we have always lived in the castle sample essay

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Table of contents, quote bank for whalitc, essay 1 : “family is the cause of all the problems in we have always lived in the castle.’ do you agree, essay 2 : merricat and constance find safety in their ruined house, but they sacrifice their freedom. discuss..

Essay 3 : “In We Have Always lived in the castle the women are stronger than the men” discuss.
Essay 4 : In We Have Always Lived in the Castle the villagers are motivated by fear more than anything else. Do you agree?
Essay 5 : “The world is full of terrible people,” says Merricat. How accurate is Merricat’s assessment of the people around her?
Essay 6 : IN WHALTIC, the Blackwoods see change as a threat. Do you agree?
Essay 7 : Safety is ultimately restored for the Blackwood sisters, but at what cost? Discuss.
Essay 8 : Merricat and Constance are both the heroes and the villains in WHALITC. Discuss.
Essay 9 : The choices Merricat makes are always based on self-preservation. Do you agree?
Essay 10 : How does Jackson create an atmosphere of menace in We Have Always Lived in the Castle?

Shirley Jackson’s gothic novel WHALITC, set in a conservative and claustrophobic village, denotes the severe ramifications that oppressive societal expectations and conformist attitudes can have on the members of a nuclear family. While the plot revolves around the members of the Blackwood family, the cause of all the problems that plague them arise from the intense pressures of patriarchal standards placed upon the Blackwood sisters, contributing to the death of their family and the destruction of their house. However, it is also important to note the compounding effects that isolation can have on the demeanour and mental state of the characters and its contribution to the disasters of the novel. Through an analysis of the consequences of overbearing patriarchal values, expressed through the death of the family and the destruction of the house, in addition to the effects of isolation from the village, one can understand Jackson’s fable as an investigation into the complex web of relationships in a family which are often fraught with conflicts.

The two incidents in the novel that form the basis of plot – the death of almost all of the Blackwood family, and the destruction of the Blackwood estate – arise from the overbearing patriarchal nature that govern the family members. Indeed, the framing of the novel through the first-person narration of Merricat in her leading role in these events demonstrates the rebellion against the patriarchal and patrilineal characteristics of the nuclear family in the 19th Century. Firstly, her role in the poisoning of the family is construed within the symbol of food – an inherently female-oriented aspect of life in which the Blackwood women are seen to preserve “deeply coloured rows of jellies and pickles and bottled vegetables and fruit.” Through the use of polysyndeton, in addition to colourful imagery – “maroon and amber and dark rich green” – Jackson bombards the reader with the massive extent to which the women of the Blackwood family centred on food. In tying the value of food with the role of women, Jackson expresses the fundamental restriction of the women of the Blackwood family’s power and value when the male characters in the novel impose on their restrictions. This is displayed when Merricat is described as “a great child of twelve, sent to bed without her supper.” In portraying the oppressive nature of the male characters, in ironically inhibiting their access to their own creations, Jackson illustrates how patriarchal society inhibits the well-functioning of the members of a nuclear family. Therefore, when Merricat poisons the family through their meal, food becomes a symbol of female power and of liberation from the oppression of the patriarchal power dynamics of families in the 19th Century. While through morally unsound methods, Merricat harnesses food as an instrument to champion her rights and win her autonomy within the remaining household. Thus, it is a result of patriarchal dominance in the family that is the cause of the first disaster in the novel.

The second disaster – the burning and looting of the Blackwood estate – serves as another symbolic act of rebellion against the patriarchal forces and societal pressures that confine and marginalise the Blackwood family. Pivotal to this is the character of Charles, who, as a cousin to Merricat, comes back as a “ghost” to ‘haunt’ her of the patriarchal and patrilineal nature of her previous family dynamic. He is seen to be a shadow of John Blackwood, who “used to record the names of people who owed him money.” As Charles seeking the family wealth and estate by marrying Constance, these two male characters are reflections of each other through the theme of greed. In bringing this family member, the equilibrium of Merricat, Constance and Uncle Julian is thrown into disarray, in which Jackson highlights the ramifications of the social expectation of wealth as a male prerogative. The fundamental concepts of the family unit such as marriage are called into question, as Charles’ attempt to lure Constance into a relationship signifies the abuse of the patrilineal and patriarchal nature of families in the pursuit of money. As a result, the burning of the Blackwood estate serves as a instrumental tragedy in which fire can be interpreted as a ‘cleansing’ element which destroys the impurities and injustices that plague the Merricat and the family. Similar to the death of her family, the destruction of the house signifies a rebellion against all the traditional roles and expectations imposed upon them by not only their family but from society, standing as a cathartic release from the burden of the past. The “six blue marbles” that Merricat had used to protect the house “had no connection with the house we lived now,” indicating the new life that the fire has afforded them. Therefore, Jackson expresses the fact that oppressive patriarchal figures within the extended family can result in – given enough pressure – disastrous acts of rebellion.

While the inhibiting influence of male figures in the Blackwood family contribute significantly to the disasters in the novel, the impact of the isolation of the family is crucial to not only the deterioration of Merricat’s mental state but of the village’s increasing tension and animosity. Jackson commences the novel by portraying the dire consequences of the death of her family, through the narration of Merricat who reflects casually that she “likes [her] sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and … Everyone else in [her] family is dead.” In opening with Merricat’s scattered thoughts in a journal-entry style, Jackson insinuates that the death of her parents are the cause for her eccentric mind, exacerbated by the pressures and tension from society. This stark antagonism is seen in Merricat’s fears of the villagers, who may “touch [her] and the mothers come at [her] like a flock of taloned hawks.” The ostracization of the family from the town results in the Blackwood family becoming a repository for the villager’s animosity and woes, exemplified through the menacing simile. Their position in the village becomes entrenched into one of antagonism as the murder of the family has no clear conclusion, leading to gossip and growing contentions. In expressing the oppression of societal conformity and of the deteriorating mental and physical state of the Blackwood sisters, Jackson highlights not only the gothic mood and themes of rebellion but the antagonism that arises from social segregation. Therefore, the woes of the novel lie not only within the Blackwood family’s gender power dynamic but in their social and physical isolation from society.

In conclusion, WHALITC examines the intricate web of family dynamics and the profound influence that it has on the lives of the Blackwood sisters. The novel presents the dire consequences of strained family relationships as a result of domineering male figures, exacerbated by their extensive isolation from society. Jackson therefore demonstrates the express need for family units to be resilient and respectful of all members’ voices and maintaining amicable relationships internally and externally.

we have always lived in the castle sample essay

We Have Always Lived In the Castle, Essay Example

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Introduction

Throughout the centuries, outsiders, pariahs, and misfits have been victimized for their wrongdoings, which has resulted in them becoming scapegoats for their community or families. These are usually individuals who have refused to conform to societal norms and have chosen unconventional lifestyles and beliefs to the disapproval of all around them. People have viewed these outsiders as an example of ‘misbehavior’ for defying social conventions but ironically have become new models for their communities in the process.

