The Woman in Black: Themes (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

The Woman in Black: Themes

For your Component 2 exam, you will be expected to show an understanding of how key themes are presented in The Woman in Black. It is therefore imperative that you have a solid understanding of the key themes and use that knowledge to help you answer the question.

Below you will find some of the key themes from The Woman in Black:

• Isolation and trauma

• The past

• Fear

Isolation and trauma

Isolation is a common theme in the Gothic genre and the novel’s central characters are physically and emotionally isolated due to their experiences. Hill highlights how isolation and loneliness result in traumatisation and suffering. 

Knowledge and evidence:

• The theme of isolation is evident from the beginning as Kipps is unable to participate in his family’s discussion:

  • He leaves their company to walk in “a frenzy of agitation” due to his trauma 

• Kipps is also isolated from the residents of Crythin Gifford as they are part of a conspiracy of silence:

  • None of the residents disclose any information regarding the supernatural but try to subtly warn him instead

  • However, he does not heed their warning and he is physically and emotionally isolated as a result

• Eel Marsh House is also isolated from the rest of the town when the tide comes in, thereby cutting off access:

  • This means Kipps is not only emotionally isolated but also physically isolated from society, leaving him vulnerable

• Kipps is isolated once again at the end of the novel when the Woman in Black kills his son and his wife:

  • The trauma that Arthur experiences due to their death haunts him forever

• Other characters are also isolated and traumatised due to their experience with the Woman in Black:

  • Keckwick is isolated as his father also died on the same day as Jennet Humfrye’s son 

  • Mr Jerome is described as having a “shuttered expression”, highlighting his isolation and his extreme reaction at the mention of the Woman in Black conveys his trauma

• Jennet Humfrye is also a victim of isolation and trauma:

  • Stigmatised by society, she is forced to give up her son to her sister 

  • However, upon her return, she witnesses his death from the nursery window and the trauma of the accident drives her to insanity

• Jennet’s pain and grief isolates her and, after her death, she returns as a ghost to haunt Eel Marsh House:

  • The trauma of her son’s death causes her to seek vengeance on those who isolated her

• The town of Crythin Gifford is also isolated from the rest of society as they keep the secret of Jennet Humfrye to themselves:

  • No one outside of Crythin Gifford is aware of the hauntings, which is why Kipps was so vulnerable during his time there

What is Hill’s intention?

• Hill highlights the isolating effects trauma can have on individuals

• Through the character of Jennet Humfrye, Hill demonstrates how extreme trauma and isolation can lead an individual to draw others into their pain and suffering:

  • These individuals perpetuate an endless cycle of pain, isolation and trauma

  • Keckwick, Mr Jerome and Arthur Kipps are all a part of Jennet’s cycle of isolation and trauma and their behaviours have been altered as a result

• Through Arthur Kipps, Hill highlights the lingering effects of trauma and the persistent inability to fully overcome it, despite outward appearances:

  • They are therefore always isolated from both society and their family

The past

The past is a significant theme in the novel as many of the characters are haunted by their past and unable to move on. Their experiences have had an impact on their futures and their actions are influenced by their trauma. 

Knowledge and evidence:

• The frame narrative highlights how Kipps is forced to relive his past and reflect on an incident that changed him forever:

  • The fog in Chapter 1 also reminds Kipps of his past, creating a sense of suffocation, as if the memories of his past are inescapable

  • The older Kipps clearly does not wish to revisit the past but he also knows that the “experience would never leave” him

• During Kipps’ time at Eel Marsh House, he is forced to uncover the history of the house:

  • Through Jennet’s letters to Alice Drablow, Arthur understands why the house was haunted by the Woman in Black

  • The haunting sound of the child dying on the pony and trap is repeated, reminding him of the terrifying incident that occurred 60 years prior at Eel Marsh House

  • The perfectly preserved nursery is also a reminder of the past and the impact of the child’s death, highlighting how the house is entrenched in the past

• At the end of the novel, while Kipps has tried to “exorcise” the demons of his past, it is evident that he has still not been released from the pain of it:

  • The abrupt ending of “enough” indicates that he still finds it painful

• The use of the pony and trap strongly connects the present to the past as Keckwick uses it to travel to and from Eel Marsh House:

  • The pony and trap were also used when the boy died at Eel Marsh House and mirror the carriage style in which Arthur Kipps’ child dies

• The Woman in Black is also trapped in the past as her pain and desire to avenge her son’s death do not allow her to move on

What is Hill’s intention?

• Hill emphasises how one can never truly escape the painful experiences of their past and how it can influence their future:

  • Through Arthur Kipps and Jennet Humfrye, Hill illustrates how past experiences can have a negative impact

  • By using a frame-narrative, Hill emphasises how the past can have a lasting impact that can influence the individual’s future

• Hill links the past to the present through the use of the pony and trap, highlighting how one’s present is always influenced by the past

Fear

The Woman in Black is a pastiche of a Gothic novel and so fear is a prevalent theme. It is presented as both individual fear and also collective fear through the residents of Crythin Gifford. 

Knowledge and evidence:

• Kipps’ individual fear is evident from the beginning as his past trauma resurfaces and he leaves his house to compose himself:

  • The fear depicted in this chapter causes a physical reaction as the memory of his past results in “agitation” 

• However, he does not initially acknowledge his fear after his first supernatural encounter:

  • His determination to finish his assignment overpowers his initial fear and shock

• Kipps’ fear also highlights his vulnerability as he unaware of the supernatural presence at Eel Marsh House:

  • While overcome with fear, he has to enter the nursery in an attempt to understand the events unfolding

• As he continues to stay at the manor, his fear becomes extreme:

  • He is “paralysed” due to the noises at Eel Marsh House and leaves with a “fever” that makes him bedridden for days

• This same physical reaction is evident through Mr Jerome, whose reaction to the mention of the Woman in Black causes him to almost “collapse”:

  • Mr Jerome’s own trauma has impacted his behaviour and silences him

• Mr Keckwick is also silent about his father’s death and his knowledge of the Woman in Black and her child:

  • The residents are silent due to either their trauma or their fear of becoming another victim, such as the innkeeper or Mr Daily

• The Woman in Black is the source of fear and controls the other characters through her evil actions:

  • Mr Daily stated that a child dies every time she is spotted and so the residents of Crythin Gifford dread her appearance

  • Her final, deliberate act of killing Kipps’ wife and child heightens the fear around the Woman in Black as she seeks out Kipps’ child after he thought he had escaped

What is Hill’s intention?

• Through Kipps, Hill demonstrates how rational people can be affected through fear:

  • The frame narrative is effective as it shows that the older Kipps is still haunted by his past

• Hill is showing how there are different layers of fear:

  • The residents of Crythin Gifford are all part of a conspiracy of silence and do not speak of the Woman in Black

  • Victims are also in a constant mental anguish due to their encounter with the ghost

  • Characters like Mr Jerome are also physically affected by the mere mention of the Woman in Black

Sources:

Hill, S. (2011). The Woman in Black. Vintage Books