How Isolation Is Presented in Woman in Blackk

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Throughout ‘The Woman in Black’ the theme of isolation is built upon throughout. One of the first times that the theme is explored in great depth is when Kipps is travelling on the train and “the cloud of cold, damp air… added to the chill of the compartment.” Here Hill uses the technique of pathetic fallacy to link the mood to the weather; it is very negative and Kipps is scared and alone. He doesn’t know what to do and there is no one there that can help him and answer any questions in which he way have. The fact that this is a “cloud” is almost metaphorical because of the amount of coldness felt is emphasised and exaggerated using hyperbole; it is trapping him and could be covering up things that he wants to know, adding to the mystery and isolation surrounding him as a character. The “compartment” also suggests that he is alone and trapped away from anything or anyone else which could make him feel more relaxed – Hill is purposely keeping him alone to give him the most unpleasant experiences possible to make the reader feel sympathetic, and from this point onwards in the chapter isolation then continues to build even further. Secondly, upon travelling and arriving to Eel Marsh House it is clear that the isolation that Arthur feels has increased. For example, the name of the chapter “Across the Causeway” reveals to us how unpleasant this place is because the word “causeway” tells the reader that people can only get there at certain times when the tide is out, and by Keckwick’s pony and trap. This means that there is restricted access and if something bad were to happen to Kipps at Eel Marsh House he wouldn’t be able to escape. This adds to the terror that Kipps is expected to experience through the foreshadowing of sinister events that will happen later on in the novel, and the fact that as well as being physically isolated he is also mentally isolated due to
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