“The hunt in search of Jack the Ripper–I remember that as much as anything. But I don’t know if Jack existed at that time or was it just something talked about. The boys, oh how horrible they were. If we were in the street at any time, they would shout out ‘Look! Jack The Ripper!’ and they did. We were cowards. They always imagined him with an apron made of leather and a carving knives.” (Mrs. Bartholomew. Anna Davin interviewed Anna during June 1973
Jack the Ripper was an 1880s murder. The following facts are sourced from Buzzfeed’s Bergara. Five grisly murders of prostitutes happened in London’s East End during a period of ten days (from August 31, 1888, to November 9, 18,88). The murders took place within a quarter mile from Whitechapel, an East London district. Although all five murders were committed in highly trafficked areas, no witnesses were available. All five murders took place at night. Four of them were committed in public. It is not known what the motive was for the murders. No clues about the identity of the killer were ever found. Despite hundreds being interrogated and detained in London, no suspects have been identified. The identity of the Ripper was not revealed. Social structure was a key factor in the Victorian Era. It determined where you were placed in the world. The social structure consisted of three main categories: the Upper, Middle, and Working classes. While there were tensions among all three classes, the majority of tension was between the Middle and Working classes. These tensions led a significant increase in classism. It is, Merriam Webster defines, discrimination or prejudice based upon class. Haggard said that the “symbol of poverty in urban areas” was London’s East End. This is where the Working Class lived and where the murders occurred. Many in London’s West End, the area where the Middle classes lived and worked, saw East as a place that “the worst practices are seen with the most matter of fact indifference… filthy from all parts the country seem o flow.” People are enslaved to this view. Many people felt almost afraid of the East End.
Fear may have been the main factor behind the Jack the Ripper cases’ popularity in the common period. Walkowitz, Jack the Ripper (and The Myth of Male Violence) states that the upper and middle classes were fearful of social destruction and class conflict. The majority of their fears focused on the East End. This is where the vast majority of the Ripper crimes took place. The fear of the East End causing social degeneracy or the destruction of desirable societies was feared by the Middle class. This fear may have caused the West End people to become more involved in the crimes at the time. Haggard states that the Ripper killings combined the West End’s multiple fears of cruelty, immorality, destruction into one entity. Many West End residents believed that the East End was the reason for the West End’s crimes. Fear only made the social differences between classes worse. This could have resulted in more media coverage and greater public attention for the case. Fear of West End led many other factors to make the Ripper cases culturally prominent. Although fear wasn’t the primary factor that made the Ripper cases popular, it definitely contributed to their cultural importance.
The Ripper Murders are truly horrifying and horrific. The 1988 FBI case report states that all victims were sexually assaulted. All of them had their genitals and other sex characteristics severely mutilated. All of the victims were then killed quickly, with most of the throats cut from the behind. A number of victims were also subject to the Ripper’s removal of organs, including a lung, a navel, and a nostril. These organs were removed by the Ripper to show that he had surgical and anatomical skills. Mary Jane Kelly, who was the last victim of Ripper, had her organs exposed. Many were also removed from her and placed around her. Her right thigh was also shaved off, and her skin as well as muscle were removed. Her costal arch, which is the lower edge of her ribcage, was cut in large flaps. It reached her public area. Ripper would often pose his victims with sexually explicit poses. These crimes are not common.
What is the secret to the Ripper’s crimes being a culture-repeat? Keppel and co. believe that any murders like the Ripper’s are very rare. The analysis was done through the Homicide Investigation Tracking System, which contains 3359 murders. This study revealed that nine of the cases were not involving bodies being mutilated. Sixteen murders occurred in the database, six were by women and one was by a prostitute. Only two murders occurred (both were females and none were prostitutes). There have never been any murders that targeted prostitutes. This case is unique and could spark a fascination in many. You won’t find the Ripper case anywhere else. The details of it make for a fascinating story. While the details surrounding the death of the victim are fascinating, there are many other factors that make this case so popular.
A great news story about the fear and horror of social collapse among the Middle classes is the grisly details of the crime. This was something that news reporters in the era also understood. The mass media played a major role in generating interest in this case. Jack the Ripper actually sent several letters, including to the police and news agencies, and these were published in the paper in the hopes of identifying the handwriting. These letters were actually signed “Jack the Ripper”. That is how the famous killer was named. Walkowitz stated that the media transformed the murders into an event through the use of fear from middle class, the details of murder and the “fantasies” about the Ripper. The media was able follow headlines, which is how we remember the cases. Haggard claims that the media increased the fame of the killer and the public’s recall of the crimes would have been impossible without them. The press would have made Jack the Ripper’s case less popular without it.
Prior to the murders, many doctors were highly respected by the public. During that period, doctors were considered the heirloom of the middle classes. After the murders, however, this was drastically changed. The newspaper began to speculate about what the Ripper’s occupation was. Many assumed that the Ripper was either a doctor or a worker post-mortem because he had anatomical knowledge. Many doctors were put at risk by this. The profession was viewed negatively by the public. Fear started to develop. However, doctors tried to save their lives. Answer said that while doctors didn’t have enough knowledge to inflict any injuries, they had the ability to heal them. The murders sparked another type of change. Since the murders, photography and police reports have been greatly improved. Special Agent Douglas reported that medical examiners’ reports were far less complete than they would be today. He also stated that crime scene photography was not used as much as it is today. Police reports were also far less thorough. The quality of crime reports has improved dramatically since the murders. This isn’t due to the ripper alone, but the murderer gave the police force a greater reason for making improvements. Although the killings are the victim of a ripper’s fame, they have wrought a positive change in the lives of many people.
The Victorian Era’s social structure was crucial in determining people’s place in society. The social structure consisted of three main categories: the Upper, Middle, and Working classes. While there were tensions among all three classes, the majority of tension was between the Middle and Working classes. These tensions caused discontentment among the different social classes. Anwer believes that crime scene photographs suggest that the victims were the perpetrators of the crime. Prostitution was seen in a negative light and led to the victims being murdered. The ripper also displayed his social beliefs in other cases, including his murders. Keppel et.al. state that Jack the Ripper targeted the poor, and that he displayed the victims with degrading sex poses in an attempt to degrade the victim’s image. This could have been Jack the Ripper’s way to show how he thought they were disposable. These discriminatory views could have driven the Ripper’s decision to murder.
There have been many other murder cases where there was less evidence, so it seems reasonable to think that the Victorian Era’s classism could have played a role.
The Jack the Ripper case had a profound impact on modern life. Which aspect of the Jack the Ripper case had the greatest impact? Which element had the most impact? It is impossible to answer both of these questions. While it may be impossible to pinpoint the perpetrators of the atrocious crimes, we can see the consequences of those crimes today.
