Despite Kipps’ ‘rational’ approach to supernatural happenings, he also exhibits frequently the qualities of naivety and his ‘state of innocence’. Supremely, his declaration that ‘I doubt if the woman in black can have any animosity towards me’ displays proleptic irony; he simply has no idea as to the intentions of the ‘woman in black’ at this stage; namely, that the character of the troubled ‘woman in black’ Jennet Humfreye is rather like that of Miss Havisham from Great Expectations, both having been hurt deeply and subsequently are seeking revenge, and not necessarily on the exact person or circumstances that hurt them. Whilst Miss Havisham targets men after having been jilted by her lover in the past, Jennet targets children and their happy families, after having her own happiness shattered through the death of her child.
The key developments we see in Kipps’ character occur in pages 43-45. In preparation for going to Eel Marsh House, Kipps mentions ‘But I was not afraid’, displaying his naivety. The reader can assume that this tough external appearance will most likely break down. When he arrives at Eel Marsh House, he ‘was aware of a heightening of every one of (his) senses’. On first impressions, it appears he even likes his surroundings, romanticising about living there and his hopes and dreams for Stella and himself, a deep feeling being aroused (‘well being and contentment’). He ‘began to feel more like a man on holiday than one come to attent a funeral’; therefore feeling suitably in control of nature, but eventually we can expect for nature to take control of him; i.e. through the ghost of Jennet herself.
The construction of the novel and technique of the narrator is such that the reader and protagonist’s fear is increased and intensified in a series of powerful waves interspersed with periods of relaxation. The fear begins through Kipps’ sense of ‘isolation’, from which he gets an ‘unpleasant sensation’ owing to him being ‘far from any human dwelling’, which happens when Kipps is sent on a journey north for his business regarding Mrs Alice Drablow’s property.
The narrator continues to manipulate the reader’s emotions, however the next stage of fear is not encountered until the protagonist Arthur Kipps hears a ‘slight rustle’ and encounters ‘another mourner’; i.e. the ‘woman in black’ for the first time. Through a rational explanation (by saying she is suffering from a ‘terrible wasting disease’), Kipps is exhibiting a naivety and innocence by showing sympathy for her (‘if I could be of any assistance’). The impact of the fear is therefore greater because it is more unexpected, and it returns when we meet the woman for a second time whilst Kipps is going ‘across the causeway’. Here he no longer sees the woman looking ill; rather, she is wearing an expression of the ‘purest evil and hatred and loathing’ and in her eyes a ‘desperate, yearning malevolence.’ When Kipps as a result encounters true ‘fear’, he feels ‘possessed by it’ almost as if he has ‘become paralysed’, thus showing the true impact of fear because Kipps himself has always been presented as a ‘rational’ man. As a result, the stage of fear seems all the more believable and in turn frightening for the reader. Kipps’ need for a ‘rational explanation’ makes the whole experience feel more supernatural and spooky.
The readers’ emotions are again manipulated to a large extent in the first hearing of ‘the pony and trap’; Kipps becomes ‘baffled’ by the sounds he hears (‘whinnying of a horse in panic’ and ‘a child’). The sound of the ‘child’ in particular heightens emotions and fear, because a child is looked upon as naïve and innocent, making the situation far more vulnerable for the victim in particular. The fear is taken up several notches and is on the verge of high tension when Kipps feels ‘a sense of helplessness’; he becomes completely disorientated (‘I had lost my sense of time’) and cries ‘tears of desperation’ as well as feeling ‘frustration’. This peak is then followed by a relaxation of the tension where Kipps mentions ‘all seemed quite real’ and that he feels comfort in human company (‘never had I welcomed the sight of a fellow human being more in my life’). Kipps’ reflection on the experience adds to the fear because he feels that he has truly been changed by it, and he says he ‘knew’ the woman was a ghost, which is a real breakthrough for a ‘rational’ character. He feels truly confident which makes the happenings more believable (‘for certainty lay deep within me’) and his reference that he ‘would have sworn to that on oath, on any testament’ reminds us that Kipps’ profession is a lawyer, and he is using terms of law.
The reader feels true respect towards Kipps’ bravery slightly further on in the story, when his calmness and equanimity are restored; he has renewed courage. He feels far ‘more composed’ and intends not to run away; instead, he keeps his ‘determination’ and decides to ‘face it out’. The protagonist is exhibiting hubris; he has an arrogant belief that he is immune and that he can take on and overcome the forces of evil, but he can only meet his nemesis.
After showing bravery, Kipps returns to Eel Marsh House and another frightening experience occurs regarding the ‘nursery’, the fourth stage of fear. At this stage, Kipps also has the ‘spirited, lively’ dog of Samuel Daily, Spider, as his companion. The initial mood is in control (‘calm and cheerful’), and he feels as if all the ‘horrors’ have ‘quite evaporated’. When the first supernatural happenings occur (the ‘bump, bump’), Kipps gives a rational explanation yet again (‘I told myself it was a rat’). When he finally enters the nursery, and sees all the children’s ‘clothes and toys’ arranged neatly, rather than feeling fear he feels ‘grief’; a true sadness and a surge of empathy.
However the next stage of fear reaches its peak. This peak of the fear and manipulation of the reader’s emotions occurs when tension rises and Spider falls into into quicksand; he hears whistling, ‘yet (he) would have sworn it had not come from any human lips’. He experiences a breakdown of his rationality which is extremely frightening; he starts to wonder what is ‘real’ (‘At that moment I began to doubt my own reality’). Thus, a strong way in which the narrator manipulates the emotions of the reader and fear is by giving us a hubristic protagonist, who is bound to meet his nemesis. In this particular case it happens in spasms and peaks, which builds up the fear.
In conclusion, the narrative techniques of The Woman In Black are displayed in terms of Hill’s eclectic approach. However, her representation of the protagonist as well as the stages of fear are where she uses her techniques most skilfully in terms of leading the readers to feel fear and become more drawn into the text as a whole.
