Setting in the Woman in Black free essay sample

In the Woman in Black Mr Kipps goes to some very different places. Each setting has a different emotional effect on the character and the reader. Eel Marsh House shapes Mr Kipps feelings about Mrs Drablows and is the main setting of the story, and Mr Daily’s House is the home of Mr Kipps’ first friend. Eel Marsh House was the residence Mr and Mrs Drablow and their son Nathaniel Drablow. The house may have once been a beautiful mansion but after years of unkeeping the house fell into disarray. The house is similar the Miss Havisham’s house in Great Expectations. Eel Marsh House holds great importance in the story – it reflects Mrs Drablow’s character. When she died, the house died with her. The atmosphere is eerie and it feels almost as though there is a feeling of lingering death. ‘Indeed, it was all curiously impersonal†¦ dull, rather gloomy, and rather unwelcoming home. We will write a custom essay sample on Setting in the Woman in Black or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page ’ This quote may suggest that something is still remaining in the house after her death. Susan Hill tries to make the reader think that Mrs Drablow’s soul is still present. Susan Hill is very successful in her presentation of this gothic mansion. She included all the connotations of gothic literature and through this she was able to create an atmosphere of tension and darkness. Mr Daily’s House is very contrasting to Eel Marsh House in that it gives a very warm atmosphere. His house is one of splendour and grandeur, ‘he lived in an imposing rather austere country park. ’ Mr Daily’s House is not of great importance to the story and only appears a few times. However, it reflects Mr Daily’s character and shows that he exerts his status and power through his possessions, ‘the whole effect was grand and rather chilling and somehow quite out of keeping with Mr Daily’s character’. As a reader we can see a different side of Mr Daily – one with which he is more comfortable with. The atmosphere is the complete opposite of Eel Marsh House; it has a ‘happy family’ feel. Through this atmosphere Susan Hill tries to make the reader feel as though they too are being welcomed into the house. Susan Hill is very successful in her presentation of this ‘austere country park’. She has made the reader feel welcome through the atmosphere of ‘happy family’. Both settings change Mr Kipps and in both settings the mood is very different.