Our first narrator in the novel, Walter Hartright, is completely obsessed with solving the mystery of the Woman in White. Both scenes in which he encounters her involve some level of psychoanalysis on the part of Walter. The motivating factor in his conversations with the woman in white (revealed to be Anne Catherick) involve understanding her past- who she is, where she came from, and what has happened to her to make her act the way she does. In “Remembering, Repeating, and Working Through”, Sigmund Freud outlines the phases of psychoanalytic treatment which lead to the discovery of the point of origin for a patient’s symptoms. This begins by encouraging the patient to remember forgotten memories, which leads to the patient’s repetition of past events or erratic behaviors and finally allowing them time to work through and process these sensations, overcoming the symptoms (Freud). In a way, Walter Hartright practices psychoanalysis in his observations of all characters, but most predominantly in conversations with Anne. By pressing her with questions meant to unlock her memory, leading her to produce repetitive and erratic behaviors, Walter is able to piece together parts of her story.
Walter’s interest in discovering the mystery of Anne Catherick begins upon their first meeting on the road to London in the middle of the night. Walter immediately wants to know more about her, automatically acting under the assumption that there is a truth beneath the surface that is hidden. He comes to this conclusion by analyzing the way she answers his questions; when he inquires about her destination, she repeatedly asks him “not to interfere with me”, asking five times very quickly “will you promise?”, until he responds with “yes” (26). Walter reads this behavior as mysterious because of its rapid repetition and panicked nature, leading him to dig further into psychoanalysis of Anne’s character as he attempts to discover the source of her panic. When he meets Anne for the second time in the graveyard, Walter further pushes his psychoanalytic investigation, asking more and more pressing questions until Anne begins to exhibit behaviors triggered by memories. When he questions her about Sir Percival Glyde, he reads her reaction to the name as a symptom- “the shriek at the name, the reiterated look of hatred and fear that instantly followed, told all” (105). He believes that his question has triggered some repressed memory of Anne’s, her reaction to which will be able to tell him what he needs to know both about her character and about Sir Percival’s. Walter’s tendency towards psychoanalysis is reflected in his interactions with several other characters, but most prominently towards Anne, emphasizing the intrigue and mystery of her character that creates the sensation of the novel.
I think your observations about Anne Catherick’s constant repetitions are super interesting! Your post makes me wonder about Laura’s discomfiture too: in the reading for this week, she is frequently playing with things in her hands, unclasping and reclasping Marian’s belt, twisting paper edges and such. However, her fidgeting is attributed to a childhood habit resurfacing in the face of Sir Percival’s arrival. I wonder if there is something to be said about their mirroring each other in habits and attitude as well as in looks, particularly because the source of both of their anxieties is Sir Percival, but neither of them is quite willing to reveal why.
I found your impression of Walter Hartright compelling and very relevant to Freud– great connection! I wanted to relate this observation to the beginning of the story. It reads, “This is the story of what a Woman’s patience can endure, and what a Man’s resolution can achieve.” The awareness of how the woman responds to his questions (given the circumstance) is heightened by what she refuses to say saying “not to interfere with me.” (26). I wonder if this odd, erratic behavior has any correlation with Sir Percival Glyde and his lawyerly position in the discourse around this marriage.