Chapter 70 Summary & Analysis: The Confrontation and Its Aftermath
⚠️ Spoiler Notice
This section reveals major plot points from Chapter 70 of Mad Mabel. If you have not read this chapter, proceed with caution.
Summary
About an hour after fleeing the house, Mabel returns in light rain. She is surprised to see her father’s car still present. Inside, the house is silent. She climbs the grand staircase, expecting to find Cess or Ness, but instead discovers her father’s umbrella angled against the wall. The door to Cess’s room is ajar. Pushing it open, Mabel sees Cess lying naked on the parquetry floor, neck broken, eyes wide—clearly dead. Her father stands over the body, looking calm. When Mabel whispers “You killed her,” he replies, “Actually, you did it, Mad Mabel.” Mabel recalls the maker’s claim that the umbrella could withstand anything. She raises the umbrella like a weapon. The first blow pierces his collarbone; he stumbles. She then strikes his skull and continues beating him until he lies still. She checks for a pulse and finds none. Kneeling beside him, she reflects that whatever madness she possesses was created by him.
Key Events
- Mabel returns to the house after a one‑hour absence, still wet and cold.
- She finds her father’s car still in the driveway.
- Inside, she notices Ness’s umbrella is missing and her father’s umbrella is propped against the wall upstairs.
- She discovers Cess’s body on the floor, naked, with a broken neck.
- Her father, standing nearby, claims Mabel is responsible for Cess’s death.
- Mabel attacks her father with the umbrella, stabbing him under the collarbone and then repeatedly striking his head.
- She confirms he is dead and concludes that her madness is his creation.
Character Development
Mabel: Transforms from a fearful runaway into a perpetrator of lethal violence. Her hesitation disappears as she grips the umbrella; the act is deliberate and sustained. She internalises her father’s label “Mad Mabel” but reframes it as a product of his abuse.
Mabel’s father: Remains eerily calm, even smiling, after killing Cess. He displays no remorse; instead he tries to shift blame. His final moment of recognition—a “soul‑deep comprehension”—suggests he understands that his cruelty has come back to him.
Cess: Though deceased, her body is described with clinical detail, emphasising her helplessness and the father’s violent control.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Madness as inheritance: Mabel’s father calls her “Mad Mabel” in a way that echoes the book’s title. She ultimately accepts the label but assigns its origin to him: “every ounce of madness in me had his name on it.”
The umbrella: A domestic object praised for its durability becomes a lethal weapon. It symbolises how tools of civility can be turned to violence when abuse reaches its peak.
Blood and rain: The rain that drenched Mabel outside is replaced by the blood that sprays inside—merging cleansing nature with the filth of murder.
Red lipstick (Cherries in the Snow): Cess’s bright red lips remain intact, a jarring contrast to her death and a reminder of her performance of femininity even in brutality.
Why This Chapter Matters
This is the climax of Mabel’s arc. She moves from victim to perpetrator, committing the violent act she has been shaped by. The chapter confirms the cycle of abuse: the father’s cruelty produces the daughter’s violence. It also resolves the immediate threat, but leaves Mabel alone with the weight of her actions. The umbrella motif ties back to earlier hints, making the violence feel inevitable. The question of whether Mabel was truly mad all along or was driven mad is definitively answered in her final reflection.
Study Questions & Answers
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Question: Why does Mabel say “You killed her” when she sees her father standing over Cess?
Answer: The evidence—Cess’s broken neck, her father’s presence, his calm demeanor—all point to his guilt. Mabel’s accusation is a logical conclusion, though he immediately denies it. -
Question: What role does the umbrella play in this scene?
Answer: The umbrella is first a reminder of the maker’s boast that it could “withstand anything.” Mabel uses it as a weapon because it is sturdy, sharp‑tipped, and readily available—turning a protective object into an instrument of revenge. -
Question: How does Mabel reconcile her identity as “Mad Mabel” after killing her father?
Answer: She acknowledges that she may indeed be mad, but insists that her father is the source of that madness. She redefines the label from an accusation into a testimony of the abuse she endured.