being isolated far from any human dwelling, and trapped in this cold tomb of a railway carriage”. • This quote demonstrates theme of isolation and loneliness. The metaphor of a tomb foreshadows the deaths to come and the danger that Arthur faces in the coming chapters.

Chapter 3 Analysis continued • “There’s the drowned churches and the swallowed-up village”. • Here, Mr Daily shows the isolated nature of the village. There is the indication that people have left the area – it is deserted. The “drowned churches” could have a more sinister meaning. It is as though God has left this place and been replaced by a more evil presence. • “We tuck ourselves in with our backs to the wind, and carry on with our business”. • Mr Daily explains how the people of Crythin behave and that they are hospitable. There is the sense that they naturally protect themselves. However, it could be an indication that there will be a conspiracy of silence – “our business”.

Consider: • How Arthur’s emotions change from the start of the journey to the end. • The homodiegetic narrative allows the reader to be more involved with the chapter; it allows us to see directly into Kipps mind, forcing his feelings upon us. The “sea-frets” were hot topic between Daily and Kipps, since these were new to Kipps. Along with “the chill in the air”, this relates to Kipps loneliness before he arrives on the train, as he misses his wife. It also helps create a generally unpleasant atmosphere and tension. The short sentences used, especially when describing the funeral, also create suspense, improving the conviction of the chapter.

Key Quotations-3 • “We tuck ourselves in with our back to the wind, and carry on with our business. ”

Chapter 4 – The Funeral of Alice Drablow What happens?

Chapter 4 Summary • Having arrived in Crythin Gifford and settled into the homely Gifford Arms, Arthur looks forward to a meal. • He speculates about his future with Stella. • Kipps is initially made to feel welcome by the Landlord but then when he tells him of his intention to attend the funeral of Alice Drablow he detects alarm. • Arthur wakes after a good sleep and feels a sense of comfort and safety in the bustling and cheerful Crythin Gifford. • Kipps meets Mr Jerome who again doesn’t seem to answer Arthur’s questions. • Kipps and Jerome are the only mourners at the funeral until Arthur spots a woman in black at the back of the church. • While Arthur shows concern for the woman while Jerome’s reaction is one of pure fear. • Further mystery about Alice Drablow is created through the revelation that no one would want to buy the estate.

Chapter 4 - analysis • The chronology of the narrative is interrupted in this chapter through Arthur’s reflections. The narrator also returns to the present and reflects on his life with Esme. This adds depth to the plot. • The key themes of this chapter are fear and supernatural. The themes are emphasised through the conspiracy of silence. The fact that everyone except for Kipps in Crythin Gifford knows something about Mrs. Drablow but no one will say what it is builds tension. This is called a narrative gap. • It is ironic in this chapter that Arthur is so compassionate about the woman in this chapter. It is also significant that Hill presents the woman in such fine detail. • Kipps starts the chapter as a young man with bravado who doesn’t believe in ghosts but by the end of the chapter he starts to question this belief. • Importantly the homodiegetic narrative allows us to see the chapter through Kipps’ eyes so his feelings become the readers’.

Key Quotations-4 • “Indeed, even now in later life, though I have been as happy and at peace in my home at Monk’s Piece, and with my dear wife Esme, as any man may hope to be, and even though I thank God every night tha it is all over, all long past and will not, cannot come again…” • “… it seemed poignant that a woman, who was perhaps only a short time away from her own death, should drag herself to the funeral of another” • “she was suffering from some terrible wasting disease” • “Mr Jerome stopped dead. He was staring at me. ”

Chapter 5 – Across the Causeway What happens?

Chapter 5 - Summary • Keckwick arrives in a pony and trap to take Kipps to Eel Marsh House. • Arthur witnesses and comments on the magnificent landscape and wildlife as they cross the causeway. • Eel Marsh House and it’s surroundings are described. The building is isolated on a little island which also includes the ruins of an old monastery. • Kipps sees the woman in black again. This time she is described as having an expression of a ‘desperate yearning malevolence. • Seriously shaken, Kipps returns to the house. • Kipps decides to set off on foot back to Crythin Gifford intending to intercept Keckwick.