In this essay, I would like to analyze how Toni Morrison and Shirley Jackson use literary aspects such as allusions, symbolism, foreshadowing, tones, and epigraphs in their texts to show how an outsider strengthens the unified bond between community members.

Both the main characters Sula and Merricat, are scapegoats of their communities; all the ‘bad’ is projected onto them. Nevertheless, it is evident that these communities are better off with these outsiders as they served as a model for bad behavior. Thus, these protagonists played a pivotal role in creating a more unified bond within the community, which has banished them, as the more they adhered to their unique lifestyle, the more the community members would deliberately ensure that they do not resemble them in any way. Thus, the further they would detach themselves from what they perceived to be bad behavior through the lens of these two main characters, the more they would resolve their wrongful behavior which thus, created a more unified (yet homogenous) community.

Literary devices are the soul of a literal piece and give life to it. What devices to infuse or not are usually at the author’s discretion, and examples of these literary devices include; similes, metaphors, allusions, flashbacks, among many others. In this paper, we are going to place two books; “ Sula ” and “ We Have Always Lived in a Castle ,” under the lens, applying much scrutiny, whilst investigating the literary devices employed by the two authors of these great reads, as well as themes present, the books’ tones, genres, brief character analysis, setting of the stories and a lot more, in light of literal analysis.

Literary Aspects: “Sula” vs. “We Have Always Lived in a Castle”

Inked by celebrated American novelist Toni Morrison, the book “ Sula ” sets a perfect example of how literary elements are blended effortlessly into the book. On the other hand, “ We Have Always Lived in a Castle ,” authored by Shirley Jackson, provides a pedestal upon which most literal pieces in the 20 th century perceive to be the gold standards of writing. Both books tend to focus on stories of individuals who are labeled as rebels, outsiders, and pariahs in their communities. Their behaviors influence not only the community but also the champion for change. This is evident where the main actors Nel and Sula friendship survive the test of time. They are both misfits as they do not align themselves to the societal conventions as black women in the ’20th century. Another lot of misfits, according to Shirley Jackson’s book, are Merricat Blackwood and Constance, her sister, who gets isolated from the community and live outside the castle in solitude in their home. They get separated from society when they lost their family members after being poisoned by sugar in a breakfast cooked by Constance. Evidently, the protagonists in Morrison’s “Sula” include Hannah, Sula, and Nel, whereas in “ We Have Always Lived in a Castle ,” Charles gets portrayed as the chief antagonist, alongside the villagers, while Merricat comes across as the Protagonist. Both writers emphasize the roles of outsiders, pariahs, and misfits in community development. Given the negative records for development in communities, an outsider approaches issues before initiating development activities. However, an outsider can leave when faced with dilemmas in the communities where they live.

Form, Structure, and Style

First and foremost would be to decipher the narrator’s point of view. In the first book, “ Sula, ” the author has used a third-person narration approach. This effectively achieves omniscience while the reader is allowed to access the inner thoughts of each character. This proves to be extremely helpful since the readers are allowed to reserve judgment as the author judges them not either. For Shirley Jackson’s book, on the other hand, the story is given from a 1 st person perspective, with the person in question being Merricat, “Mary Katherine Blackwood.” Language enables authors to share their thoughts, feelings, and ideas in the novels. The language used in “ Sula ” by Morrison provides ample evidence through dialectics of identity about the anchorage, voyage, and ascent. The tone used in Morrison’s book is very straightforward, as she does not waste much precious time mincing words or using superfluous English; she prefers to adopt a simple and more direct approach. For “ We Have Always Lived in a Castle ,” the author uses a very frightening, at times sinister, and darkly humorous tone for the better part. Morrison also employs a lot of allusions, mostly biblical, like, for example, Eva in the book references Eve from the bible. There are also allusions to Shadrack, who is a biblical character known mostly for the incident where he walked through fire unscathed. Apart from this, Ham’s sons mirror the ideology that Africans are descended from Noah’s son, Ham. More to this, there is Jude, who draws similar traits to Judas, the disciple that famously betrayed Christ. There are also secondary sources where allusion applies as well, like the scriptures borrowing heavily from “ Chicken Little ” and the conspicuous epigraph linked to the play “ The Tattoo Rose ”; “Nobody knew my rose of the world but me […] I had too much glory. They don’t want glory like that in Nobody’s heart.” This epigraph is heavily linked with Sula’s facial birthmark, which many find that it looks like a rose. Morrison focuses on Hannah to reveal how outsiders, pariahs, and misfits act as scapegoats. The novel “ Sula ” by Morrison addresses how traditions affect social relationships. Morrison asserts that “Hannah’s companionships with ladies were, seldom and short-lived, eventually discovering what a hazard she was” (26). The language used by Morrison enabled the author to communicate the central ideas of the novel. For example, Hannah had brief affairs with men because she did not fancy the institution of marriage and practices that defined matrimony. Pariahs pursue various practices in an attempt to establish meaning and attain enjoyment. Through language, Morrison communicates events leading to Hannah’s reference as a pariah. A literary language is different from other linguistic approaches. The difference is brought out from the form of language employed in the novels by Morrison and Shirley. Through language, the authors communicate that misfits panic and are banished by adherents to communal practices when mutual objectives are disregarded due to individuals’ self-centered undertakings. For instance, Morrison asserts that failure to moderate irritability hindered Hannah from relating with community members. There is the light application of similes in” Sula, ” a simile which can provide evidence here is the softball of fur that was scattered will now create something new, a new change within Nel and maybe in the community as well. At that point, it shows that she felt different about Sula; she realized it was only with her that she was able to be more herself, more vulnerable. She realized Sula was not actually all bad as she had perceived her, so we see this ambivalence of good and bad and a hope for change.

Symbolism is heavily used by both authors in their books. In “ Sula,” for instance, birds are used to invoke the notion of flight. This evidently makes sense because Sula flees at a certain point in the book. Flowers are also used by the author intermittently to bring out certain points, such as Sula’s rose-shaped birthmark, which serves as the book’s epigraph. Apart from the above-stipulated examples, there is also the use of water, which was associated with demise in the book. For Nel and Sula, it represents Chicken’s drowning. Also, a townsperson is recorded as dying in the tunnel slides and hitting the ice. In “ We Have Always Lived in a Castle ,” foreshadowing is evident where the revelation that Merricat is the real killer/ poisoner by comparing her to a werewolf, a deadly creature.

The Role of An Outsider in Community Formation

Often, outsiders have different cultures, class, lifestyle and their geographical locations are diverse. An outsider visits and settles in a community due to the need to engage in development works. Outside figures embrace their actions by not shying away from partaking in practices that are frowned upon by others. The friends Sula and Nel are raised from very different and diverse backgrounds. The story is based majorly on the friendship of these two individuals. Nel has grown in a household that she finds pretty suffocating and orderly. This is because Nel’s mother, although not necessarily controlling and unloving, is described as someone who views everything systematically and believes in social norms and order. Nel’s mother also demands a lot of respect, is often very strict with her children, and follows all social conventions, which Nel finds disturbing.

