The Woman in Black is a gothic novel written by Susan Hill. The characters in the novel mature and grow throughout the story mentally and emotionally. By reading the characters the audience becomes aware of the problems of the text. The themes present in the text are supported by the growth of the protagonist Arthur Kipps and the antagonist Jennet Humfyre. Two issues in the text include: The fight against good and evil and revenge. Arthur Kipps is the main character. He goes through the most changes emotionally and mentally. When audiences first read about Arthur Kipps, they encounter a skeptical and naive young man who believes there are no such things as ghosts and that we will always receive a rational explanation. When Arthur Kipps is first told about Mrs. Drablow and the Eel Marsh House, he thinks it will all be blissfully easy, unaware of the secrets hidden in the proud old house. Arthur's emotions are high, which is supported by this quote: "My emotions had become so volatile and so extreme, my nervous responses so close to the surface, so rapid and sharp, that I was living in another dimension, the my heart seemed to beat faster, my pace was faster, everything I saw was brighter, his outlines were clearer, more precisely defined.” . Arthur is extremely scared because anyone would see a devastated face staring at you with eyes full of hatred and malevolence. Another powerful bout of emotion Arthur showed was when he entered the nursery. “But at least for the moment there was nothing here that scared me or hurt me, there was only emptiness, an open door, a well-made bed and a curious air of sadness, of something lost, something missing, so much so that I myself felt a desolation, a pain in my heart." Arthur felt a deep sense of emptiness upon entering the locked room and seeing everything in its place, unused for years. He felt feelings he couldn't even explain. Arthur changes mentally when he goes to Eel Marsh House. After Arthur visited the house for the first time, he became haunted after hearing a child screaming. When he went to the inn his face was pale. He had nightmares that night, since then Arthur has not been able to sleep well because the events of Eel Marsh House haunted him..