Chapter 5 Analysis • Hill uses sound throughout the chapter to create both the sense of splendour and also isolation. • As he begins his travels on the pony and trap, with Keckwick across the causeway, Hill has Arthur describe how “delighted at the sight” he is, showing his sense of progression and that his work is continuing apace. So at the beginning of the chapter, Kipps is confident, happy to be there and doing what he is paid for, content with his surroundings and the people he has met so far. Although he remembers “the ill-looking young woman, ” he also sees that there is a beauty in the weather and the surroundings and as the journey to the house continues, there is an optimism in the words “all was bright and clear. ” But then, as he gets closer to Eel Marsh House, the reader senses the change in him, in what he sees, in what he feels and hears. • Gothic features such as the foreboding house are used in this chapter to further establish the style of the text and create an eerie atmosphere. • Used with the title of the house, Eel Marsh House, one begins to see and feel the mystery, the weirdness of the house. Eels are slippery, mysterious creatures. A marsh is usually desolate and isolated, so the naming of the house is perfect in creating this scene, which is now set as Kipps arrives at the house.

Analysis continued – Key Quotations • “It stood like some lighthouse or beacon or Martello tower, facing the whole, wide expanse of marsh and estuary”. • The house appears to be some kind of salvation – a place of safety. A lighthouse offers safety, a beacon gains attention, a Martello tower is a defensive fort. However, it is instead somewhere that he should stay away from – perhaps these images suggest that he needs to go and find safety elsewhere. • “I wanted Keckwick to be gone, so that I could wander about freely and slowly”. • Ironically, at this point, Arthur seeks isolation. He wants to be away from Keckwick. The adverbs “freely” and “slowly” indicate that he feels a sense of freedom in this location. Ironically, at a later point he will crave company and feel trapped.

Analysis continued – Key Quotations • “It was an ugly, satanic-looking thing, like some species of seavulture – if such a thing existed – and I could not supress a shudder as its shadow passed over me”. • Hill gives the reader the indication that there is something sinister lurking outside the house when describing a bird. “Satanic-looking” gives us a clear indication that the devil is present. The ‘shadow” also foreshadows the darkness to come for Arthur. • “I did not believe in ghosts. ” • This short simple sentence helps to show emphatic Kipps was about his attitude to ghosts. However, his use of ‘did’ rather than ‘do’ tells us that this is what he thought in the past. He has now changed his mind having seen the woman in black. • “Enough of solitude and no sound save the water and the moaning wind and the melancholy call of birds, enough of monotonous greyness, enough of this gloomy old house”. • The repetition of “enough” echoes/foreshadows the final line of the novel. It tells us that Kipps can no longer handle this environment and needs to leave.

Key Quotations-5 • “the ill looking, solitary young woman” • “the sudden, harsh, weird cries form the brids near and far” • ‘a tall, gaunt house of grey stone” • “a desperate, yearning malevolence” • “an ugly satanic-looking thing”

Chapter 6 – The Sound of a Pony and Trap What Happens?

Chapter 6 – Summary • A sea fret descends and Kipps decides to return to the safety of the house. • He hears a cry of a child and the sinking of a pony and trap. He assumes they are with Keckwick. • Kipps is helpless and once more returns to the house, terrified. • Fortified by Brandy, he explores the house and finds a locked door with no key hole. • He falls asleep on the sofa and is awakened by Keckwick at 2 am. • They return to the Griffin arms where Kipps relives the nightmare dreaming of the woman in black.

Chapter 6 Analysis • • “It was a mist like a damp, clinging cobwebby thing, fine and yet impenetrable”. This simile suggests to the reader that Kipps is caught in a trap – a spider’s web. What is more, it is a trap that he will be unable to escape from. The web is “impenetrable”. “On the marsh was a curious draining, sucking, churning sound, which went on, together with the shrill neighing and whinnying of a horse in panic”. Hill concentrates on phonology in this quote – the use of sound. There is the use of onomatopoeia as well as the frequent use of verbs to convey the drama taking place in the marsh. She describes the sounds as Arthur is unable to actually see what is happening. “The only thing was to get back to Eel Marsh House, to light every light”. Given the apparent events in the marsh, the house appears to be a refuge at this stage. It is significant that Arthur wants light as this could be seen to counteract the death/evil presence evident. “Behind me, though I could not see, only sense her dark presence, hovered the woman. ” The writer clearly shows that Kipps is going to be haunted and tormented by this dark presence. “Behind me, ” gives the indication that she will be following him.