On the other hand, Sula is from quite an unorthodox background. Her grandmother Eva is said to have cut her leg up to cut her family, and she also burnt her son to relieve herself of his childish habits of dependency. Sula’s mother is also labeled as a misfit in society as she tends to sleep with multiple men in the Bottom. Although the background of both Nel and Sula seem quite distinct and unique, they are quite close to each other. Their relationship seems to be one of equality and honesty. Sula and Nel tend to find peace in each other when at one time, they are stressed and dig a hole, and they buried the trash. This action was symbolic of them together trying to get rid of bad things in their lives.

In Shirley’s book, Mary Catherine goes out and does errands as her sister never gets out of the house; she goes out to the garden but not beyond the family estate. However, the community is not fond of her. The uncle relays the history of the family, but he does not have many visitors to give the story.

Mary Catherine loves the sister but seems very regretful of not being friendlier to the uncle, the uncle is called Julian. Apart from this, she hates the town’s people and loves the isolated life, and she wants to do this through magic. In addition to magic, she wants to kill people and shutter people away in order to keep her privacy. Mary Catherine cares too much about her older sisters, and Constance takes care of their family so much, she is sometimes tempted by other people to relate to the external environment outside the isolation. Constance creates an environment for both the sister and uncle. Isolation is distinct in that they are comfortable with this life and are not bothered by it, and they are happy about it. The town’s people have a mob mentality which initially in the study was suppressed until it had an opportunity to escape.

The community hates this family because six years prior, the family that lived in this house were poisoned, and the villagers thought that Constance killed the parents and the rest of the family. The Blackwoods are thought to be poor, yet the rest of the villagers seem quite poor. Mary is 18 but does not behave her age; the way that she behaves makes her sound 13 and feels as if she is a child, and this is likely the consequence after the tragic experience of the death. This death really lets them live in a bubble, and this makes them very stuck in constant stages and past time. They do not want to relate to the world and overcome their very past. They seem to be hunted by their past and their mistakes and also their isolation from other people. Everyone believes that Constance killed their family, as she was taken to court and questioned, but was acquitted innocent of the crime. Mary goes to the town twice a week to get vegetables, and the children taunt her with songs of the sister being a murderer; she constantly gets people staring at her. There are “no trespassing” signs everywhere, which make her feel extremely unwanted, and like an outsider.

Back to “ Sula,” the book has several misfits who act as scapegoats in society. Hannah, Sula’s mother, serves as a scapegoat for Sula when she comes back from college and decides to sleep around as her mother did in the past. The community also uses Shadrack as a scapegoat, as they take their dear lives with the influence of Shadrack, who acts as a leader. Shadrack was a bitter man. He is a man from war, and the fight both shook him and also messed him up. Sula also used her family background as a scapegoat for her actions. This is because her family was unsystematic, and they never did follow the social conventions of society. The grandmother burned his son because she was tired of his dependency on her as a parent, and she could not keep up with his childish behavior. Sula’s mother is also one who sleeps around and therefore does not provide a role model to her daughter. Sula is also blamed for the divorce of Nel since she slept with Nel’s husband. Sula is also blamed for the poor condition of living of the family as they had lost the family’s breadwinner. In the context of the book, it is keen to note that Nel was not a woman as empowered as women today and therefore may have faced difficulty looking for work in the Bottom as women and men did not get the same privileges. Sula is also responsible for the staleness in the friendship between her and Nel. This is caused by the infidelity between her and Sula’s husband. The impact of this infidelity was both financial and of friendship as they were not as close as they initially were, although they felt connected as friends. This is evident when Nel mourns for her friend when she dies.

Identity Reconciliation

The style used in Morrison’s novel enabled the author to convey information on how protagonists regain their identity. Morrison uses a third-person perspective throughout the novel. In the novel, Hannah reconciled her identity with that of the community by guiding Sula to observe decency. Although Hannah had revolted on the societal traditions, she regained identity through the family, which is the community’s basic unit. According to Morrison, “Nel, she remembered, always thrived on a crisis. The closed place in the water; Hannah’s funeral” (67). Hannah had endured challenging community aspects, which served as a lesson for Sula after the mother’s death. Hannah’s affirmation about love changed Sula’s perspective of the mother’s practices. Reconciliation with Sula enabled Hannah to reconcile her identity through the family. Thereby, third-person narrative enabled Morrison to tell a narration through characters not mentioned in the novel.

Morrison’s book takes the readers through a journey, from where Sula and Ne become friends, the blossoming of their relationship, to the point where Sula lies with Nel’s husband. After this point, the story takes on a spiral, breaking the relationship between the two girls, but more pertinent is Sula’s failure to comprehend why her affair with Nel’s husband, Jude was wrong. This was mainly because she perceived that the two ladies were free to share anything, even Jude. The climax is when Nel vents her anger on Sula, letting out all she had kept inside her, with there being a lot of tension as Sula attempts to explain the affair, although not satisfactorily. Eventually, Sula passes away, paving for the winding down of the story, “a falling away, a dislocation was taking place.” As much as scapegoating Sula brought people in the Bottom temporary relief, they now have to grapple with their numerous shortcomings. People start being less kind to one another and quit trying to better themselves.

In conclusion, literary elements such as language, structure, and style play an integral part in the text’s implication among readers. Shirley and Morrison apply these literary tools to help uncover the standout characteristics outsiders, pariahs, and misfits possess. These characteristics call for a great deal of attention from readers since these contribute towards society’s realization of its turning point towards advancements. Critical analyses of the two novels by Morrison and Shirley assisted in unearthing the mannerisms via which outsiders facilitate community development. Further, analysis has also helped ascertain that self-definition is detrimental for solitary individuals in order for them to reclaim their identity in society or family setups purposefully. With the help of analyzed texts, it is therefore evident that literary elements applied in both books; “ Sula” and “ We Have Always Lived in a Castle ,” have infinitely aided in the conveyance of the message that an outsider is integral, especially for establishing models for sorting out communal issues. Nevertheless, it is evident that these communities are better off with these outsiders as they served as a model for bad behavior.

Works Cited

Jackson, Shirley. We have always lived in the castle. Penguin UK, 2009.

Morrison, Toni. Sula. Sperling & Kupfer, 2012.

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Family in “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” by Shirley Jackson Essay

Introduction, family theme, role of the ‘castle’, the uncanny story, works cited.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle , written by Shirley Jackson and published in 1961, was the final novel of the author, representing several characteristics of her personality. As mentioned by Bartnett for the Guardian, the female characters of the novel are “yin and yang of Shirley’s own inner self – one, an explorer, a challenger, the other a contented, domestic homebody.” The novel tells the story of two sisters – Merricat Blackwood, who is characterized as headstrong and naïve, and her older sister Constance Blackwood, who avoids venturing any further than her garden. The main mystery behind the two sisters was that they were the remaining members of a large old family that died suddenly from poisoning. Thus, the topic of family is persistent throughout the novel, especially given the consequences that led to the death of almost all Blackwoods.

