Wednesday 27th January 2021 – The Five

 *There are no book spoilers.*

Welcome back to my blog! How exciting!

I hope you're all looking after yourselves, drinking lots of water, eating three meals a day, and trying to get a decent amount of sleep. Also, try to do things that make you happy. 

In today's post, I will be talking to you about The Five by Hallie Rubenhold. Unfortunately, my copy of The Five has been sent to my grandma who lives in England. We thought she might be interested in reading it, so I will try to do this by memory. 

I think, like many people, I didn't know a lot about Jack the Ripper, except that he murdered women and his murders took place in Whitechapel and in the 1800s. What I also didn't know were the victims' names. Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly. 

These women were more than just names. They were more than "just prostitutes" as Rubenhold says. And it is so important that we remember them for the women that they were. 

Whenever I told someone I was reading the book, it would always be referred to as: "the one about Jack the Ripper's victims, right?". This angers me. Hallie Rubenhold has written this wonderful book full of so much information about these strong women, who went through so much, and the only way we can remember them, almost 133 years on, is as "Jack the Ripper's victims". 

There is no concrete proof that all of them were prostitutes. Over half of the women were mothers. All five of them were lovers. All of them were smart women who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And for Mary Jane Kelly, her circumstances are even more unfortunate. 

They deserve so much more than the non-existent legacy we've left of them. They had their own lives. They were all trying to make their way in a world where society viewed them as "fallen women", women who could not redeem themselves. 

Women were shamed for not being able to keep their husbands happy. They were blamed if their husbands left them for another woman. All a woman needed to do in the 1800s was marry a man, keep him happy, have children and then be able to support them. 

Nowadays, this sounds ridiculous as women are so much more independent. Our lives are not defined by how many children we have and what our husband or partner does for work. We run our own companies, may not marry nor have children, but we are learning to be happy in ourselves and that is what is important. 

I think we are still faced with a society that expects so much from us, that when a woman breaks the mold, some people freak out and others celebrate it. We should always celebrate and encourage women. What is the use in doing anything else?

Polly Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly were all women who dealt with a lot of shame and double standards in their lives. They were dealt an unfortunate hand of cards and they've never been remembered properly. Now is the time to do so. 

Another thing we need to address is Jack the Ripper. Hallie Rubenhold's book only explores the lives of the "five canonical victims", but how many women did Jack the Ripper really murder and why was he never arrested? This will be a question that may never be answered. 

Why does everyone know of Jack the Ripper? Why are we so much more intrigued by him? Why would you make money and capitalize on the story of a serial killer? 

Why, even now, do we not know the names: Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly? 

One mistake should not define your life. No one is perfect and people are constantly running away from their mistakes. We should not be judged for things that are out of our control. 

Double standards still exist and we need to work on getting rid of them. 133 years later, women are still fighting for equality and equity. Women are superheroes. 

Please remember their names. Make people aware of who Polly Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly were. Make people aware of all women who have been silenced over the years. We deserve so much more than what we get given.