Throughout the Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, the reader witnesses drastic changes in many of the characters. Most notably, there are shifts among the female characters between the stereotypical \u2018rash and emotional\u2019 woman to a more stable and \u2018masculine\u2019 female character. This change in dynamic is witnessed in many of the characters. For example, Marion, who is more masculine and rational than the other female characters, becomes much more unstable and \u2018feminine\u2019 as the novel progresses. One of the most subtle, yet pivotal, changes however is seen in Anne, the woman in white.<\/p>\n
At first, Anne is described as hysteric. When Walter first speaks with her she is said to have \u201cspoke with unnecessary earnestness and agitation, and shrank back from me several paces\u201d (25). She is uncomfortable and far from calm. This is particularly apparent when Sir Percival Glyde is mentioned and the woman screams uncontrollably. She possesses many of the characteristics a typical Victorian woman would have been said to exhibit. However, Anne\u2019s character begins to change as the plot progresses. In a later passage, Walter sees Anne at Mrs. Fairlie\u2019s grave, and her actions are much different than what one would expect. The novel states, \u201cshe then glanced all round her, and, taking a white linen cloth or handkerchief from under her cloak, turned aside towards the brook\u201d<\/strong> (95). This picture of the woman in white is pure and peaceful. \u201cShe dipped the cloth then kneel down before the inscription, and apply her wet cloth to the cleansing of it\u201d<\/strong> (95).<\/p>\n The language in this paragraph is particularly descriptive and striking, unlike the rest of the passage. Throughout the first epoch, Walter narrates the story and his tone is observant and at some points critical or unsure of the female characters. Although, his language becomes slightly feminine or more emotional when he describes having \u2018strange feelings\u2019. His tone is, for the most part, straightforward. With this description, there seems to be an immense amount of clarity in trying to figure out the mystery that is the woman in white. This passage, and its eloquence, is a turning point in the novel. From this point on, we learn more about Anne and her past and how truly crucial she is to the development of the plot as well as the progression of the other characters. For it is at this point in the novel, many of the other characters, such as Laura, begin to alter too.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Throughout the Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, the reader witnesses drastic changes in many of the characters. Most notably, there are shifts among the female characters between the stereotypical \u2018rash and emotional\u2019 woman to a more stable and \u2018masculine\u2019 female character. This change in dynamic is witnessed in many of the characters. For example, … Continue reading A White Linen Cloth<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2617,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[111380,108029],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-360-victorian-sexualities","category-spring-2015"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/victorianlit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/victorianlit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/victorianlit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/victorianlit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2617"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/victorianlit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=186"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/victorianlit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/victorianlit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/victorianlit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/victorianlit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}