It is revealed that Merricat was the one to murdered her family, including parents, her aunt, and her brother, leaving only Constance and her uncle, who survived the poisoning of arsenic due to mere luck. Constance was the only family member whom Merricat truly loved, and despite her sinister actions, the author gave explanations for it by pointing out the oppressive nature of family relationships with regard to women. To get a deeper understanding of why Merricat had a chaotic and illogical attitude toward family life, the history and structure of the family as an institution should be considered.

Social rules and gender roles that exist within the family context are predominantly male-centered, which means that the power is usually patrilineal. For instance, the family name is generally passed down from fathers to sons who also have traditionally inherited the majority of the property. Daughters, however, we’re expected to follow family rules until they get married, when they had to come under their husbands’ rule. Therefore, there is a history of blatant oppression of females within the family context (Chae 262). Given the nature of family structure and power, it is not surprising that Merricat wanted to rid herself of the oppressive traditions that her family held.

The most negative aspects of masculinity in the novel are illustrated through the character of Charles Blackwood. He is obsessed with getting rich and thus tricks his cousins out of money under the disguise of pretending to help them. Charles even plans to make Constance his wife, which threatens the relationship between Merricat and her sister (Begonia). The marriage between Constance and Charles can not only ruin the sisters’ relationship but also severely damage the female-oriented family that Merricat wanted to preserve. Therefore, the institution of family and marriage is depicted in the novel as something that keeps women away from helping each other and maintaining solidarity. To a large degree, Jackson intentionally portrays marriage as a treat to familial relationships rather than a vehicle for strengthening them.

Familial relationships depicted in We Have Always Lived in the Castle are complex. Charles is already Constance and Merricat’s relative, which gives him the right to entire their house regardless of any efforts of preventing him from doing so (Lape 153). Merricat is always aware of the boundaries she must set for protection; she checks the fence that surrounds her property every week, uses talismans to safeguard herself from danger, has “hiding places” for escaping abuse (Jackson 76). Charles is very dismissive of her cousin’s practices and intends to take the power that she gained through murdering her oppressive family. He starts treating Merricat the same way in which her late family treated her in the past.

In contrast to Charles’ strive for money and power, Merricat is not interested in none of her financial inheritance. Rather, she places special importance on the cultural and historical value of the objects left behind by generations of Blackwood women who inhabited the castle. Canned food and chinaware have a special place in Merricat’s heart because they represent the contributions of Blackwood wives and daughters who were continuously oppressed by their husbands, fathers, and brothers. These objects show that women have always followed the stereotype of fulfilling their role of cooks for their families. Food is also a tangible symbol of women being crucial contributors to family dynamics when Merricat murders her family, food changes from the oppressive instrument to the beacon of liberation.

As mentioned earlier, Blackwoods’ family residence has always been of great value for Merricat and her sister, not from a financial but from a historical perspective. To Merricat, the house represented the nature and essence of its female inhabitants: “as soon as a new Blackwood wife moved in, a place was found for her belongings, as so our house was built up with layers of Blackwood property weighing in, and keeping it steady against the world” (Jackson 1). The house was indeed a castle that protected Merricat from the outside world, and she cherished its history in the same way as she cherished her freedom and control over her life after murdering almost the entire family. Despite Merricat’s disdain with the traditional roles that women had to play in their houses, she still enjoyed neatening and cleaning it as an homage to the hard work that she previously had to do: “on Mondays, we neatened […] carefully setting the little things back after we had dusted, never altering the perfect line of our mother’s tortoise-shell comb” (Jackson 42). As the novel climaxes with Blackwood’s estate getting caught on fire that destroyed most of the building, both Merricat and Constance are devastated from the destruction of the place that they held so dearly to their heart despite the oppression that experienced.

Seeing the treasured objects of Blackwood women’s history destroyed is a shock to the sisters because both of them valued the contributions of their ancestors. The author writes, “silverware that had been in the house for generations of Blackwood wives […] tablecloths and napkins hemmed by Blackwood women, and washed and ironed, again and again, mended and cherished” (Jackson 114). These lines illustrate the attachment sisters had to the house and the respect they had for it. Overall, by the numerous ways in which Merricat tried to protect her house and maintain its history, it can be concluded that the ‘castle’ played a significant role in the main characters’ lives. Importantly, it reflected the long tradition of hard work that Blackwood women had to do to make the house feel like home. Unfortunately, no one except for Merricat and Constance understood the value of that work.

In Gothic literature, the uncanny mode is used for providing a look at the darkest sides of humanity. To a large extent, the uncanny brings out the internal conflict that a character may experience because of (the) underlying external conflict (Kristinsson). In We Have Always Lived in the Castle , the uncanny is manifested in Merricat’s struggle to get away from the oppressive nature of her family by making a decision to poison her relatives with arsenic. Again, the literary mode relates directly to the key theme of the novel – male-dominated family structures.

The atmosphere that persists in the entire novel can be characterized as uncanny because readers get to know that the protagonist murdered her family and still manage to sympathize with her. Also, the fact that Merricat’s sister also knows about the intentional killing does not seem too over-the-top for readers because they understand that the novel speaks about the most negative characteristics of people, which is inherent to Gothic literature. The uncanny qualities of the protagonist contribute to the overall eerie atmosphere of the novel because her actions are a secret to nobody.

To conclude, family relationships in We Have Always Lived in the Castle as extremely complex. For getting herself and Constance away from the oppressive family dynamics, Merricat makes a decision to murder her relatives. However, in the course of the novel, her family ‘haunts’ Merricat through the figure of Charles, who wants to take power over the Blackwood money and property, thus illustrating the most negative aspects of male-dominated families. The ‘castle’ plays a unique role in the novel; it provides shelter and sanctuary for both sisters while still reminding them of the long history of women being oppressed in its walls. Jackson’s novel is uncanny in its attitude toward family life and the use of Gothic symbolism.

Bartnett, David. “We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson – A House of Ordinary Horror.” The Guardian . 2015, Web.

Begonja, Lucija. Female Characters and Setting in Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Thesis, University of J.J. Strossmayer in Osijek, 2017.

Chae, Haesook. “Marx on the Family and Class Consciousness.” A Journal of Economics, Culture & Society , vol. 26, no. 2, 2014, pp. 262-277.

Jackson, Shirley. We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Penguin Modern Classics, 2009.

Kristinsson, Sebastian. “The Split Psyche and the Uncanny in Scottish Literature.” Skemman , 2016, Web.

Lape, Sue Veregge. The Lottery’s Hostage: The Life and Feminist Fiction of Shirley Jackson. Dissertation, Ohio State University, 1992.

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IvyPanda. (2020, December 13). Family in "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" by Shirley Jackson. https://ivypanda.com/essays/family-in-we-have-always-lived-in-the-castle-by-shirley-jackson/

"Family in "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" by Shirley Jackson." IvyPanda , 13 Dec. 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/family-in-we-have-always-lived-in-the-castle-by-shirley-jackson/.

IvyPanda . (2020) 'Family in "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" by Shirley Jackson'. 13 December.

