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The Third Epoch: Part 1, Chapter 2
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Woman in White, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Evidence and Law
Morality, Crime, and Punishment
Identity and Appearance
Marriage and Gender
Class, Industry, and Social Place
Summary
Analysis
Walter draws two conclusions from Laura and Marian’s story. The first is that Count Fosco has switched the women’s identities; he took Anne Catherick to his house, where she died, under Laura’s name, and he placed Laura in the asylum under Anne’s. Walter also understands that Sir Percival and Count Fosco have been financially rewarded for their crimes and that they have received Laura’s inheritance; Sir Percival gained twenty thousand pounds while Count Fosco has gained ten thousand.
Walter, who knows Laura on a close personal level and therefore believes her story, immediately understands the plot that has been carried out against her. He also understands that Count Fosco and Sir Percival have plotted this between them and that they have both benefited from faking Laura’s death and cruelly locking her in the asylum.
Themes
Walter has chosen a flat for himself, Laura, and Marian in a very poor part of London and has taken lowly and meagerly paid work as a wood engraver where no one will recognize him. Marian and Laura are confined to the house—in case Count Fosco or Sir Percival’s men spy on them—and Marian must do the housework herself because they cannot hire a servant and allow a stranger to work among them. This is a blow to Marian’s pride as a lady of rank, but she takes it very well, and Walter views this as a testament to her strength and capability.
This suggests that poor, lower-class members of society can be anonymous because they are nameless and have no public reputation to uphold or which might draw attention to them. This is usually a negative thing—as they have less power because they are hardly recognized as individuals—but here it is used to help the characters hide and keep themselves safe.
Themes
Literary Devices
Meanwhile, Walter and Marian must be extremely careful in their care of Laura. They keep her comfortable and protected from shocks, and Walter encourages her to take up her drawing, which soothes her and reminds her of happy times spent at the summer house at Limmeridge. Her time spent in the asylum has severely disturbed her, and in her weakened state, she now looks more like Anne Catherick than ever. For this reason, Walter does not believe that there is any hope of convincing Mr. Fairlie or any of Laura’s old friends and relatives that she alive without some proof. He decides to begin compiling evidence and plans to take Laura’s case to Mr. Kyrle, the lawyer, for legal advice.
Their happy memories of Limmeridge are a connection that Walter and Laura share even when Laura is still in shock and recovering from her ordeal. It signifies the enduring strength of the love between them. As Laura has received the same brutal and undignified treatment that Anne received, being held captive in the asylum, she has started to look like Anne and, like Anne, has become ill with the strain. Again, this suggests many flaws in the care of mentally ill people.
Themes
Literary Devices
Walter first copies out the relevant sections of Marian’s diary, which document her time spent at Blackwater. Next, he visits Mrs. Vesey to find out if Laura stayed with her on her way to the asylum as she believes she did. Mrs. Vesey has a letter from Laura asking if she might stay the night but Laura herself never appeared, and the letter does not have a date on it to confirm exactly when Laura traveled to London. Walter also contacts Mrs. Michelson, the housekeeper at Blackwater for her story, and Mr. Goodricke, Hester Pinhorn, and Jane Gould for their take on events. With this evidence secured, Walter arranges an appointment with the lawyer, Mr. Kyrle, and sets out for Mr. Kyrle’s office. He warns Marian not to leave the house while he is out, even if he does not return, because he is worried that Sir Percival may be back in London and may be spying on them.
Walter believes that if he can compile enough evidence, he will be able to take Laura’s case before a court to give her a fair trial and seek justice against Count Fosco and Sir Percival. Mrs. Vesey confirms that Laura’s memory of staying at her house is false. This passage gives the reader of an idea of when and how Walter compiled the written evidence from the other characters, which they have already read.
Themes
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