The innocent killer; Ethan's manipulation in A. J. Finn's the woman in the window

This thesis aims to analyze Ethan Russell’s manipulations in the novel The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn. It also aims to expose the reason for the manipulation. Based on the research’s purpose, the researcher formulates two problems that must be solved: (1) how did Ethan manipulate Anna Fox? (2) why did Ethan manipulate Anna Fox? This research uses descriptive qualitative methods. The qualitative method analyzes Ethan’s various ways of manipulating Anna and the various reasons behind the manipulation. The research data is obtained from the novel The Woman in the Window. Data collection starts with reading the novel first, then collecting all of Ethan Russell’s utterances. After that, all of these quotes are categorized based on Ethan’s sides of archetype usage, Ethan’s manipulation behavior, and Ethan’s hidden reasons towards Anna. The research results reveal that Ethan manipulates his victim, Anna Fox, in three different ways, and he needs to use his persona side each time he does manipulation. Those various manipulations are; (1) by pretending to be Granny Lizzie, this manipulation utilizes Granny Lizzie’s character persona, (2) by setting up an artificial scenario, this manipulation utilizes victim of violence, and Granny Lizzie’s character persona, (3) by giving false testimonies, this manipulation utilizes victim of violence, a good teenager, and a crybaby persona. Furthermore, the study also reveals there are three reasons why Ethan manipulates Anna they are; (1) being attracted to older women (Anna), (2) protecting himself from the suspect allegation in Katie’s murder. The findings show Carl Gustav Jung’s archetypes theory is well applied to Ethan’s sides of personality. Then, all identified persona are utilized by Ethan when he is doing the manipulation. Moreover, the results of those manipulations show how dangerous the combination of those two things is. Anna is entirely unaware of his manipulation acts and does not suspect Ethan as perpetrator even in the slightest.