The Woman in White Memory and the Past Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Volume.Part.Chapter.Paragraph

Quote #7

These were the only recollections—all of them uncertain, and some of them contradictory—which could be extracted from Lady Glyde, by careful questioning, on the journey to Cumberland. (3.1.2.62)

Laura's damaged mental state, and her inability to recall the past, plays a huge role in the third part of the book, which is largely about dealing with and piecing together mysteries from the past. In a way, the third part of the book is so past-focused in order to give characters closure and let them move on to the future.

Quote #8

The one remaining chance […] the chance of appealing to her recollection of persons and events with which no impostor could be familiar, was proved, by the sad test of our later experience, to be hopeless. (3.1.3.13)

This sentence builds up suspense by leaving the main point (the fact that Laura's memory makes the situation "hopeless") until the very end.

Quote #9

We look for the body. The scorching heat on our faces drives us back; we see nothing—above, below, all through the room, we see nothing but a sheet of living fire. (3.1.10.84)

The scenes where Walter describes the fire that killed Sir Percival are among the most powerful in the novel. He switches to the present tense and seems to be really reliving the trauma.