IvyPanda . 2020. "Family in "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" by Shirley Jackson." December 13, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/family-in-we-have-always-lived-in-the-castle-by-shirley-jackson/.

1. IvyPanda . "Family in "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" by Shirley Jackson." December 13, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/family-in-we-have-always-lived-in-the-castle-by-shirley-jackson/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Family in "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" by Shirley Jackson." December 13, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/family-in-we-have-always-lived-in-the-castle-by-shirley-jackson/.

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We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Updated 06 December 2022

Subject Home , Writers

Downloads 28

Category Literature , Science

Topic House , Poison , Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson's final book, We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Tells the story of two twins, Constance Blackwood and Merricat, who lived in a massive house in New England with their Uncle Julian.

The family was plagued by envious neighbors

Who sang derogatory songs as they walked by.

They became the only survivors

After food poisoning killed the whole family.

Uncle Julian, who is a shell of his former self, survived the incident because he had taken a small dose of arsenic.

This literary marvel uses a vast variety of literary techniques to entice the reader. The plot, narrator’s point of view, setting, and symbolism among other elements are intertwined within the book much to the attraction of the reader. As such, this paper will dwell on the symbolism in this novel.

Symbolism of Evil

Evil is one of the most prominent elements symbolized by the author in various ways.

In one of the scenes, Mary discovers that one of her security had fallen from the tree.

Mary had three safeguards that symbolized different protections. The first protection was a buried doll with a rock on top of it that symbolized safeguard of Constance. As such, the buried doll protected her sister from any harm provided it was maintained in the same position.

The second protection entailed some silver dollars buried alongside the creek as a sign of the family’s fortune. Though they somehow did not concern themselves too much with the family fortune, the silver dollars were specifically buried to protect the same.

The third protection was a ledger nailed on the tree to symbolize the outside globe. Inscribed on the ledger were names of persons their dad owed money to. The ledger was specifically placed to protect the family from the outside world since it had some connection. As such, when the ledger fell, Charles Blackwood was able to enter their home.

All these safeguards are symbolic of evil within the society. When people resort to sorcery to protect themselves and their fortune, it must be compounded by evil (Jackson).

Another form of evil is illustrated as Merricat came across a nest of baby snakes, which she killed. In the conventional and contemporary world, snakes are illustrative of evil. For instance, even in the holy books, precisely the bible, snakes are portrayed as evil and therefore a danger to humans. When Mary kills the snakes, she might have awakened the bigger evil symbolized by their cousin Charles. The author utilizes the snakes to typify evil within the family and the society at large. Moreover, Merricat even deems Charles a demon further substantiating the above sentiments that evil was a prominent thing within this family.

Symbolism of the Current World

The entire novel is a symbol of the current world. The world that is full of greed, hatred, and selfishness among other evils. Just like Merricat killed his family, people murder their parents or siblings just to get hold of the family wealth. In the current society, greed has escalated to an undesirable level. The world is also full of individuals like Charles who only have an interest in wealth over family. As Merricat describes him, he is a demon striving to cause havoc within the household. As such, the author summarizes the current society through this novel and exemplifies the various evils within the society (Jackson).

In conclusion, symbolism is a common literary element used in many writings to link certain aspects of the society. In this novel, evil is typified through the snakes and Merricat’s safeguards. These components are an exemplification of the current society, which is full of evil. The author rightly demonstrates this element differently within this text.

Works Cited

Jackson, Shirley. We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Viking Press, 1962.

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An Ultimate Guide to We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Instead of focusing on paranormality, Jackson conveys a “vast intimacy with everyday evil, with the pathological undertones of prosaic human configurations: a village, a family, a self”. The novella disinterred the wickedness in normality, cataloguing the ways in which repression tips into psychosis, persecution, and paranoia, into cruelty and its masochistic, injury-cherishing twin.

Set in a secluded town, the novel chronicles the lives of the Blackwood sisters, Merricat and Constance, who are both outcasts in their community. Despite the antagonism they face from the townspeople, the sisters are able to find comfort in each other and in their ancestral home, where they live in relative seclusion.

Through the character of Merricat, Jackson examines the psychological impacts of isolation and persecution. Merricat is an eccentric and paranoid young woman who has been ostracized by the townspeople, who view her as a witch. Due to her isolation, Merricat's mental state begins to deteriorate, leading to an increase in her paranoia and delusions. Despite this, she remains fiercely protective of her sister and their home, and is willing to do whatever it takes to keep them safe from the outside world.

Jackson's incorporation of Gothic elements, such as the eerie and dilapidated Blackwood estate and the supernatural beliefs of the townspeople, adds to the novel's atmosphere of unease and isolation. The novel also explores the consequences of societal persecution, as the townspeople's mistreatment of the Blackwood sisters ultimately leads to tragedy.

Genre and Narrative Conventions

Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a work of gothic fiction, known for its eerie and uncanny atmosphere. The novel explores themes of isolation and madness through the eyes of the protagonist, Merricat Blackwood, who is haunted by the double of her dead father. The Blackwood family's remote, crumbling house serves as a symbol of their own decay and isolation, adding to the novel's gothic mood. Jackson also uses elements of the supernatural, such as the mention of Merricat's ability to "put things right" with her mind, and the use of symbols, such as the black cat, to depict the relationship between the natural and the unnatural.

The risk of nature’s revolting is challenged through the construction of Merricat as the embodiment of sympathetic magic — naturalising the unnatural. Particularly, she confronts nature’s anger through raw and natural elements: soil and leaves being scattered, fire being lit up. Jackson thus marries magic — characteristically an evil and unnatural power, with prehuman elements, so as to avoid readily vilifying Merricat. The fire aforementioned symbolically incinerates the female stronghold and feminine power, preventing it from being invaded.

The distinction between reality and fantasy is also blurred, which only adds to the sense of unease. The house symbolises both the physical and mental isolation of the Blackwood sisters, and the way in which they have cut themselves off from the outside world. By characterising Merricat as the antithesis of her sister, Jackson also highlights the themes of repression and rebellion, which are central to the Gothic genre.

Constance Blackwood is characterised as hypersensitive and afraid, whereas Merricat Blackwood, the fable’s first-person narrator, is attuned to “nature, to the rhythm of the season, and to death”. As the culprit in the unresolved crime that takes centrality in the narrative, she challenges patriarchal institution and the law of proprietorship, acting as the antithesis of a docile, domestic woman. Merricat’s ingenuous and defiant voice helps foreground the disintegration permeating the story.

Isolation and Persecution

The novel's isolated setting and its exploration of the psychological effects of isolation and persecution on the main character, Merricat, highlight the ostracisation of those who exhibit ‘otherness’. The protagonist and her sister Constance, who is afflicted by an anxiety disorder, are strongly attached, and their isolation is a defence mechanism against the social norms and rules propagated by their community.

The tragic consequences of the townspeople's treatment of the Blackwood sisters further underscore the theme of the dangers of societal persecution. The novel suggests that isolation can lead to madness and self-destruction, as the Blackwood sisters are unable to cope with their isolation and gradually become more and more isolated from each other and from reality.

