Throughout the book the woman in black is portrayed with an image of evilness. All of the terrible things she did, all the children that died and all of the coincidental things that happened when she was around. Mr Kipps was tormented I think from the very beginning of his adventure, at Mrs Drablow’s funeral. In the sixth chapter ‘ THE SOUND OF A PONY AND TRAP ‘ Mr Kipps hears the sound of a screaming child drowned in the marsh with a pony and trap. While he was fully aware what was going in he was helpless against the woman in black’s evil powers.
Also in the chapter ‘ in the nursery ‘ Kipps once again is confused when the nursery looks almost as if it had just been used as all of the toys and clothes were set out. It was not until the chapter ‘ a packet of letters ‘ when Mr Kipps realised that the woman in black was not all about evil, but about longing and revenge. In this chapter we learn of a lady named Jennet who inevitably had to give her child up for adoption. She could not afford to give him the upbringing he deserved and so had to give him to a wealthy woman who could look after him well.
It was unfortunate that the woman happened to be Mrs Drablow, Jennet’s sister. Jennet was allowed to visit her son, but it just wasn’t the same. Having her own child growing up with ought really knowing her must have torn her apart. Quote ” And the boy was brought up a Drablow and was never intended to know his mother. But in the end, the pain of being parted from him, instead of easing, grew worse and she returned to Crythin. She was not welcome at her parent’s house and the man – the child’s father – had gone away for good.
But Jennet was so distressed that she threatened violence, and in the end the sister relented – just so far. He became more and more attached to the woman who was, when all was said and done, his own mother, more and more fond, an as he did so, he became colder towards Alice Drablow. Jennet planed to take him away, that much I do know. Before she could do so the accident happened, just as you heard. The boy… the nursemaid, the pony and trap and its driver Keckwick. ”
Jennet saw it all, she was waiting upon their return. She went mad and wasted away until she died. Jennet wasn’t an evil character at all, what she wanted was her son, it was the only thing her life was worth living for, her only route to happiness. But she couldn’t have happiness so she didn’t want any one else to have happiness either. And so we come to the last chapter ‘the woman in black’. Where the woman in black gets her revenge, revenge on Mr Kipps. Things were starting to look up for Mr Kipps.
He married Stella and after a year they had their own son, Joseph Arthur Samuel. And then one Sunday they went to a park with Joseph. They saw that you could take rides on a pony and trap. A two person ride around the park. Stella took the chance and with Joseph went for the ride. When they had gone Mr Kipps saw the woman in black, and I think it was then he started to panic as he remembered what had happened with the other pony and trap near El Marsh House. Then he was relived to see the two coming back round the corner.
But the woman in black stopped the horse from reaching him, it went off track, crashed, the baby was killed and Stella was badly injured. Ten months later Stella too died of her injuries. Just as things were going great, everything went wrong. Jennet had got her revenge; she had ruined Mr Kipps’s life just as her life was ruined. In conclusion I think that I could feel compassion for Jennet, I can see that she had to go through a lot of pain, but what I cant see is why she had to take her agony out on so many innocent people like Mr Kipps and his family.
