Can Such Things Be? · Chapter
III: Statement of the Late Julia Hetman, Through the Medium Bayrolles explained
Julia Hetman, now a ghost, recounts the night of her murder.
What happens
Julia Hetman, now a ghost, recounts the night of her murder. She awoke to a sense of peril, heard hesitant footsteps on the stairs, and after a brief retreat, the entity returned, broke into her room, and strangled her. In the afterlife, she describes the torment of being a ghost—unseen, unable to communicate with the living, and trapped in a cold, silent world. She later attempted to reveal herself to her husband and son, but her husband saw her and fled in terror, leaving her son unaware of her presence.
Themes in this chapter
Death and the Supernatural
Julia Hetman's account of her murder and her existence as a ghost explores the boundary between life and death.
Isolation and Terror
Julia describes the profound isolation of the afterlife and the terror of being unable to communicate with loved ones.
The Uncanny and the Grotesque
The haunting presence of the unseen entity and the grotesque transformation of Julia into a ghostly figure.
Characters to notice
- Joel Hetman
Julia Hetman's husband, who fled in terror upon seeing her ghost.
- Halpin Frayser
Julia Hetman's son, left doubly desolate after his father's flight.
- Janette Harford
The deceased Julia Hetman, who narrates her own murder and subsequent ghostly existence.
Key passages
“Fear has no brains; it is an idiot.”
Fear is irrational and senseless.
Julia reflects on the illogical nature of terror.
“The death-spell was broken: Love had conquered Law!”
The power of love overcame the natural order that separates the living from the dead.
Julia believes her love allowed her husband to see her.
“We still dwell in the Valley of the Shadow, lurk in its desolate places, peering from brambles and thickets at its mad, malign inhabitants.”
Ghosts remain in a dark, fearful realm, hiding and observing the living.
Julia describes the ghostly existence as one of perpetual fear and concealment.