Female self-sufficiency, Jackson suggests, specifically women's forceful establishment of power over their own lives, threatens a society in which men hold primary power and leads inevitably to confrontation.

Supernatural, Magic and Witchcraft

In "We Have Always Lived in the Castle," magic and witchcraft are presented as a means of coping with and resisting the difficulties and isolation faced by the main characters. For Merricat, her practice of sympathetic magic can be seen as a way of trying to exert some control over her circumstances and to find a sense of agency in a world that often seems unfair and unpredictable. By engaging in magical practices, Merricat is empowered to create some sense of order and meaning in her life, and to connect with a world that is beyond the narrow-mindedness and judgment of the villagers. Magic and witchcraft characters’ resistance and subversion of the expectations and norms of their society.

Jackson also uses the supernatural to represent the otherness of characters. The ghost in Gothic literature often manifests as a phantasmic spectre of a “Madwoman in the Attic” (a term coined by Gilbert and Gubar and the title of their work), an outcasted woman. However, in Castle , this role is filled by Charles – a masculine presence – who is always referred to by Merricat as a ghost. By replacing the madwoman with a male ghost, Jackson enables the preservation of female power and subverts the relationship between men and women.

Power and Masculinity

The novel provides a critique of the causes and consequences of female victimisation and alienation (which have been explored briefly in the previous section). Jackson subverts masculine authority from the outset of the novel, which has already suffered a defeat at the hands of the protagonist through her poisoning. This poisoning has resulted in a transfer of power from Blackwood men to Blackwood women. The victim, John Blackwood, is a patriarch who "took pride in his table, his family, his position in the world" (p. 47). His preservation of wealth and material possessions is represented through the narrator’s description of the ways "he used to record the names of people who owed him money, and people who ought, he thought, to do favors for him". Acts of altruisms are replaced by quid pro quo transactions; John views all loans as financial investments and benefits the town’s scarcity of resources. Jackson establishes John as the archetypal patriarch and proprietor that dominates society.

Julian, John’s brother, is characterised as the antithesis of John, dependent on his brother's charity and subject to his authority. He is emasculated by the lack of authority and the failure to accumulate private wealth. In a society that defines wealth as a male prerogative, Julian is outcasted, rendered both legally and symbolically powerless. His invalid state confirms that financial failure for men leads to powerlessness, dependency, emasculation. However, whilst his emasculation ensures the empowerment of Constance and Merricat, his insistent denial of Merricat’s existence is a reminder of her invisibility to the Blackwood men

Womanhood and Domesticity

Jackson uses Gothic tropes to marry the sanitised domestic space with psychological entrapment and horrors. Merricat and Constance “have always lived” in the castle, suggesting a sort of entrapment within the space. After her opening describing her character, Merricat remarks on the day to day life inside the structure with Constance and her family:

We always put things back where they belonged. We dusted and swept under tables and chairs and beds and pictures and rugs and lamps, but we left them where they were… Blackwoods had always lived in our house, and kept their things in order… and so our house was built up with layers of Blackwood property weighting it, and keeping it steady against the world (Jackson 421)

In this passage, the collective “we” is inescapable. The narrative reads almost like a cleaning manual, dusting and sweeping various locations. Jackson’s use of domestic imagery alludes to the duties of female members in the Blackwood family – constantly working to maintain the order of the household and its façade, but lacking power and involvement.

This depiction of domesticity is juxtaposed against Merricat’s rebellion, which culminates in her subversion of the Blackwood patriarchy. By establishing Constance as the head of the family through the murder, she replaces masculine power with feminine power. Constance and Merricat are contrasted in Jackson’s initial depiction, where Constance represents the domestic and traditional, and Merricat represents the creative and unrestrained. This depiction, however, is challenged through Jackson’s deconstruction of the domestic. Domestic tasks are portrayed as creative tasks instead of mundane, repetitive routinely chores. Constance, despite being relegated to the domestic sphere, discerns creativity. Similarly, Merricat’s rebellion is paired with self-imposed rules and insistence on routine, which helps Jackson further eradicate binary oppositions and rigid characterisations.

Idea to Explore:

The annihilating fire that transforms the Blackwood mansion into ““a castle, turreted and open to the sky”. Guiding notes:

Despite that the castle image is Gothicised, the structure is still filled with domestic bliss.

The fire exacerbates their isolation from the world and entrapment; they are more so contained in their home’s blackened walls.

However, the two are not bothered. Merricat remarks, “We were going to be very happy”

Their “great many things to do” become commonplace domestic tasks such as cleaning fragments of the former home, and barricading themselves—literally and figuratively—against the outside world.

Class and Wealth

In Shirley Jackson's "We Have Always Lived in the Castle," the theme of class and wealth is evident in the hierarchy and distinction between the wealthy, aristocratic Blackwood family and the poorer, working-class townspeople. The Blackwood family's history of wealth and privilege is portrayed through their large, grandiose mansion and their pride in their family's legacy and proprietorship of the town. This distinction is further emphasized by the antagonism between the Blackwoods and the townspeople, represented through representations of the Blackwood’s proprietorship and snobbery towards others, resulting in persecution and isolation. The family is conscious of their snobbery towards the village, and simultaneously conscious of the role persecution plays in confirming their elevated self-image. The forewords of the novella refer to this double confession of culpability, a typical feature in Jackson’s texts. She propounds that, to revel in injury is a form of exultation, and to suffer exile from conformist groups, is not an implicit moral victory, but a form of bohemian one-upmanship.

Merricat is aware of such animosity:

“The people of the village disliked the fact that we always had plenty of money to pay for whatever we wanted; we had taken our money out of the bank, of course, and I knew they talked about the money hidden in our house, as though it were great heaps of golden coins and Constance and Uncle Julian and I sat in the evenings, our library books forgotten, and played with it, running our hands through it and counting and stacking and tumbling it, jeering and mocking behind locked doors.”

The reference to “money hidden in [their] house” and the archaic equivocation to “great heaps of golden coins” allude to the economic disparity between the people and the Blackwoods, which results in class antagonism. Private property is a falsifier of economic relations, and the mansion symbolises the family’s ability to accrue wealth. The perceived prestige attached with the Blackwood family’s ownership of property and wealth creates divisions within society and fuels conflict.

Authorial Intent: What is it saying?

A Brooding Examination of Persecution and Paranoia

Jackson's narrative is heavily steeped in the motif of small-town New England persecution. Yet, she cleverly repackages this persecution, transforming it from a broad social critique to a deeply personal fable. Central to this narrative is the character development of the Blackwood sisters. Constance is depicted as hypersensitive and fearful, while her younger sister Merricat, the novella's first-person narrator, maintains a close bond with nature, the changing seasons, and the concept of death.

Merricat, implicated in a central unresolved crime, dares to defy patriarchal institutions and the law of proprietorship. She symbolizes the antithesis of the docile, domestic woman, her defiant and innocent voice echoing the thematic disintegration that permeates the narrative. This voice serves as a stark contrast to Constance's fear, demonstrating the psychological complexities and contradictions within the two main characters.

