The Woman in Black Exam PQE
How Susan Hill Builds and Sustains Tension in ‘The Woman in Black’
Hill uses many techniques in her writing in order to build and sustain tension throughout the novel. Through the careful crafting of language she creates engaging and intriguing characters, atmosphere and settings and had crafted a novel that few people can put down. Using powerful adjectives the writer has created a deathly tone when describing the first time we see Eel Marsh House. The author’s use of language is significant because it has a ghastly effect, which makes us feel anxious. For example the writer uses the powerful verb “bone pale” within the sentence “Here and there were clumps of reed, bleached bone pale, and now and again the faintest of winds caused to rattle dryly.” In the sentence the writer uses “bone pale” which has sinister connotations of emptiness and death. This will make the reader feel anxious when first reading the setting around Eel Marsh House because Hill has created a deathly tone by using this quotation. ‘Pale’ has connotations of death because when you die your body turns pale, hard and stiffened. “Bones” are sinister because they give the impression that something harmful or evil is happening or will happen, bones also remind us of death. The use of pathetic fallacy “faintest of winds” in conjunction with the powerful verb “rattled” makes us feel confused because of the use of imagery. This powerful verb “rattled” has connotations of being empty, misty and abandoned through the use of pathetic fallacy. This creates an image of the woman in black being extremely wicked, venomous and malevolent. This could be important to the story because it adds a feeling of tension, as the reader would empathise to the character being solitary. Hill also uses the emotive verb “rattle dryly” as this gives the reader a sense of suspense. The verb “rattle” gives us a warning of danger, because the word reminds us of animals in particular a rattle snake, these creatures normally
Hill uses many techniques in her writing in order to build and sustain tension throughout the novel. Through the careful crafting of language she creates engaging and intriguing characters, atmosphere and settings and had crafted a novel that few people can put down. Using powerful adjectives the writer has created a deathly tone when describing the first time we see Eel Marsh House. The author’s use of language is significant because it has a ghastly effect, which makes us feel anxious. For example the writer uses the powerful verb “bone pale” within the sentence “Here and there were clumps of reed, bleached bone pale, and now and again the faintest of winds caused to rattle dryly.” In the sentence the writer uses “bone pale” which has sinister connotations of emptiness and death. This will make the reader feel anxious when first reading the setting around Eel Marsh House because Hill has created a deathly tone by using this quotation. ‘Pale’ has connotations of death because when you die your body turns pale, hard and stiffened. “Bones” are sinister because they give the impression that something harmful or evil is happening or will happen, bones also remind us of death. The use of pathetic fallacy “faintest of winds” in conjunction with the powerful verb “rattled” makes us feel confused because of the use of imagery. This powerful verb “rattled” has connotations of being empty, misty and abandoned through the use of pathetic fallacy. This creates an image of the woman in black being extremely wicked, venomous and malevolent. This could be important to the story because it adds a feeling of tension, as the reader would empathise to the character being solitary. Hill also uses the emotive verb “rattle dryly” as this gives the reader a sense of suspense. The verb “rattle” gives us a warning of danger, because the word reminds us of animals in particular a rattle snake, these creatures normally