The Woman in Black: Key Quotations (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

The Woman in Black: Key Theme Quotations

You will not be able to take a copy of The Woman in Black into the exam so it is useful to learn some quotes to reference in your essay. These quotes should be short and the best way to remember them is to group them by theme or character as that is what your question will focus on.

Here are some key quotations that are organised by the following themes:

• Isolation and trauma

• The past

• Fear

Isolation and trauma

From the start of the novel, characters are clearly traumatised by their experiences and isolated as a result. The frame narrative offers an insight into how deeply Arthur Kipps has been affected by his past and allows readers to relive it with him.

“I was the one who had been haunted and who had suffered … the only one left alive … still affected by it deeply” – Arthur Kipps, Chapter 1: “Christmas Eve”

Meaning and context

• The protagonist reflects on his encounter with the Woman in Black and how badly it has affected him

Analysis

• The repetition of the phrase the “only one left alive” emphasises Kipps’ isolation as, due to the length of time that has passed, the other victims would no longer be living:

  • Not only is Kipps isolated from the rest of his family, but he is isolated from the rest of society

• The words “haunted”, “suffered” and “affected” evoke strong emotions and re-emphasise the lingering impact of his supernatural experience

“I gather she had no friends – or immediate family – that she was something of a recluse?” – Arthur Kipps, Chapter 3: “The Journey North”

Meaning and context

• Arthur Kipps shares a train carriage with Samuel Daily while travelling to Crythin Gifford

• Daily tells Kipps that he knew about Mrs Drablow and Kipps proceeds to ask questions about her

Analysis

• Hill is setting the scene and using foreshadowing to give readers an insight into how isolated Mrs Drablow’s manor was:

  • It also adds mystery and tension to both the character and where she resided as the word “recluse” suggests that Mrs Drablow deliberately isolated herself

  • The mention of “no friends” and “immediate family” further conveys her isolation and loneliness:

    • Daily claims her funeral will not be well attended

• Kipps tries to use logic to understand why she was alone and Daily does not elaborate even though he knows why:

  • It later becomes apparent that Daily is part of the conspiracy of silence

“... when the tide came in, it would quickly be quite submerged and untraceable” – Arthur Kipps, Chapter 5: “Across the Causeway”

Meaning and context

• Kipps has crossed the Nine Lives Causeway for the first time and realises that, at certain points during the day, the only exit disappears 

• This means that he cannot leave Eel Marsh House until the tide turns

Analysis

• By covering the road, Kipps is physically isolated from the rest of the town and left alone at Eel Marsh House:

  • This creates tension and suspense as he is completely cut off from society

  • The adjectives “submerged” and “untraceable” suggest concealment and highlight how the exit is not visible

• Kipps is therefore trapped and vulnerable as he is unaware of the dangers at Eel Marsh House:

  • The reader is isolated with the character; therefore our sense of fear is heightened

“... this daughter of genteel parentage, who had been so coldly rejected and whose feelings were so totally left out of the count.” – Arthur Kipps, Chapter 11: “A Packet of Letters”

Meaning and context

• After reading Jennet Humfrye’s letters, Kipps feels sympathy for her and her difficult life

• Kipps reflects on how she was isolated from society for having a child out of wedlock

Analysis

• The novel is set during the early 20th century and illustrates society’s beliefs and code of conduct during that time:

  • Humfrye was treated poorly for having a child out of wedlock

• The use of emotive language, “coldly rejected”, suggests abandonment and a lack of empathy:

  • Her family disowned her and she became an outcast

• Her “feelings were ... left out” suggests that Humfrye’s wellbeing and happiness were disregarded

• The “daughter of genteel parentage” suggests she came from a respectable family:

  • The reputation of the family may have been more important than Humfrye’s love for her child

• Despite giving her child up for adoption, Humfrye’s reputation was tarnished:

  • This backstory gives readers an insight into the origins of the Woman in Black and may offer some justification for her desire for revenge

  • It evokes sympathy for her and portrays her as someone who has been treated unfairly

The past

Arthur Kipps is recalling a harrowing incident that happened to him many years prior and the impact that it had on his life. As he tells the story, it is evident that the residents of Crythin Gifford have also been affected by past incidents and continue to live with the consequences of them. 