Sympathetic Magic: Marrying the Natural and Unnatural

Jackson's narrative also delves into the relationship between the natural and the unnatural, drawing heavily on Gothic tropes. Merricat, portrayed as the embodiment of sympathetic magic, challenges the risk of nature's rebellion, thereby naturalizing the unnatural. She confronts nature's fury with raw, elemental forces: the scattering of soil and leaves, the ignition of fire. By aligning magic—an inherently unnatural power—with prehuman elements, Jackson effectively prevents the reader from outright vilification of Merricat.

The symbolism of fire is particularly poignant in this context. It serves as a metaphorical barrier, safeguarding the female stronghold and feminine power from potential intrusion. This underscores Merricat's unconventional strength and her defiance of traditional gender roles.

Unveiling Class Antagonism: The Blackwoods and Their Pride

Class antagonism is another critical theme that Jackson explores in the novella. The Blackwoods' proprietary attitudes and their disdain for others lead to their persecution and isolation. The family is painfully aware of their snobbery towards the village, recognizing that this persecution only serves to cement their elevated self-image. Jackson argues that this reveling in injury is a form of exultation, suggesting that suffering exile from conformist groups is not just a moral victory but also a form of bohemian oneupmanship.

In-Depth Analysis of the First Chapter

The first chapter of the novella sets the stage for the drama that unfolds. Here, Merricat Blackwood is introduced as an 18-year-old living with her sister, Constance. Right from the outset, Jackson establishes the role of sisterhood in replacing heterosexual romance and patriarchal structures. Merricat's narrative provides an intriguing the juxtaposition of innocence and evil, reflecting her ideological escape from reality through magic. She imagines being “born a werewolf”, emphasising her existence as the foreign ‘other’, and the description of her “the two middle fingers on both [her] hands [being] of the same length”, representing physical abnormality, further highlights her otherness.

The Blackwood family is portrayed as stagnant and dull, “never much of a family for restlessness and stirring”. The stagnated state of the family parallels the inanimacy of objects, “the books and the flowers and the spoons”. Framed using a polysyndeton, with the conjunction “and” being repeated, Jackson’s description of the family’s possessions connotes excess and abundance. The family takes care to preserve their material possessions, which are “dusted and swept under the tables and chairs and beds and pictures and rugs and lamps”, but “left them where they were”. The lack of utility of these furnitures renders them mere signifiers of wealth, or falsifiers of economic relations. Their wealth is preserved and transferred through patriarchal lineage, and marriages help the family accumulate further wealth and economic capital. Marital relations, and by extension, the Blackwood wives, are commodified in Merricat’s narration, with their identity being attached to their “belongings”, which help build up with “layers of Blackwood property”.

The wealth of the Blackwoods are preserved and transferred through patriarchal lineage, with marriages serving as a means to accumulate further economic capital. The commodification of the Blackwood wives is evident in Merricat's narrative, where their identities are reduced to their "belongings," which contribute to the "layers of Blackwood property."

The gendered description of “the men [staying] young and [doing] the gossiping and the women aged with grey evil weariness” establishes the chasm between the lives of men and women. The passivity of the women standing “silently waiting for the men to get up and come home” demonstrates the drudgery and monotony of domestic lives. Women are disempowered by the laws, which act as patriarchal institutions that deprive them of proprietary rights. Merricat expresses her admiration towards The Rochester house, “the loveliest in the town”, which “by rights it should have belonged to Constance”. Their mother, despite being “born there”, lacks proprietary rights and is unable to transfer ownership to Constance. The binary language in Merricat’s narration — “disliked” and “liked”, establishes a childlike sense of injustice.

The theme of entrapment, a staple of Gothic literature, is evident in the depiction of Constance and Uncle Julian. Constance's inability to venture “past her own garden” is juxtaposed with Uncle Julian's physical immobility. In postmodern literature, the “garden” symbolises liminality — the in-between space between the confines of the domestic space and the public sphere. We may infer that Constance desires access to the outside world but fears the hostility of the townspeople. Merricat, on the other hand, is empowered by “the simple need for books and food”, representations of her needs, both spiritual and physical.

Similar to The Lottery, Castle also uses a cliched description of “the sun … shining” in a “fine April morning” to unveil the co-existence of good and evil. The “false glorious promises of spring … showing oddly through the village grime” create foreboding malevolence; Jackson eradicates binary oppositions by marrying natural imagery with references to beauty’s falsity.

Thematic ideas explained:

Evil in Normality: Jackson unravels the sinister aspects hidden within everyday life, focusing on the progression from repression to psychosis, persecution, paranoia, cruelty, and masochism. Persecution and Paranoia: The narrative underlines the motif of small-town persecution, illustrating how societal persecution can tip over into personal paranoia. Defiance of Patriarchy: Through the character of Merricat, Jackson challenges patriarchal institutions and the traditional image of the docile, domestic woman.

Sympathetic Magic and the Natural vs. Unnatural: Jackson illustrates he relationship between the natural and the unnatural, with Merricat representing sympathetic magic, which naturalizes the unnatural.

Class Antagonism: The theme of class antagonism is represented through the Blackwood family's snobbery, leading to their isolation and persecution. Gothic Tropes and Entrapment: Jackson's use of Gothic tropes, such as physical and psychological entrapment, is highlighted through the characters of Constance and Uncle Julian.

Coexistence of Good and Evil: The narrative explores the coexistence of good and evil, often revealed through seemingly ordinary circumstances.

Key Symbolism

Shirley Jackson's Gothic novel 'We Have Always Lived in the Castle' features an array of symbols that reflect the genre's traditional themes of isolation, decay, and psychological turmoil. A strong understanding of Gothic tropes will enable a deeper understanding of how Jackson represents the invisible forces that shape the experience of her female characters. The conventions of female Gothic writing are deployed to interrogate the position of women within family structures as claustrophobic, oppressive and combative. The novel has been referred to as a Radcliffean Gothic (named after Ann Radcliffe, one of the earliest Gothic writers), particularly in its use of vulnerable heroine and malevolent Gothic spaces.

The symbols used in the novel include ubiquitous Gothic motifs such as the decaying mansion, reclusive characters, and ominous natural elements. This section will explore a few elements that may be missed by many VCE students in their studies of this new addition to the text list.

About the Genre: What is Gothic Literature?

Gothic literature is a genre of fiction that originated in England during the latter half of the 18th century but has transformed over the centuries. The genre has evolved from Romantic-era Gothic, characterized by supernatural elements, to the more psychological Gothic of the 20th and 21st centuries. Despite its evolution, Gothic literature typically involves eerie and mysterious scenarios that evoke sensations of fear, dread and suspense in the reader. While Gothic literature can vary in content and style, it is unified by a general preoccupation with death, darkness, hauntings, and entrapment.

Features of different sub-genres of Gothic Literature can be seen in various parts of Jackson's novel: for instance, supernatural elements such as omens, reminding us of the Romantic era, and the Uncanny - referring to the similarities between Charles and John, reminiscent of the psychological Gothic. Also, the text replaces monstrosity, visceral horror, and violence with psychological terror, paranoia, and psychosis, which is a common Postmodern Gothic feature.