Chapter 7: Mr Jerome is Afraid What happens?

Chapter 7 Summary • The prospect of a cycle ride evokes a sense of excitement and happiness to the point where Arthur decides to remain at Crythin Gifford to complete his task – ‘I felt one again my normal, equable, cheerful self’. • He goes to see Mr Jerome (Mrs Drablow’s land agent) to ask for help in sorting out her papers and possessions – ‘But there was no one. The place was silent’. • He learns that no-one will dare to help him – ‘I am quite on my own. I cannot give you any help at all’. • Mr Jerome is visibly scared when Arthur tells him of the second sighting of the woman in black (in Chapter 5 – Across the Causeway) – Mr Jerome appears a broken man – ‘I noticed that his hands, which rested on the sides of this chair, were working, tubing, fidgeting, gripping and ungripping in agitation’. • Kipss now accepts that Eel Marsh House if haunted but in a fit of bravado is determined to complete his business – ‘I decided that, if I were to get to the truth of the business, I should have to rely upon the evidence of my own senses and nothing more’.

Chapter 7 Analysis • Hill’s use of the first person narration (homodiegetic narrative) allows the reader to identify Kipps’ changing emotions as well as granting the reader the opportunity to experience the events of the novel along with Kipps. • The use of the first person narrative has a greater impact on the reader as it is immediate and realistic; given the genre (ghost story) this technique is hugely effective. • The ‘Conspiracy of silence’ is further developed here (key theme in the book). The landlord is friendly but uncommunicative on the topic of Eel Marsh House. Similarly Jerome gives very little factual information on Alice Drablow. • Hill’s use of dialogue including deliberate pauses, ellipses and unfinished statements are included for effect so then when Arthur finishes Jerome’s sentences, we as readers know this is significant. • The quote ‘not another living soul’ on page sounds rather clichéd however this quotation is key to demonstrate the use of irony in the text. Kipps is sounding sympathetic to Jerome by finishing his sentence for him, yet in reality he is pumping him for information. A simple, yet effective narrative technique which helps the reader to read between the lines.

Chapter 8: Spider What happens?

Chapter 8: Summary • Feeling much better after his bike ride, Kipps decides to spend two nights at Eel Marsh House to complete his business. • He goes to dinner at Mr Daily’s house. • Daily fails to dissuade him from staying at the house and lends him Spider, the dog for protection and companionship.

Chapter 8 - Analysis • The conspiracy of silence is firmly established by this point in the novel so it is no surprise when the landlord says nothing to Kipps’ revelation that he intends to return to Eel Marsh House.

Chapter 8 – Key Quotations • “Coming back into Crythin Gifford I felt like a new man, proud, satisfied, and most of all eager and ready to face the worst that Mrs Drablow’s house and those sinister surrounding marshes might have in store for me. ” • In this quotation, Hill clearly establishes the contrast between the two locations. In Crythin, he becomes revitalised and energised compared to Eel Marsh. The alliterative phrase “sinister surroundings” helps to emphasise the menacing nature of the house in comparison to Crythin. • “I would brook no opposition, heed no warning, even from within myself. I was almost pigheadedly bent upon following my course. ” • Arthur appears to be delusional. He does not consider the possible dangers at returning to Eel Marsh – even having had the experiences he’s had! The metaphor “pigheadedly” enforces the idea that he firmly believes what he is doing is right, even when it might not be. • “I liked dogs well enough and it would be a fellow creature, warmblooded and breathing in that cold, empty old house. ” • Spider will provide Arthur with companionship – he will be a “fellow creature” which emphasises the sense of loneliness that he has felt at Eel Marsh or perhaps the lack of human company. Hill emphasises the life of the dog compared to the “cold” nature of the house.

Chapter 9: In the Nursery What happens?

Chapter 9 Summary • Kipps returns to Eel Marsh House with spider. • From Alice’s letters he discovers that she adopted Nathaniel Pierston, the illegitimate son of a close relative. • Again he hears the sound of the ghostly pony trap and the cries of the dying child. • He discovers the source of the strange bumping sounds and the nursery behind the locked door.

