The only people who can understand why Jenny killed Drew are those who have been in abusive relationships or families. Anyone else will find it to be a cold blooded murder. As it does indeed look...to outsiders.
I understand where Jenny was coming from and recognize the reasons for almost everything she did. Of course, her actions made no sense from a normal person's point of view...because her life in itself made no sense. Normal to Jenny was abnormal and dysfunctional to the rest of us. Allowing someone to control you, slap you, kick you, tell you you're fat, etc....and then pretending everything is ok so things will outwardly appear wonderful to others - is just how twisted her mindset was. Any normal woman would have told him where he could go and then take him to the cleaners for child support using the information about the mistress in the hospital room and physical abuse. But a normal woman is a confidant woman who has not been emotionally and physically abused for several years. That is where the difference lies.
No confidant, strong woman would take anything less than being treated with respect, even during arguments. There are lines men and women don't allow each other to cross. But she did.
She was obviously allowing herself to be treated badly and abusively in order to try to hold something together that was a miserable mess. Why? Because she felt that she was worthy of nothing more...and that he would somehow defeat her in the end no matter what.
Since nobody knew about her abuse...nobody would help, and nobody would believe her. Hence, he wins. And given the right circumstances - his anger and cruelty - she could die. She knew that. You might not. But..some things are true whether you believe them or not.
A short story that might be worth reading follows...a true story of the kind of life Jenny and Drew might have been living. It's my story. And I am only writing it to show how things might have happened...that it IS possible for Jenny to be telling the truth. I don't know if hers is true...but I know mine is.
My dad was a very funny, handsome man....the top seller where he worked. Pretty good money...pretty wife ( my mom ) and 3 lovely girls. ( me and my 2 sisters ).
But my father had a very scary and dark side. My dad verbally abused and physically abused my mom for years..until I was 12. It started light when I was small with screaming and pushing. Then at the end he was screaming at us all, choking mom and throwing her against the wall. And not a single teacher, neighbor or relative knew. That's how well we hid it. SHe did not go out on days when her neck had bruises or her eye was black. I did not speak to anyone ...I was the quiet one in class who never spoke. If Jenny and Drew had been allowed to be that dysfunctional as years passed... in front of Jackson, it is sad to think of how his life, personality and his idea or "normal" would have developed.
Jenny did something I used to wish my mother would do...when my dad was choking her. I wished she would hit him or at least fight back. She never did. In her pip squeak voice she would tell him he better not or she would call the police. She only did that on the worst occasions because it resulted in being slammed against the wall. It was during those slams that I wished my mom would kill my dad. For her...for me...for my sisters...for our life to change. It seemed like one more fight would be the end for her. Which, to me, felt like it would be the end of me, too. And sometimes I wished it would be.
As it was, he left my mom for another woman when I was 12....and that was the beginning of a new life for us. Mom had the hardest time getting over it. Being beaten and faking a perfect life for 10 years turned her into only a shell of a person. She has never gone on to find anyone else and she has never been able to build herself back up. I think she did die while being abused...maybe not physically, but in every other way.
After the Jenny Eisenman trial, I realized how our lives might have changed for the worse had my mom heard my prayers and killed him. Nobody would have believed us...no physical evidence, no witnesses, no anything. On the outside...and to outsiders....everything was perfect. If anything, they would take my dad's defense because he was so charismatic. Everyone loved him and he was the top seller in his company.
On the other hand...my mother, my sisters and I were quiet, we didn't socialize much, didn't make eye contact often and were friendly...but only on a superficial level. You see, we had a secret to keep and couldn't get any deeper than a sweet smile and hello on good days.
Based on evidence and appearances, Mom would have lost the trial. Big.
And Mom would likely have gone to jail for a long time. We would have gone to live with whoever.
Jenny had choices....it's possible she made the wrong one. But maybe it's possible she made the right one. I don't claim to know the truth of her situation...only mine. And I know that anything is possible.