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
Monsieur Rubelle does not return, and Walter leaves Count Fosco’s house. The next day, he goes to the cab company that Count Fosco’s manuscript gave him the address of and asks about the cab which took Laura and Count Fosco from the station. The cab driver, John Owen, remembers the Count but does not remember Laura. He remembers her name, however, because his wife’s name is also “Glyde.” Walter takes the evidence from the order book from him and takes this, with Sir Percival’s letter and the Count’s manuscript, to Mr. Kyrle’s office.
Walter now feels he has enough evidence to convince a legal man like Mr. Kyrle and legally establish Laura’s identity.
Themes
Mr. Kyrle is astonished and, the next morning, he, Walter, Marian, Laura, and John Owen travel to Limmeridge to confront Mr. Fairlie. They agree to leave Laura at Todd’s Corner so that she is not upset. Mr. Fairlie gives in easily and immediately agrees to let them reinstate Laura as the heir when they threaten to take him to court. Walter then rounds up everyone who attended Laura’s funeral and reads out a declaration which explains the conspiracy and reveals Laura’s real identity. The people of the village celebrate Laura’s return and the day ends with Laura’s name being removed from the tombstone and Anne’s name carved there instead.
Mr. Fairlie still only cares about his own convenience and is now as happy to believe that Laura is his niece as he was to reject her when this seemed like it would cause him the least trouble. Laura’s identity is publicly reclaimed, which demonstrates that identity is partly the result of who people think someone is as well as a product of their internal character. Anne too is finally commemorated with her true name and receives the recognition she deserves.
Themes
As the group travel back to London, Walter thinks that it is lucky that he was not a rich man who could pay a lawyer to solve his case for him as, he thinks, without his own intervention—which led him to Pesca and the true identity of Count Fosco—the case probably never would have been solved.
Walter believes that a lawyer would have accepted a surface explanation of events and would not have been motivated to look beyond the facts and discover the truth of the case. Also, if Walter had been rich, he may have been used to relying on employees to do everything for him and therefore would not have relied on his own initiative, which is what ultimately helps him solve the case. Collins seems to believe that a certain amount of self-reliance is important to stop people from becoming complacent.
Themes
Literary Devices