Chapter 9 Analysis • Hill successfully build a sense of fear in In The Nursery – through a series of literary techniques. The plot itself is relatively simple and this in itself adds to the fear. • This viewpoint is particularly effective in this chapter, as readers, we can relate to the terror and anxiety felt by Arthur. At the start of the chapter he comments on feeling ‘calm and cheerful’ however this state of contentment disappears at the chapter progresses – ‘I sat, too terrified to move’ and ‘my throat felt constricted and I began to shiver. ’ In the ghost story genre this technique is effective – we can imagine ourselves in Arthur’s place – reliving his experiences. • Hill uses the senses to create a sense of terror in this chapter during which theme of childhood is developed when Kipps discovers the locked nursery. The use of the bumping sound ‘bump. Pause. Bump bump. Pause’ creates a mystery and tension further developed by the sound of the rocking chair. The door mysteriously opens and the sound of the rocking chair lessens ‘until the movements were so slight, I could see or hear them’.

Analysis Continued • Arthur identifies ‘rows of lead soldiers, arranged in regiments’ and Hill details how he ‘picked things up, stroked them, even smelled them. ’ Arthur is drawn in to the nursery even relating his own childhood to this room. • Hill use of a detailed list of items in the nursery allows for the reader to imagine the owner to be an actual child – moving away from theme of the supernatural and unknown. Arthur is so traumatised by the section of the book – overwhelmed by a sense of loss, ‘a desolation, a grief in my own heart’. • The use of pathetic fallacy further hints at an impending sense of doom, as readers, we are told at the outset of the importance of the weather to Arthur. The chapter starts with ‘light and space and brightness’ echoing Arthur’s mood however the following morning the weather has changed – ‘the first thing I noticed in the morning was a change in the weather’. As readers we are aware that the ‘dampness in the air’ and ‘thick cloud lying low over the marsh’ suggest dramatic events will follow. Even Spider senses the tension with a ‘heart-stopping howl’ and being ‘rigid with fear’

Analysis Continued • . The isolation of Eel Marsh House is significant – it is in a ‘wild and remote spot’ further isolating Arthur. Hill uses imagery to create the sense of detachment – ‘it stood like some lighthouse’, the mention of the ‘satanic looking’ bird and the symbolic ‘crumbling’ ruin located to the side of the house. • In In the Nursery the silence of the house towards the end of the chapter is vital. We start the chapter with ‘a faint noise’ yet the chapter ends with ‘no sound at all from within’. Arthur chooses not to interrupt the silence but to return to his room to face further challenges of Eel Marsh House. Hill uses anti-climax in this chapter to build suspense and terror – readers believe something dramatic and terrible will occur however the chapter ends with ‘no sound at all from within’ and Arthur retiring to bed to read Walter Scott.

Chapter 10 – Whistle and I’ll Come to You What happens?

Chapter 10 - Summary • Kipps has another sleepless night due to the violent storm and the ghostly cries of a child. • Spider nearly drowns when he gets sucked into the marshes. • The woman in black appears at the nursery window. • Kipps hears the sound of the pony and trap again.

Chapter 10 - analysis • After the previous chapter, which is relatively long and detailed, this chapter is quite short and easy to overlook when writing about the novel as a whole. Tension and unease are created immediately through the description of the weather that opens the chapter. • Once again, Hill relies on what Kipps can hear and feel to create fear, rather than what can be seen. She also uses the two senses separately in this chapter – nature makes it impossible for Kipps to see what is happening for much of the time – either everything is shrouded in fog or it is dark. Only at the terrifying end to the chapter does she allow Kipps to both see and hear what is happening.