“... that I should lie awake in a chill of sweat, going over that time, those events, those places.” – Arthur Kipps, Chapter 1: “Christmas Eve”

Meaning and context

• The protagonist is introduced in the first chapter and he appears to be struggling internally with past incidents that have had a deeply negative impact on him

Analysis

• The language in this quote creates a powerful image of Kipps haunted by his past:

  • “Lie awake” highlights how he is consumed with these thoughts at night as he relives the incident

• These intense emotions set up the frame story as Arthur decides to return to his past in order to exorcise his demons:

• The phrase “that time, those events, those places” suggests he is overwhelmed by the details of his past trauma:

  • The repetition of “those” underscores the recurring nature of his memories 

“They must have been here for half a century, yet they might have been played with this afternoon and tidied away tonight” – Arthur Kipps, Chapter 9: “In the Nursery”

Meaning and context

• At Eel Marsh House, Kipps discovers that a previously locked room is now unlocked

• He enters to find that it is a perfectly preserved nursery

Analysis

• The image of the nursery appearing well preserved highlights the more sinister undertones of the house:

  • It could be suggested that the Woman in Black maintains the room in order to preserve the memory of her child

• It also illustrates how Eel Marsh House has not moved on from the fatal accident and that the house is haunted by the memory of it:

  • This is also reinforced by the recurring sound of the child dying

• The Woman in Black cannot move on; therefore the house also remains entrenched in the past 

“Crythin Gifford has lived with that for fifty years. It’s changed people.” – Samuel Daily, Chapter 11: “A Packet of Letters”

Meaning and context

• Arthur Kipps has left Eel Marsh House for the last time and discusses the house and its past with Samuel Daily

• Daily is hesitant to talk about it as he is afraid of the consequences

Analysis

• The residents of Crythin Gifford are having to endure the supernatural occurrences due to the child’s death at Eel Marsh House:

  • They have lived with the knowledge that they may encounter the Woman in Black and have “changed” as a result

• It can be concluded that the residents of Crythin Gifford are also unable to move forward as the sight of the Woman in Black is a constant reminder of the past

• “Lived with that for fifty years” underscores the duration and weight of this burden

Fear

As this novella is inspired by the Gothic genre, fear is a central theme that is present throughout the whole text. It affects multiple characters and influences their actions, behaviour and speech.

“... for it took us to the very edge of the horizon where life and death meet together.” – Arthur Kipps, Chapter 7: “Mr Jerome is Afraid”

Meaning and context

• Kipps discusses Eel Marsh House with Mr Jerome, who is hesitant to help

• He is aware they have both experienced something that caused intense fear as he had seen the Woman in Black again at Eel Marsh House

Analysis

• Hill uses the image of the “horizon” to symbolise life in order to describe the negative impact the Woman in Black had on both men:

  • Their experience was something that was not linked to life nor death but instead transported them to a purgatory state emphasising their extreme discomfort and fear

• It also creates an image of otherworldliness wherein they would be powerless to fight or resist:

  • This conveys their sense of isolation and fear

“... my fear reached a new height, until for a minute I thought I would die of it, was dying ...” – Arthur Kipps, Chapter 11: “A Packet of Letters”

Meaning and context

• At Eel Marsh House during the night, Kipps witnesses something supernatural

• Spider, the dog, runs through a corridor to a room that was previously locked but is now unlocked 

Analysis

• Kipps experiences an intense fear as he sees the open door:

  • As he is the only person in the house, the tension and fear is palpable as he was previously unable to open the room

  • This leaves the reader to question who opened the door and what is in the room

• The phrase “was dying” suggests Kipps has never experienced anything like this before and illustrates the overwhelming nature of his fear:

  • It also suggests that what he is experiencing is sinister and may claim his life

• Kipps was previously a logical man who believed in fact rather than superstition and so his fear highlights his lack of understanding and inability to come to a reasonable conclusion:

  • The word “dying” could also symbolise how Kipps is changing and will never be the same person again

 “They don't speak of it, you found that out. Those who have suffered worst say least – Jerome, Keckwick.” – Samuel Daily, Chapter 11: “A Packet of Letters”

Meaning and context

• Daily and Kipps discuss Eel Marsh House and the origins of the Woman in Black

• Daily mentions some of the Woman in Black’s victims

Analysis

• It is evident that the residents of Crythin Gifford do not speak out of fear or trauma:

  • Therefore, every member of the town is part of the conspiracy of silence

• Daily’s comments explain why Mr Jerome was hesitant to help Kipps and appeared to be “paralysed” with fear at the mention of the Woman in Black in the church:

  • The phrase “suffered worst” suggests they have experienced something painful and terrifying:

    • It implies the pain is so terrible that words fail to capture it

“I was paralysed, rooted to the spot on which I stood, and all the world went dark around me ...” – Arthur Kipps, Chapter 12: “The Woman in Black”

Meaning and context

• Years after his encounter with the Woman in Black at Eel Marsh House, Kipps sees her again in London 

Analysis

• Emotive language is used to highlight Kipps’ shock, fear and helplessness:

  • Her appearance affected him physically as he was “paralysed” and “rooted to the spot”

• The “world” going “dark” around him also highlights how his extreme fear has isolated him:

  • Her presence and her stare has made him feel exposed and vulnerable

• His reaction is a direct contrast to the first time he saw the Woman in Black as he now understands what her presence means:

  • Hill has created the Woman in Black to be the epitome of fear and she elicits extreme reactions out of those she targets

Sources:

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