The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

Introduction:
“The Woman in Black” is a gothic novel and it was written by Susan Hill in 1983. Hill’s book is an
amazing example of how gothic literature can evoke fear in readers and Hill has shown through
several ways in her novel. By using vivid imagery, symbolism, dramatic irony, and many other
literary techniques, Hill manages to evoke fear in the reader. Hill manages to twist words and
narratives together to create a scene which fills the reader with absolute fear. The novel explores
many themes such as grief, guilt, and the impact of the past on a person’s mind. This is especially
seen in chapter 6 called “In The Nursery” which is a brilliant example of the gothic conventions
and how they use fear to keep the reader invested. The chapter is filled with all kinds of different
gothic conventions and clearly shows the author uses them to evoke fear in the reader.

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One of the most prominent gothic features in chapter 6 is the descriptive language which is a key
way of evoking fear in the reader. The descriptive language is often used in gothic texts to evoke fear
in readers by creating disturbing and unsettling vivid imagery in their heads. This helps immerse
them in the narrative and heighten their senses which causes them to visualise unsettling parts of
the story vividly too. This is shown in the scene when Arthur Kipps enters the nursery and finds
the rocking chair. As he enters, he observes, "The rocking chair moved, slowly and ponderously,
back and forth.". The description of the eerie rocking chair creates a visual image in the reader's
head which adds to the sense of fear and the unknown. It also suggests that supernatural or magical
forces are at work here. The imagery makes the reader feel uneasy about the rocking chair. Even
though it's a normal rocking chair, Hill uses descriptive language to create imagery by describing
the rocking chair and the strangeness of it in great detail while also describing Arthur’s fear and
apprehension. This heigthens the reader’s senses and makes them vilsisue the scene better while also
feeling the same fear that Arthur is feeling.

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Throughout the chapter, Hill also uses dramatic irony to increase the reader's feeling of fear and
suspense. By using dramatic irony, Hill creates a feeling of vulnerability for the reader. This is
because readers must witness the characters walking in danger but can’t do anything to stop which
can lead to a sense of anxiety and fear for the character’s wellbeing. When Arthur comes across the
locked door in the nursery, he says, "I had no wish to open it. I had no wish whatsoever to go
beyond it." When Arthur shows reluctance to open the locked door of the nursery, this creates
suspense and makes the reader wonder about what’s on the other side of the door. The sentence
creates a feeling of dread for the reader. It also emphasises the suspenseful nature of the door. The
reader must have guessed that what lies behind the door is bad but must wait in anxiety as they read
Arthur going into the nursery. Arthur’s reluctance is also a foreshadowing because it foreshadows
the terrible and sinister events that lie behind the locked door. While reading this part, the reader
can feel that there is something wrong on the other side of the door but they don’t know what it is.
It creates fear for Arthur because he is blissfully aware of the danger on the other side. This helps
develop tension, suspense and fear in the reader.

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Another literary device that Hill makes use of is symbolism. Symbolism is a literary device which
can be used to evoke subconscious fears. It does this by representing abstract or abnormal ideas. For
example, the locked door of the nursery symbolises isolation and confinement which evokes a sense
of fear in the reader. It plays an important role in evoking fear in this chapter. Once Arthur enters
the nursery, he describes it as “In complete darkness.” This is an eerie sentence and it becomes
scarier when the reader remembers that the door was locked before. Previously, he had described
his fear of the door as “I thought I would die of it”. This shows how intense the fear is and how
truly horrifying it was for him to experience it. All of this heightens the impending sense of doom
in the story and increases the suspense because many readers fearfully wonder about the locked
door and how it’s now open. This relates to the theme of the supernatural and how other forces
might be at work here. The sense of impending doom and suspense is also a foreshadowing as the
reader feels as if something is about to happen which makes them fearful and on edge.

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As Arthur continues to explore the nursery, he finds a child's crib which is draped in a black cloth.
The black cloth was usually associated with death and mourning, this links the Woman In Black
herself as she is still grieving over the death of her child and how he was taken from her. The use of
this symbolism supports the story's dark undertones and increases the reader’s sense of dread and
fear. The cloth is an important reminder of grief, loss and tragedy which is a recurring theme in the
story. Arthur also mentions that the nursery is “fully furnished”. This symbolism that the nursery
was an important part of the house and was cared for much more than the rest of the house was.
He mentioned that it looked like “The occupant of it might only have gone away for a night or
two" which shows it was an important place for the people who lived in the house and it meant a
lot to them. This shows that the nursery was important because it belonged to Nathaniel Drablow
who died at the house. The nursery is a symbol for the love of a child and how strong that love is
because even when the child is dead, his nursery is still kept in good condition and cared for.

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Foreshadowing is used to hint at future events and builds anticipation. It creates suspenseful
tension because the reader is anticipating the events and this leaves them in a state of suspense,
dread and anxiety. Hill uses the technique of foreshadowing as well. Once in the nursery, Arthur
reaches for a porcelain doll in the room, and he describes the doll having "its eyes open wide in
terror." This is an example of foreshadowing because the look of terror on the doll’s face is what
Arthur will have once he faces the horrors of the woman in black. This creates a sense of dread,
suspense and anticipation because the reader is not sure when Arthur will face this and what it will
be. It leaves the reader feeling unsettled because the doll represents innocence being corrupted by
the terrifying presence of the Woman in Black. Another example of foreshadowing is shown when
Arthur describes the emotion of the nursery as “Curious air of sadness, of something lost, missing”.
This is referring to the death of Nathaniel Drablow along with the feeling of grief and sadness the
Woman in Black has to face. The statement also foreshadows what Arthur will feel later on at the
end of the story when he loses his own child and wife in a terrible but similar accident just like the
Woman In Black.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, through the use of imagery, symbolism, dramatic irony, descriptive language and
foreshadowing, Hill has managed to create a narrative which is filled with terror and suspense,
keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. By using imagery, Hill managed to create an unsettling
and terrifying image in the reader’s head of the nursery door which evoked a sense of fear and
suspense. Dramatic irony helped create a sense of vulnerability when the reader watches fearfully
and helplessly as Arthur walks into the nursery door which was previously locked but is now open.
Then symbolism which evokes subconscious fears in the reader by making terrifying connections
between things such as how the black cloth symbolised death. And finally, foreshadowing which
created a sense of fear and anxiety as the reader is left anticipating when Arthur will wear the same
look of horror as the porcelain doll . Hill uses these techniques skillfully which ensures that the
reader experiences a terrifying narrative while reading the novel and feeling afraid. All in all,
Chapter 6 successfully uses gothic literary techniques to evoke fear in the reader.