Analysis continued • The title of the chapter is adapted from another ghost story – Oh Whistle and I’ll Come to You, My Lad written by M. R. James in 1910. Hill alludes to key texts from the ghost story genre throughout – consider why? • This chapter is a fine example of first person narrative as Hill develops and relaxes the tension and suspense throughout the chapter. The first half of the chapter is the most terrifying. This is built entirely on the sounds of the storm, the darkness and the ghostly cries of a child. Kipps’ imagination goes into overdrive to such as extent that he begins to doubt his own sanity. • The chapter opens with Kipps lying awake listening to the violent storm. Here he again hears the cries of a child. Below are some quotes to help you: ‘like a ship at sea' roaring across the open marsh 'the Sound of moaning' howling darkness’ ‘banging and rattling of the window’ ‘battered by the gale’ ‘windows were rattling’ ‘whistling through every nook and cranny’ ‘tumult of the wind, like a banshee’ • In the morning Kipps takes Spider for a walk and hears a ghostly whistle. The dog bounds off and runs into quicksand. After a desperate struggle, Kipps manages to save her. He sees another vision of the woman in black watching them from the nursery window. The tension mounts further when he hears the sound of a pony and trap at the end of the causeway.

Chapter 11: A Packet of Letters What happens?

Chapter 11 Summary • Kipps has collapsed and is revived by Samuel Daily who has arrived by pony and trap. • Spider survives but is exhausted. • Kipps visits the nursery for the last time. • Kipps convalesces at Daily’s home. • Kipps reads Alice’s papers and with the help of Daily, pieces the mystery together. • Stella arrives.

Chapter 11 Analysis • In the preceding Chapter the full horror of the sight of the woman in black and the sound of the pony and trap, just after the near-death experience of Spider on the marshes has rendered Kipps insensible – he has passed out. • He is woken by Sam Daily shining a torch into his eyes. Hill expertly releases the tension built up at the end of the last chapter by giving a logical explanation to something that has happened – the sound of the pony and trap – it was the sound of Daily arriving at the house:

Analysis continued • Kipps is a broken man (mentally) at this point as he pledges that he ‘never intends to go back there’ to Eel Marsh House again. Daily also shows his fear towards the house by pledging not to buy it as he hides the truth from Kipps for as long as possible because he doesn’t want to accept the truth. • The woman in black is also shown as a revenge seeking mother, presented with visual and sound effects. The reason for this is also identified because she watched her son die in the marshes and subsequently blamed her sister, Alice Drablow despite the unpredictable nature of the storms. • Revenge is a key theme presented to us in ‘a packet of letters’, named because Kipps read the letters between Alice and Jennet, also finding birth and death certificates. The chapter features the woman in black seeking revenge on Alice for Nathaniel’s death as well as Kipps for unknown reasons. Sleep is also an important theme as the woman in black confuses Kipps by haunting him in his dreams and reality. Death can be seen as the eternal rest.

Analysis continued • Finally childhood is also a theme because Kipps is comforted by memories of his own childhood in the nursery but he changes as he realises he is being haunted. The destruction of the nursery also results in Kipps changing state of mind for worse. • Religion was used frequently in the chapter as Hill used an oxymoron when Daily said the actions of the woman in black were ‘understandable but not forgivable’ because he was a Christian and every sin can be forgiven. It also raises questions about after life and the battle between good and evil.

Chapter 12: The Woman in Black What happens?

Chapter 12 Summary • Stella and Kipps return to London and marry six weeks later. • At Kipps’ request, Mr Bentley does not involve him further in Alice Drablow’s affairs. • A year later Stella gives birth to a baby boy/ • A year after that, the woman in black appears and causes the deaths of Stella and the boy. • Kipps concludes his story.

Chapter 12 - analysis • This is the first chapter where the title’s meaning truly allows the reader to question the main themes or events to come. The title lends into the enveloped idea hidden within the chapter. • All the other chapters have more secrecy and a sense of knowing desire that entices the reader into the unknown, whereas, simply with the chapter title being “The Woman in Black” the woman who haunts dreams, it already exposes the subconscious fear and lurking evil; that Kipps’ escape from her grasp has not ended yet. • Although we don’t know what Kipps is going to encounter we do however know that there is something not quite over with the woman in a black’s reign. She would not just consent in Kipps departure from the town of Crythin, where souls are broken so easily as a child has always died whenever she is seen…

Analysis continued • This chapter also consists of repelling themes of revenge, the woman in black’s vendetta with the world. How can she begin to move forward with the loss of her son in death? She never succumbed to her sons’ loss in death as she never did in life…Kipps’ personality alters as something about his attitude and mental state has changed, he begins to falter mentally and leaves his ghost story a different man. • The contrast between chapter 1 and 12 through catastrophic events highlights the alteration to him now surrendering to his true emotions. The death of his son and wife. • The woman in black’s name is no longer needed to induce horror within the reader or Kipps, her name is not present as the known fear within manifests an impenetrable atmosphere around the woman now no longer with a name. “Her” gives all the detail needed into the figure and feelings of the characters. The tension has been building throughout the novel and so that not even a name is needed to show the seriousness and alarm of her presence, the reader knows her all too well by this point.

