The Woman in Black

“Yes, I had a story, a true story, a story of haunting and evil, fear and confusion, horror and tragedy. But it was not a story to be told for casual entertainment, around the fireside upon Christmas Eve.”

Kipps’s narrative voice at the beginning of the novel reflects his inner turmoil about the trauma he experienced in Eel Marsh House. This moment implies Kipps has internalized his pain from the past without having an outlet to express his grief, hinting at The Consequences of Holding Onto Pain and the Past. The tone is both stoic, allowing Kipps to be straightforward, and mysterious, which enforces the gothic elements of the novel.

“I saw to the fire, damping down the flames, and knocked out my pipe on the side of the hearth, feeling quiet and serene again, and no longer agitated about what lonely terrors I might have to endure, whether asleep or awake, during the small hours of the coming night.”

Now that Kipps has decided to write his story, his tone begins to lessen in hostility and moves toward a resigned acceptance. However, there is hope that Kipps will let go of his pain with the goal of moving forward with his life without fear of reliving his memories. At this point in the novel, the reader does not know about his loss or his encounter with the woman in black, but Hill makes it obvious that Kipps is impacted from being haunted by his past.