Analysis of 'Whistle and I'll Come to You' by Susan Hill

This video analyzes the extract 'Whistle and I'll Come to You' from Susan Hill's 'The Woman in Black' for the Edexcel IGCSE English Language exam. The title, not given by Hill, alludes to an M.R. James short story where a scientific character faces the paranormal, challenging their rational beliefs. This parallels Arthur Kipps' experience in Eel Marsh House, where his grasp on reality is tested.

The extract immediately uses pathetic fallacy, with the intensifying storm mirroring Arthur Kipps' escalating fear. Hill employs gothic tropes like an old, isolated house and stormy weather to create an ominous atmosphere. The house is described as 'a ship at sea', emphasizing its isolation and vulnerability, and violent verbs (battered, roaring) and plosive sounds heighten the sense of endangerment. Rattling windows mirror Arthur Kipps' nervousness, enhanced by stereotypical ghostly sounds of moaning and whistling.

Initially, Arthur Kipps is presented as a rational thinker, trying to maintain control by gathering his wits and considering facts (e.g., the house's age). He uses 'unlikely' and 'probability', showing his mathematical approach. He seeks comfort by reverting to childhood memories, using a flashback to recall the 'snug safety' of his family home. This sibilance highlights comfort but also contrasts with his present vulnerability. Predatory language describes the wind ('rage round like a lion'), adding to the sense of danger. Despite the comfort, the trance-like state suggests a loss of control, foreshadowing his mental decline.

A cry from the 'howling darkness' shatters his reverie. Non-specific nouns like 'somewhere' create mystery and discomfort. Zoomorphism ('howling darkness') suggests Arthur Kipps is under attack. The 'electrical field of pain and suffering' emphasizes anguish, making the reader nervous for his safety. He progresses from actively trying to control the situation to being 'catapulted back into the present' in a passive voice, indicating a loss of control. Short, minor sentences ('I listened hard. Nothing.') build tension.

The wind is likened to a banshee, an ominous folklore allusion. Arthur Kipps tries to maintain control with declarative statements ('There was no child I knew that'), but these are juxtaposed with rhetorical questions ('How could there be?') that expose his internal battle against logic. His declaration of 'Rest in peace' to a non-existent child contradicts his rational side, showing confusion. The repetition of 'trying' emphasizes his struggle to maintain his core belief system of rationality despite the increasing paranormal events.

The dog provides comfort and companionship, though its closeness could also suggest it senses danger, adding to the reader's unease. Arthur Kipps' language shifts from facts to 'impressions' and 'certain sense', indicating a move towards emotional and unconscious thought. When the lights fail, he is entirely vulnerable. Darkness symbolizes the unknown and creates fear, as he loses literal and metaphorical understanding of his surroundings.

In his desperation, Arthur Kipps lists tangible facts ('I'd seen nothing I felt nothing'), attempting to rationalize the situation. However, this is contrasted with emotional language and non-specific nouns, highlighting the sense of the unknown. The claustrophobia of the 'short narrow corridor' amplifies his discomfort. The word 'inexplicably' directly challenges his rational belief system, especially after seeing a supposedly locked nursery door open. His attempts to evaluate lead to 'wild incoherent fantasies', and rhetorical questions reveal his profound confusion.

A short sentence ('but then they see') signals a turning point where he gives up trying to find a rational explanation. He tries to cling to 'tangible facts' about who inhabits the house, but the non-specific nouns 'whatever, whoever, whoever' demonstrate his questioning of reality. He seeks literal light as a symbol of truth, but his torch breaks, representing a loss of hope and his inability to grasp the truth or understand this new, unfamiliar realm.

Arthur Kipps' earlier level-headedness is replaced by an 'emotive state' of 'weeping tears of despair and fear, frustration and tension.' Violent verbs like 'drummed...in a burst of violent rage' show a complete loss of control and hysteria, making him the antithesis of his former rational self. The dog's presence offers a brief, 'ominous calm'. The extract ends with the relentless wind and the child's 'terrible cry', emphasizing a sense of entrapment and suggesting Arthur Kipps cannot escape or explain away these supernatural events. The lack of a true resolution leaves the reader with lingering nervousness.