Key Quotations-12 • “Oh, pray God it may not - that the chain is broken - that her power is at an end - that she has gone – and I was the last ever to see her. ” • “My story is almost done. There is only the last thing left to tell. And that I can scarcely bring myself to write about. ” • “he never once spoke of the past”- about Mr Samuel Daily • “I was so filled with joy and contentment in my life” • “I could not have been less prepared for what was to come. ” • “Families strolled in the sunshine, children tumbled about upon the grass. ” • “And then, quite suddenly, I saw her. ” • “It was she, the woman in black with the wasted face. ” • “I felt all over again the renewed power emanating from her, the malevolence and hatred and passionate bitterness. It pierced me through. ” • “I began to run crazily and then I heard it, the sickening crack and thud as the pony and its cart collided with one of the huge tree trunks. And then silence – a terrible silence. ” • “He lay crumpled on the grass below it, dead. ” • “They asked for my story. I have told it. Enough. ”

Themes

Fear • • The most powerful theme in the novel is the INDIVIDUAL FEAR of the unknown shown by Kipps and the collective fear of what is known (but not discussed) by the residents of Crythin Gifford and the surrounding area. When Kipps first mentions his sighting of the ‘young woman with the wasted face’ to Mr Jerome at the funeral of Mrs Drablow, there is a ‘silence so deep’ that he can hear his own pulse and see Mr Jerome’s inability to speak, later described as having a ‘sickly greyish pallor’ when discussing the sighting of the woman. The fear that clearly grips and silences Mr Jerome also keeps Mr Keckwick silent about his role in the affairs that led to the death of the child on the causeway. Kipps himself is exposed to the terror caused by the unknown during the episode involving the rocking chair in the nursery. He is possessed by fear at the thought of what he will meet inside the room whose door has mysteriously opened and later is chilled by the cry of the child on the wind. The ghost of Jennet Humfrye is the source of all the fear and repulsion in the novel, not only for her spectral presence but for her deliberate act leading to the death of Kipps’ wife and child – foreshadowed by the warning from Mr Daily that a child died whenever she appeared. Susan Hill has created a novel here that almost reeks of fear and is introduced by the narrator himself as a means for the ghost to be ‘driven’ from his memory, to lay to rest the past through a frank exposure of what had remained hidden for years – an attempt to live the rest of his life without the weight of fear.

The Supernatural • Supernatural literally means beyond natural, so supernatural events cannot be explained by reason or scientific theory. Although, Kipps frequently tries to reassure himself that he, “Did not believe in ghosts • What other rational explanation was there? ” • It is clear that Kipps transforms throughout the novel from someone who is sceptical of the supernatural to someone who clearly believes in ghosts. This is apparent when he sees the Woman in Black for the second time and hears the tragic sounds of the Pony and the trap, “That the woman by the graves had been ghostly I now – not believed, no – knew, for certainty lay deep within me. ”

Revenge • When Kipps sees the Woman in Black for the second time at Eel Marsh House he recognises in her expression that she is vengeful and wants to inflict harm on others, “What I saw – as a desperate, yearning malevolence. ” He later goes on to describe her as, “A poor, crazed, troubled woman, dead of grief and distress, filled with hatred and desire for revenge. ” • Kipps is sympathetic to the ghost of Jennet Humfrye when he learns that her actions are the result of losing her child Nathaniel, first as he was adopted by her sister and secondly when he died in the accident involving the Pony and the trap. This is ironic has we learn at the end of the novel that the Woman in Black’s appearance foreshadowed the death of his wife Stella and their baby son.

