The Woman in Black is the vengeful ghost of Jennet, who was Alice Drablow's sister. Her chilling presence is inextricably linked to tragic deaths, making her a formidable and terrifying entity within the narrative.
The Identity of the Woman in Black
As revealed by a local man named Sam Daily, the spectral figure known as the Woman in Black is identified as Jennet, the sister of Alice Drablow. She is a powerful, malevolent spirit who haunts the remote Eel Marsh House and its surrounding areas, driven by an untold sorrow or injustice that turned her into a harbinger of doom.
Her Sinister Impact
The core of what "happened" to the Woman in Black is her transformation into a haunting presence and the subsequent horrific events that unfold around her. Her appearance is a dreadful omen:
- Harbinger of Death: A central aspect of her haunting is that a child dies each time the Woman in Black is seen. This makes her not merely a passive ghost but an active catalyst for tragedy.
- Tragic Consequences: Her presence directly leads to devastating loss for those who encounter her. For instance, at the story's conclusion, after the protagonist Arthur Kipps sees the Woman in Black once more, his wife and young son perish in a terrible accident. This illustrates the profound and immediate danger associated with her spectral visits.
In essence, what "happened" to the Woman in Black is that she became a perpetual, sorrowful, and dangerous haunting entity, forever linked to the deaths of innocent children.
