Article #459-2 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from The White People, by Frances Hodgson Burnett

CHAPTER I

Perhaps the things which happened could only have happened to me. I do
not know. I never heard of things like them happening to any one else.
But I am not sorry they did happen. I am in secret deeply and strangely
glad. I have heard other people say things--and they were not always
sad people, either--which made me feel that if they knew what I know it
would seem to them as though some awesome, heavy load they had always
dragged about with them had fallen from their shoulders. To most people
everything is so uncertain that if they could only see or hear and know
something clear they would drop upon their knees and give thanks. That
was what I felt myself before I found out so strangely, and I was only a
girl. That is why I intend to write this down as well as I can. It will
not be very well done, because I never was clever at all, and always
found it difficult to talk.

I say that perhaps these things could only have happened to me, because,
as I look back over my life, I realize that it has always been a rather
curious one. Even when those who took care of me did not know I was
thinking at all, I had begun to wonder if I were not different from
other children. That was, of course, largely because Muircarrie
Castle was in such a wild and remote part of Scotland that when my few
relations felt they must pay me a visit as a mere matter of duty, their
journey from London, or their pleasant places in the south of England,
seemed to them like a pilgrimage to a sort of savage land; and when a
conscientious one brought a child to play with me, the little civilized
creature was as frightened of me as I was of it. My shyness and fear of
its strangeness made us both dumb. No doubt I seemed like a new breed of
inoffensive little barbarian, knowing no tongue but its own.

Explanation

**Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from The White People by Frances Hodgson Burnett**

Context of the Work

The White People (1917) is a lesser-known novella by Frances Hodgson Burnett, best remembered for classics like The Secret Garden (1911) and Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886). Unlike her more famous children’s stories, The White People is a mystical, semi-autobiographical work that blends Gothic elements, spiritualism, and psychological introspection. The story follows Sarah Crewe, a young girl raised in isolation in a remote Scottish castle, who develops an intense, almost supernatural connection with nature and the unseen world.

Burnett herself had a deep interest in Theosophy, spiritualism, and the occult, and this excerpt reflects her fascination with mystical experiences, childhood perception, and the boundaries between reality and the unseen. The novella explores themes of loneliness, transcendence, and the search for meaning—ideas that were particularly resonant in the post-World War I era, when many people grappled with disillusionment and a desire for spiritual certainty.

Analysis of the Excerpt

1. Narrative Voice & Tone

The passage is written in first-person retrospective narration, with the adult Sarah looking back on her childhood. The tone is introspective, mysterious, and slightly melancholic, yet also eager and reverent—as if she is confessing a sacred secret.

"Perhaps the things which happened could only have happened to me."
- This opening line establishes exclusivity and mystery. Sarah suggests that her experiences are unique, almost chosen, setting her apart from ordinary people.
- The phrase "could only have happened to me" implies destiny or predestination, a common theme in Gothic and mystical literature (e.g., the "chosen one" trope).
"I am in secret deeply and strangely glad."
- The word "secret" reinforces the idea that her knowledge is hidden, esoteric, or even forbidden.
- "Deeply and strangely" suggests an ineffable joy—something beyond ordinary happiness, possibly spiritual or transcendent.

2. Themes

Several key themes emerge in this passage:

A. The Search for Certainty in an Uncertain World

"To most people everything is so uncertain that if they could only see or hear and know something clear they would drop upon their knees and give thanks."
- Sarah presents herself as someone who has found clarity in a world of doubt.
- This reflects post-War existential angst—many people in the early 20th century, disillusioned by war and scientific materialism, sought spiritual or mystical answers.
- The idea of "dropping to one’s knees" evokes religious revelation, suggesting that Sarah’s experiences are sacred knowledge.

B. Isolation & Otherness

"I had begun to wonder if I were not different from other children."
- Sarah’s loneliness and alienation are central. She is physically isolated (in remote Scotland) and psychologically distinct from others.
- The contrast between her and the "little civilized creature" (a visiting child) highlights her wild, untamed nature—she is seen as a "barbarian" by outsiders.
- This Gothic trope of the "outsider" (seen in works like Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre) reinforces her mystical, almost feral, connection to nature.

C. The Power of Childhood Perception

"I was only a girl."
- Burnett often explores childhood as a time of heightened sensitivity (as in The Secret Garden).
- Sarah’s youth suggests that children are closer to mystical truths because they have not yet been corrupted by adult skepticism.
- This aligns with Romantic and Transcendentalist ideas (e.g., Wordsworth’s "The Child is Father of the Man") that children perceive divine or hidden realities.

D. The Burden of Knowledge

"Some awesome, heavy load they had always dragged about with them had fallen from their shoulders."
- Sarah’s knowledge is liberating, but the imagery of a "heavy load" suggests that ignorance is a burden.
- This could be a metaphor for existential dread—people are weighed down by uncertainty, fear of death, or meaninglessness, and Sarah’s revelations offer release.

3. Literary Devices

Burnett employs several stylistic and rhetorical techniques to enhance the passage’s mystical and introspective quality:

A. Repetition & Parallel Structure

"I never heard of things like them happening to any one else... I am not sorry they did happen."
- The repetition of "happen" emphasizes fate and inevitability.
"I had begun to wonder if I were not different... I was only a girl."
- The parallel structure creates a rhythmic, incantatory effect, reinforcing the spiritual tone.