Isolation and the Conspiracy of Silence • Kipps’ isolation and vulnerability at Eel Marsh House is emphasised by the descriptions of the surrounding nature, “when the tide came in, it would quickly be quite submerged and untraceable. ” • Moreover, many of the characters in The Woman in Black are part of a conspiracy of silence which further isolates Kipps as it is clear that they deliberately withhold information about the Woman in Black. Mr Bentley, Keckwick, Jerome, The Landlord and Samuel Daily are all part of this conspiracy of silence.

Hill’s Writing Style • GOTHIC STYLE: • This novel is a pastiche (imitation) of Victorian Gothic and is written in a very similar style to Dickens’ novels. Susan Hill effectively evokes the voice of Dickens and other writers using characteristic devices such as densely detailed text, evocative descriptions and language that is lavish and dense as any Victorian tale.

FIRST PERSON NARRATOR: • The story is told from Arthur’s perspective and Hill uses first person narration. Arthur is also a homodiegetic narrator- as he IS a character in the story- it is told from his perspective. • This device is better than third as it ensures that the reader feels closer to the person that is narrating. • A further benefit is that you know what the narrator knows and it allows the reader to see change and growth. However, the reader can understand Alice Drablow’s and Jennet Humfrye’s viewpoint as Arthur reads their letters and correspondence. Top Tip: Look at where the narration changes- from old Arthur- to new Arthur- this is significant!

PATHETIC FALLACY • Susan Hill uses the technique of pathetic fallacy so that the weather often reflects the mood/human emotions of the characters. • We learn from the beginning how weather is important to Arthur, ‘My spirits have for many years now been excessively affected by the ways of the weather. ’ In London the fog is given the colloquial term ‘London Peasouper’ and is described as ‘menacing and sinister’ which sets an ominous tone for Kipps’ journey to Crythin Gifford. • Furthermore, throughout the novel the sea frets or mists, great gales and howling winds add to Kipps’ fears when he is stranded at Eel Marsh House.

IMAGERY • Susan Hill also employs imagery to create vivid pictures in the reader’s minds e. g. • Metaphor (describes something IS something else) – ‘That great cavern of a railway station’ is like saying that King’s Cross Station is an enormous cave. • Simile (compares something by saying it is AS or LIKE something else) – ‘It was a mist like a damp, clinging cobwebby thing. ’ (pg. 85) is like saying the mist attached itself to Arthur like a cobweb. • Personification (gives human qualities to something inanimate) - ‘The wind will blow itself out and take the rain off it by morning, ’ says Samuel Daily to Arthur making the wind and rain sound almost like a human couple.

FORESHADOWING • This is when a writer gives clues to the reader that suggest ideas/themes or things that might happen later in the story. • There is lots of foreshadowing in the opening chapter which hints to the reader that the novel will feature supernatural events, “I was then thirty-five and I had been a widower for the past twelve years. I had no taste at all for social life and, although in good general health, was prone to occasional nervous illnesses and conditions, as a result of the experiences I will come to relate. ”

FOREBODING • This is when a writer implies (drops hints) that something bad is going to happen. • Hill does this a lot! • She cleverly does this through pathetic fallacy, her use of contrast, homodiegetic narrative, the ‘Conspiracy of Silence’, luring her readers into a false sense of security and also through repetition of events/ideas- ‘the sound of the rocking chair in the nursery’ and the MOTIF of the ‘pony and trap’.

Characters • • • ATHUR KIPPS: Arthur is the main character and the narrator. Hill’s use of first person allows the reader to be sympathetic towards Arthur and share his fear. In the first and last chapters we see him as a man approaching old age. In the first chapter Kipp’s is shaken by his step sons’ ghost stories as they renew his ‘close acquaintance …with mortal dread and terror of spirit’ (pg 9 -10). In the final chapter Arthur is completely exhausted due his difficulty in telling his terrifying experiences at Eel Marsh House – emphasised with the last word of the novel ‘Enough’. He intends that the whole world will know his ‘past horrors’ when his wife reads his tale after his death. The youthful Arthur Kipps is a privileged, well-educated, ambitious, adventurous, impatient, arrogant, brave and foolhardy. Qualities that lead him to ignore Samuel Daily’s advice and return to Eel Marsh House. He is arrogant as he confesses to having a ‘Londoner’s sense of superiority in those days’ (pg 45). The first time he sees the woman in black at Alice Drablow’s funeral he feels sympathetic towards her and was concerned for her welfare ‘skin stretched over her bones’ (pg 56). However, the second time at Eel Marsh house he is ‘filled with fear, his flesh creeps and his knees tremble’ (pg 75). Arthur Kipp’s character is realistic and wellrounded; he reacts to the shocking events in a human way. Therefore allowing the reader to identify with the character. After the death of Stella and his baby he is a broken man. It takes him twelve years to recover the tragic events, when he buys Monk’s piece and moves in with his second wife Esme.

