The Whisperer in the Dark

In the beginning, “A Whisper in the Dark” seems to follow basically the same premise of the other texts we’ve read in class; we are introduced to a young girl facing some sort of family struggle. As the story goes on, however, it takes some ugly, twisted turns. Each of the characters: Sybil, Guy, and the creepy uncle, all seem to have some sort of personal issues. As we discussed in class, Sybil and her uncle have a strange relationship, as do Sybil and Guy, this and the ordeal with the money scandal makes things even more difficult. To top this complicated situation, Sybil’s uncle has her put away in a mental asylum for refusing to marry him. As stated by Sybil in the text when she realizes what her uncle has done, “for my uncle’s inexplicable movements filled me with alarm.” (Page 239.) From this point on, the story has a very dark feel to it. We see Sybil being tortured and forced into insanity from the harsh treatment she receives at the mental institution. We also see another turning point while she is detained. A woman who lives above Sybil in the institution tries reaching out to help her. Repeatedly in the night Sybil is haunted by the woman’s voice who is trying to save her and whispers “Find it! For God’s sake before it is too late!” (Page 241.) The woman even loses her life trying to save Sybil. She finally realizes what all the whispering was about when she finds the lock of hair around the dog’s neck containing the warning which reads in the last line, “I implore you to leave this house before it is too late.” (page 244.) Ultimately Sybil is saved because she obeys the note and flees at the right moment. Sybil has always had a yearning for her dead mother, and has never found a replacement to fill that void in her life, until this woman costs everything to save her. I think this was the real “coming of age” moment In Sybil’s life, realizing someone cared for her and that she was offered a second chance in life. It does seem sort of odd to picture a mental patient as a motherly figure, but I think to Sybil it is actually her mother using the woman to save her. This is definitely not our typical mother daughter relationship of the nineteenth century, but I’m sure Louisa May Alcott gained a lot of respect for portraying a more challenging idea of this type of relationship.