B. Imagery & Symbolism

"A sort of savage land" / "inoffensive little barbarian"
- The wilderness vs. civilization contrast symbolizes Sarah’s untamed, instinctual nature.
- The word "barbarian" is ironic—she is not violent but foreign to "civilized" norms, suggesting that true wisdom lies outside conventional society.
"Awesome, heavy load"
- The burden of ignorance is a metaphor for human suffering, which Sarah’s knowledge alleviates.

C. Contrast & Juxtaposition

"Civilized creature" vs. "little barbarian"
- The opposition between "civilized" and "wild" reinforces Sarah’s otherness.
"Sad people" vs. "deeply and strangely glad"
- While others are burdened by sorrow, Sarah has found joy in the unknown.

D. Foreshadowing & Mystery

"I intend to write this down as well as I can."
- This suggests that the narrative is a confession or testament, hinting at revelations to come.
"I never was clever at all, and always found it difficult to talk."
- Despite her inarticulateness, she must record her story, implying that the truth is too important to remain unspoken.

4. Significance of the Passage

This opening sets the stage for the entire novella’s exploration of mysticism and isolation:

Sarah as a Mystic Seer: She positions herself as someone who has access to hidden truths, much like a prophet or medium.
The Castle as a Liminal Space: Muircarrie Castle, in its remote, wild setting, becomes a threshold between the mundane and the supernatural.
The Unreliable Narrator? Sarah’s shyness and difficulty with speech make her an unconventional storyteller, raising questions about how much we can trust her account—a common Gothic technique.
A Critique of Modernity: The contrast between Sarah’s intuitive, spiritual worldview and the "civilized" skepticism of visitors reflects Burnett’s distrust of materialism and industrialization.

Conclusion: Why This Passage Matters

This excerpt is not just an introduction—it is a manifesto. Sarah declares that her story is unique, sacred, and necessary. The passage establishes:

A mystical tone—hinting at supernatural or spiritual experiences.
The protagonist’s isolation—both physical (remote Scotland) and metaphysical (her difference from others).
The central conflict—between doubt and revelation, civilization and wildness, ignorance and enlightenment.

Burnett, through Sarah’s voice, invites the reader into a world where the veil between reality and the unseen is thin—a world where a lonely girl in a castle might just hold the key to universal truths. The passage is haunting, evocative, and deeply personal, making it a compelling start to a story that blurs the line between fairy tale and psychological mystery.

Would you like a deeper dive into any specific aspect, such as the Gothic elements or Burnett’s spiritual influences?

Questions

Question 1

The narrator’s assertion that she is "in secret deeply and strangely glad" about her experiences primarily serves to:

A. underscore her psychological instability as a result of prolonged isolation.
B. contrast her emotional state with the melancholy of those who lack her knowledge.
C. frame her experiences as a form of privileged, almost sacred, revelation.
D. imply that her gladness is a defensive reaction to the fear her experiences initially provoked.
E. suggest that her joy is rooted in the power her knowledge grants her over others.

Question 2

The phrase "some awesome, heavy load they had always dragged about with them had fallen from their shoulders" is most effectively interpreted as a metaphor for:

A. the existential burden of mortality, which the narrator’s experiences have rendered irrelevant.
B. the universal human longing for certainty in a world perceived as fundamentally ambiguous.
C. the weight of societal expectations, which the narrator has escaped due to her isolation.
D. the guilt associated with repressed desires, which the narrator’s revelations have absolved.
E. the intellectual fatigue of skepticism, which the narrator’s mysticism has alleviated.

Question 3

The narrator’s description of the visiting child as a "little civilized creature" who was "as frightened of me as I was of it" primarily functions to:

A. highlight the mutual incomprehension between those shaped by convention and those attuned to the uncanny.
B. illustrate the inherent hostility between children raised in vastly different social environments.
C. emphasize the narrator’s superiority in adapting to the harsh conditions of her remote upbringing.
D. critique the artificiality of "civilized" behavior when confronted with authentic, unmediated experience.
E. foreshadow the narrator’s eventual rejection of human companionship in favor of supernatural communion.

Question 4

The narrator’s claim that "it will not be very well done, because I never was clever at all" is best understood as:

A. a disingenuous attempt to elicit sympathy from the reader by feigning modesty.
B. an acknowledgment that her experiences defy conventional linguistic or narrative expression.
C. a reflection of her internalized belief that her isolation has stunted her intellectual development.
D. a strategic rhetorical move to lower expectations before revealing extraordinary truths.
E. an ironic commentary on the inadequacy of rational discourse to capture mystical insight.

Question 5

The passage as a whole is most effectively characterized as:

A. a Gothic confession that gradually reveals the narrator’s descent into madness.
B. a spiritual manifesto that positions childhood perception as inherently superior to adult rationality.
C. a psychological case study of how extreme isolation warps an individual’s sense of reality.
D. a metaphysical inquiry into the nature of knowledge, framed through the lens of personal revelation.
E. a social critique disguised as autobiography, exposing the hypocrisy of "civilized" norms.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: C

Why C is most correct: The narrator’s "deep and strange" gladness is not merely emotional but sacralized—she presents her experiences as unique, almost chosen, and imbued with a transcendent significance. The phrase "in secret" suggests her knowledge is esoteric or forbidden, akin to a mystical revelation rather than a personal quirk. This aligns with the passage’s broader theme of certainty as a rare, almost divine, gift, which elevates her gladness beyond mere happiness into something numinal and privileged.