SAMUEL DAILY • Samuel Daily is a big, beefy local business man in Crythin Gifford. He is successful and not embarrassed by his wealth; which annoys other local businessmen. Daily offers Arthur advice about his work at Eel Marsh House: ‘you’re a fool if you go on with it’. • Although Arthur warms to Samuel Daily, he comes up with several reasons he must go back; which is when Samuel gives Arthur Spider for protection. After Arthur’s near death experience at Eel Marsh house, Mr and Mrs Daily look after him and he finished his work on Alice Drablow’s papers in their home. • After Arthur’s return to London, Samuel Daily becomes his sons Godfather and visits often.

KECKWICK • Keckwick is a silent man. He is very blunt and matter of fact when he returns in the middle of the night to collect Arthur after his first terrifying experience at Eel Marsh House, including the pony and trap and the Nine Lives Causeway. He was Alice Drablow’s link to the outside world; the only ‘living soul’ who saw her. • The reader may feel that some amnesty was reached between him and the ghost: he also suffered a great loss when his father died driving the pony and trap with the child on it. He is very unattractive ‘his nose and much of the lower part of his face were covered in bumps and lumps and warts and…the skin was porridgy in texture and a dark livid red’). This creates a disturbing and visual image appropriate for a ghost story.

THE LANDLORD • Nobody will talk about the woman in black. The landlord is not named and his role is to create an air of mystery. • He is at the centre of the conspiracy of silence and his purpose in the story is to provide Kipps and the reader with background information and to add tension and suspense. The landlord is more significant for what he does not say rather than what he does say. “’She could hardly do otherwise, living there’ and he turned away abruptly”.

MR JEROME • Alice Drablow’s estate agent. ’When Arthur meets Mr Jerome for the second time in his office seeking help with his task (Alice Drablow’s paper) it is clear that he is a ironically a broken man ‘…his hands…were working, rubbing, fidgeting, gripping and ungripping in agitation’. • We find out in the penultimate chapter from Mr Daily that he was victim of the woman in black and had lost a child in a tragic accident.

Jennet Humphrye – The Woman in Black • Approximately 60 years before Alice Drablow’s death, her unmarried 18 year old sister gave birth to a baby boy. The baby was taken against her will and given to Alice and her husband to adopt. • The boy, Nathaniel, is killed with his nurse Rose Judd and Keckwick’s father. After suffering with a wasting disease, 12 years later Jennet died of heart failure. She has been seeking revenge ever since; every time the ghost is seen a child dies in dreadful and violent circumstances. As a result the villagers live in fear and dread. • - Chapter 4: She had been a victim of starvation (pg 52) Very erect and still not holding a prayer book (pg 53) • - Chapter 5: I had felt indescribable repulsion and fear (pg 79) She directed the purest evil and hatred and loathing (pg 75)

ALICE DRABLOW • Alice Drablow was an old eccentric character of Mr Bentley’s father. Kipps is given the responsibility of handing the legal requirements die to her death. • She has no friends or relatives. From the outset mystery surrounds her: Mr Bentley, Samuel Daily and the landlord’s reaction all help to create this mystery. • It becomes clear that Alice was haunted by her dead sister who wanted revenge for the death of her son.

STELLA • Stella, Arthur’s fiancé, is always in the background. • As not a fully developed character she, Kipps only refers to his life with her and his expectation for them in the future. • Stella and Arthur’s son die in a tragic accident after a sighting of the woman in black. • Note, all the female characters: Esme, Stella and Mrs Daily play small and underdeveloped roles. They are only required to support their husbands otherwise it would take away from the development of the ghost story.

ESME AND HER FAMILY • Esme and her family feature in the opening chapter: Christmas Eve. They provide a domestic context and background of normality in order to make the story seem real.