All Souls' Eve
The main plot of the short story starts and finishes on “[…] the last day of October, […]”[1] which is October 31st. This is the day when the story’s protagonist, Sara Clayburn, meets the strange woman in front of Whitegates for the first time. Towards the end of the story, Sara meets the strange woman again, exactly one year later, becomes terrified and escapes to her cousin’s flat in New York on the same evening. While discussing the events with her cousin, Sara Clayburn states that “[…] it was All Souls’ Eve that I met her [for the first time].”[2] Moreover, Sara asks her cousin to clarify that “[…] this is All Souls’ Eve […]”[3] again. The cousin, who, according to Sara, is good on Church dates, affirms this. Therefore, in accordance to the information given in Wharton’s short story “All Souls’,” All Souls’ Eve has to be the eve of October 31st and All Souls’ Day consequently November 1st.
However, the Columbia Encyclopedia,[4] the World Encyclopedia[5] and the Oxford Pocket Dictionary[6] all claim that “All Souls’ Day” is held on November 2nd. October 31st is, of course, better known as Halloween. But Halloween derives from a holy day, called “All Saints’ Day,” which takes place on November 1st. “All Saints’ Day” is followed by “All Souls’ Day” on November 2nd. Moreover, the word “Halloween” itself refers to “Eve of All Hallows,” the night before the holy day “All Saints’ Day.” “Hallow” stands for “holy” and the suffix “een” is a shortened form for “evening”. Traditionally, Christian saints are honored on “All Saints’ Day,” while all other souls are prayed for on “All Souls’ Day.” Furthermore, “All Souls’ Day” is especially used by the faithful to pray for those in purgatory, waiting to get into heaven. A “Book of the Dead” is even provided by Catholic churches, in which the names of deceased relatives can be written, in order to remember them.[7] The Eve of October 31st was traditionally “[…] considered a time when evil could manifest itself.”[8] In Latin America this Eve is called “Dia de los Muertos” or “Day of the Dead”.[9] Therefore, Wharton’s description “[…] All Souls’ Eve is the night when the dead can walk […][10] does not precisely correlate to “All Souls’ Eve,” but rather to Halloween, the Eve of October 31st. The main plot of the story starts on October 31st, but the naming “All Souls’ Eve” for the Eve of October 31st is, according to the information stated above, erroneous. The time from the Eve of October 31st to November 2nd, including Halloween, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, is celebrated worldwide by Anglicans and Roman Catholics.[11] Edith Wharton herself was born as an Episcopalian, inherited a Calvinist sensibility and finally arrived at Catholicism.[12] Episcopalianism represents the Anglican Communion in the U.S.[13] Therefore, it is likely that Wharton celebrated “All Saint’s Day” as well as “All Souls’ Day.” On the face of it, she has possibly made a mistake by naming the Eve of October 31st “All Souls Eve.” More likely however, this can also be explained through widely varying beliefs and practices among Christians, concerning “All Saint’s Day” and “All Souls’ Day.”[14]
[1] Edith Wharton, “All Souls’,” in: The Demanding Dead – More Stories of Terror and the Supernatural, ed. Peter Haining (London: Peter Owen Publishers, 2007), 186.
[2] Ibid., 204.
[3] Ibid.
[4] The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed., "All Souls' Day," encyclopedia.com. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-AllSouls.html (accessed April 2, 2015).
[5] World Encyclopedia, "All Souls Day," encyclopedia.com, http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-AllSoulsDay.html (accessed April 2, 2015).
[6] The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English, "All Souls Day," encyclopedia.com, http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-allsoulsday.html (accessed April 2, 2015).
[7] Greg Garrison, What's the difference between Halloween, All Saints' Day, All Souls' Day and Days of the Dead?, http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2014/10/whats_the_difference_between_h.html (accessed April 2, 2015).
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Wharton, “All Souls’,” 206.
[11] BBC Religions, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/allsaints_1.shtml (accessed April 2, 2015).
[12] Carol J. Singley, Edith Wharton. Matters of mind and spirit, (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995), 209.
[13] Dictionary of American History, "Episcopalianism," encyclopedia.com, http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3401801401.html (accessed April 2, 2015).
[14] Greg Garrison, What's the difference, (accessed April 2, 2015).