Use of structure in The Woman in Black
The novella is set out in twelve chapters. The first chapter frames the story to come and is set in a narrative present that is years away from the haunting events that Arthur experiences at Crythin Gifford.
The following chapters relate the ghost story that Arthur is unable to share on Christmas Eve but that he hopes will be told through his writing.
The last chapter shares the title of the story and reveals how the ghost finally harms Arthur personally. It is set a few years after his visit to Eel Marsh House and depicts a sighting of Jennet Humfrye's ghost that results in tragedy.
Evidence and explanation of the structure used
Frame story
Susan Hill uses the story-within-a-story (or frame story) structure for The Woman in Black. In fact there are three stories nested - the story of Jennet Humfrye, inside the story of the young Arthur Kipps, framed by the present day Arthur's Christmas Eve.
This structure has a disorienting effect. It also highlights the theme of the past and memories.
Final chapter
The last chapter shares the title of the overall story, suggesting that rather than the end, this is a beginning and despite Arthur's final one-word sentence 'Enough.' perhaps there is more to come.
Hill holds back the accident that kills Stella and Joseph until the very end. Although we understand that Arthur is haunted by the woman at Eel Marsh House, it is this final piece of the story that explains why he is still disturbed so many years later.
How to analyse structure
How important is the overall structure of this novella?
- the structure maintains suspense to the very end of the story
- the frame story disorients the reader and adds to the sense of supernatural events
- the story follows a structure of rising action, climax and resolution. This keeps us engaged, waiting for what we feel should come next