The Woman in Black is an example of Victorian Gothic literature. Narrated in the classic 19th-century tradition, it incorporates several elements of horror such as enigmatic strangers, desolate landscapes, haunted houses, and graveyards. It offers perspectives from a social, psychological, and feminist viewpoint. It dwells on the themes of fear, loneliness, and past influences and relies on ambiance to create an effect.
Arthur Kipps, a lawyer, celebrates Christmas with his family. The merry mood turns somber when his children request for a ghost story. Arthur finds it disturbing to narrate the ominous experience at Eel Marsh House, and so he writes it down instead.
He recalls a visit to a remote village in England to attend to the legal matters of a deceased client, Mrs. Drablow. His hope of a seaside holiday is thwarted, when a mysterious woman in black starts haunting him. He learns about a spate of horrific child deaths, which have left the parents confounded and traumatized. According to the locals, each time someone spots the woman, a child dies.
The narrative reveals the story of Jennet Humfrye, a woman devastated by the loss of a child. Jennet is compelled to give up her illegitimate son to her sister's care. Unfortunately, the boy meets an accidental death and Jennet's ghost returns to haunt her sister's isolated estate. She seeks vengeance against a patriarchal society that separates a mother from her child. She wreaks havoc on the entire community and destroys many innocent lives. At the end of the story, Arthur sees the woman in black again. The reader is shocked when Arthur’s wife and son die in an accident.
The painful story probes the dark side of maternal passion. It highlights the fact that intense grief and anxiety can distort human personality. It depicts the mindset in the 19th century and exposes societal attitudes towards an unwed mother. The story explores the pathos of an era when people sought refuge in superstition and ghost stories to explain untoward events.
