she is a sickly character and needs assistance, not realising who she really
is. The author is careful not to give too much away at this point, but you get
a sense of ‘between worlds’, as Arthur looks up to see a ‘blackbird on the
holly bush‘ he then turns to find the woman in black has gone. She does not
draw attention to herself, as she disappears ‘just as unobtrusively as she had
arrived’. She was still and quiet and did not communicate verbally, but she
was communicating all the same; her presence, her apparel and her features,
giving to atmospheric feelings, that something is not quite right. The reader
can guess that this may be supernatural.
Methods of Interaction
Whilst humans use their voices, facial expressions and other physical
methods to communicate, the ghost says nothing audible, nothing that is
understandable. The ghost uses objects and sounds to physically interact
with the humans. For example, in chapter four, Arthur is alerted to her
presence by ’some slight rustle’ behind him in the graveyard. This causes
him to turn and see his first sighting of the woman in black.
Other physical methods of interaction are heard in chapter six when Arthur
hears a pony and trap, along with the cries from a child, ‘unmistakable clip-
clop…..rumble and creak of the trap…..then….a terrified sobbing…from a
child’ Arthur felt chilled and horrified. After being exposed to these events,
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not once, but several times during his stay, he starts to question his beliefs
about ghosts and the supernatural. I feel the ghostly events are now doing
their work, managing to get his attention, making him doubt his logic and to
think about what may have happened in the past.
The dog in the story, Spider, is able to communicate his feelings to Arthur.
For example in chapter nine, during his stay in Mrs Drablow’s house, Arthur
was comforted by Spider’s ‘gentle breathing’ while settling down to sleep.
Later he was awoken during the night when he was alerted by Spider who
was standing by the bedroom door, her ’ears were pricked up, her tail erect,
the whole of her tense, as if ready to spring’. This helped Arthur to verify that
his own feelings were real and that the strange sound they were hearing was
affecting them both in the same way, for the same reasons, that something
was not right, that something was there. It is not just about being human, it is
about being alive.
Appearance
The previous point noted that ‘interactions’ are very different between
ghosts and humans. Humans are social creatures and we find it strange
when someone is in a ’world of their own’ and, as with Arthur, tend to make all
kinds of assumptions based on what we see and hear. Arthur’s description
that she may be suffering from some ‘terrible wasting disease’ and her skin
being ‘the thinnest layer of flesh… strained across her bones… regarded as
incurable’ makes the reader think of rotting flesh and death, that she may not
be human. These ‘signs’ alone, did not allow Arthur to uncover the truth, but
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as the story develops, Arthur starts to open his mind and he begins to doubt
what is real and unreal.
The appearance of the children, looking on at the burial of Mrs Drablow, were
a ‘row of pale, solemn faces’ they were ‘quite motionless’ looking ‘so unlike
children’ who are generally ‘animated and carefree’. The reader is left
wondering whether the children are in fact human as they are not showing
human traits, which can be seen when Arthur smiles at one of the children,
but does not get a smile back.
Movements
In addition to ‘appearance‘, another important aspect of the differences
between ghosts and humans are their movements. Arthur enjoys the
countryside and loves to move around on a bike, ’ feeling the rush of pure
cold air’ on his face. He felt a’ glow of well-being’ which ’banished every
nervous fear and morbid fancy’. The reader can feel a sense of ‘it’s good to
be alive’ in the story and is confirmation that life is going on.
In contrast the woman in black appears almost weightless, seeming to float
from one area to another. Suddenly to appear and disappear, no movement
seen. During chapter 10 Arthur catches a ’glimpse of someone standing…. a
woman……..that woman’ in one of the upper windows of Mrs Drablow’s
house. She appears to just happen, no movement, but to suddenly just be
there.
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Emotions
One of the main areas to explore are the emotions of the humans and the
ghost. The humans within the story, as within ’real life’ situations, have many
emotions. For example, happiness, sadness, anger, love, confidence,
anxiety, fear, stress, hate, to name but a few. The emotion of fear is shown
through the character, Jerome, who has a fearful and distressed reaction
when Arthur asks who the woman is. This also manifested itself physically
by Jerome becoming ‘frozen, pale, his throat moving as if he were unable
to utter’. His fear, making him ‘glued to the spot’ unable to respond.
During chapter five, Arthur espy’s the woman in black in the small burial
ground by Mrs Drablow’s house, he becomes filled with fear. His heart
lurched and ‘pounded like hammers… mouth dry… filling him with dread’. So
strong are these emotions that they also effect his physical being, making his
‘knees to tremble… flesh to creep’ and ‘turn to cold as stone’. These feelings
turn to ‘fight or flight’ and he chooses to run back to the safety of the house,
back inside the four walls, where he feels secure, away from the vastness
and openness of the countryside and the events unfolding.
The ghost appears to have only one type of emotion, explained by Arthur as
being the ‘purest evil, hatred and loathing’. These are negative traits, which
humans can relate to. Maybe Arthur’s senses make him believe the ghost
has emotions, but he cannot possibly know whether these are real feelings
given off by the ghost. These are ’echoes’ of past human feelings from a
’poor, crazed, troubled woman, dead of grief and distress’ named Jennet
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Humfrye. She had lost her own child and her bitterness turned into
’wickedness’ that meant she could not rest. These powerful ‘vibes’ made her
emotions ‘live on’. The yearly death of a child within the village, appeared to
be the result of these strong emotions from a past life. Towards the end of the
story it is realised that the woman in black has only one mission, to hurt, to
destroy and to make those who live, suffer, by the loss of their own children,
leading to a continual revenge.
Conclusion
I have described and evaluated five main differences between the ghost and
the human characters, within the ‘Woman in Black‘. In each area I have
evidenced from the story, to show these differences and in some cases
likenesses. I also explained that it is not only humans that are affected by
ghostly events and that Spider the dog was also aware when a presence
was felt. The evidence sets the feeling for the atmosphere and the tension
that these differences create, resulting in a gripping, sometimes scary and
tragic plot.
SALLI ROBINSON Page 6 of 6