Evocation of the Supernatural

One of the prominent features of Gothic literature is its evocation of the supernatural, and Shirley Jackson's "We Have Always Lived in the Castle". References to hidden secrets, curses and spells in the novel allude to the supernatural. However, unlike so many gothic writers, Jackson’s version of the supernatural represents a preferable alternative to life for her characters. Sympathetic magic - imaginative power - empowers Merricat, and allows her to escape the constraints to patriarchal power. The supernatural "life on the moon" represents an alternative economy to the exploitative and oppressive capitalist system of their town. The sisters eschew modernity and choose instead to reside in a dilapidated castle, which smells of "smoke and ruins", 'turrets and open to the sky". The upper level is unsuitable for habitation, thereby limiting their living space to the kitchen and living area. They opt for familiarity with their former dwelling and lifestyle over the formidable challenge of reintegrating into society, forging a novel sense of tranquillity within their private realm.

Even the novel’s setting and atmosphere are subjected to the will of the characters. No rogue spirits or hostile creatures haunt the woods surrounding the Blackwood mansion – only Merricat, who roams them as comfortably as if they are her bedroom. She sleeps on a bed of leaves beneath the tree and walks without fear because she has power and agency in this world. If anything haunts the grounds of her family property, it is her. She is the haunting.

The environment and ambience portrayed in the novel are intricately tied to the actions of its characters. While no malevolent entities or otherworldly beings lurk amidst the foliage enveloping Blackwood manor, Merricat herself roams freely as if it were her sanctuary. Fearlessly wandering through the woods and taking up residence beneath a verdant canopy, she exerts control over her surroundings with ease. Indeed, if there is any presence that might be considered eerie on this familial estate, it is none other than Merricat - for she embodies an ethereal essence all her own that permeates every inch of space around her.

Murder and Madness

Evil seems to be domesticated and interiorised as madness in the novel, with most of its horror emanating from within Merricat's mind. Jackson's evocation of seemingly disturbed psychological states and association of these states with acts of violence is representative of her critique of societal norms and morality. A history of trauma and abuse is implied through the sisters' frequent references to the poisoning incident and their eventual isolation from society. Merricat's homicidal thoughts and anxieties are presented as an understandable response to the trauma and abuse she has endured, rather than a manifestation of inherent evil.

“Their tongues will burn, I thought, as though they had eaten fire. Their throats will burn when the words come out, and in their bellies they will feel a torment hotter than a thousand fires.”

The novel portrays evil not as an external entity but rather as a domesticated and internalised form of madness that is prominently displayed in Merricat’s antagonistic relationship with the townspeople.

However, to subvert the male-centred narrative that associates these states with innate female 'hysteria', Jackson also focuses on the hallucinations and mental instability of Uncle Julian. The psychologisation of terror is herein revealed through the ambivalent psychological dimension that destabilises Julian's perception of reality.

Adolescence and Trauma

Traumatised adolescence and its location within dysfunctional family units are implicitly explored through Jackson's Castle, enabling an examination of Merricat and Constance's experiences. As an 18-year-old girl, Merricat has endured a significant amount of emotional and psychological trauma, which has ostensibly shaped her hostility towards the villagers.

There are no explicit references to her transition from childhood to maturity, yet the novel's folklore elements invite reading through a lens of initiation, where Merricat's withdrawal into ritualistic behaviours and her obsession with magical practices serve as coping mechanisms to such transition.

“It’s spring, you’re young, you’re lovely, you have a right to be happy. Come back into the world.”

“I could not breathe; I was tied with wire, and my head was huge and going to explode; I ran to the back door and opened it to breathe. I wanted to run; if I could have run to the end of our land and back I would have been all right, but Constance was alone with them in the drawing room and I had to hurry back.”

Through Merricat's traumatic adolescence, Jackson highlights the impact of family dysfunction on mental health and development. Her fear of Constance leaving (e.g., panicking as Helen Clarke invites Constance out) and controlling personality are symbolised by the regimented routine of her weekly grocery outings, whereby she fulfils her role to ensure their self-sufficiency without a paternal presence.

Unreliable Narration

Gothic fiction, including Shirley Jackson's writing, frequently employs the use of an unreliable narrator as a tool for projecting the protagonist's emotional instability. This instability is often linked to Gothic themes of persecution and punishment and can manifest in forms bordering on madness or paranoia. In "We Have Always Lived in the Castle," Merricat vacillates between her internal reality - where she imagines taking revenge against those who have wronged her family - and presenting a veneer of normalcy during external interactions with others.

“I never turned; it was enough to feel them all there in back of me without looking into their flat grey faces with the hating eyes. I wish you were all dead, I thought, and longed to say it out loud. Constance said, “Never let them see that you care,” and “If you pay any attention they’ll only get worse,” and probably it was true, but I wished they were dead.”

The portrayal of Merricat serves as an incisive commentary on gender roles that restrict women's power within society since her isolation stems from these constraints imposed upon her.

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We Have Always Lived in the Castle

51 pages • 1 hour read

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Summary and Study Guide

We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a contemporary gothic novella written by Shirley Jackson. It was first published in 1962. It is narrated by Mary Katherine Blackwood, known to her family as Merricat, and tells the story of the misfortune that befalls the secretive Blackwood family when the outside world encroaches and Merricat’s peculiar values are put to the test. In this story, Jackson underscores themes of rebellion versus conformity in a world of class, murder, cooking, and even a dash of witchcraft. This summary refers to the Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition, published in 2006.

Plot Summary

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Blackwood Manor is a large family estate that houses a peculiar trio: 18-year-old Mary Katherine “Merricat” Blackwood , the protagonist; her older sister Constance; and Uncle Julian. The other Blackwoods were murdered after ingesting arsenic-laced sugar. Constance takes care of Merricat and Uncle Julian, who survived the poisoning but uses a wheelchair ever since. Uncle Julian, who is obsessed with the murders at Blackwood manor, relitigates them at every turn while getting no closer to an answer. What he knows is that the poisoning itself happened six years earlier while the family was having dessert. The sugar was poisoned with arsenic, and it was used to sweeten the blackberries for dessert. Constance doesn’t take sugar, so she didn’t eat any while Merricat had been sent to her room early without supper as punishment. The rest of the family, however, consumed the dessert. Merricat’s parents John and Ellen, her aunt Dorothy (Julian’s wife), and her younger brother Thomas died. Constance was accused of committing the murders. Though tried, she was eventually acquitted.

The story is told from Merricat’s point of view , and she describes a weekly schedule of unerring regularity. Constance now has agoraphobia and obsessively cooks and pickles foods from the family’s garden. Uncle Julian uses a wheelchair, so neither he nor Constance leave the family’s property. Merricat secures the essentials for their survival by walking into town every week for supplies and library books. Though Constance was acquitted, the townspeople still strongly believe she’s guilty, and there’s palpable dislike for the Blackwoods. Merricat is often taunted ruthlessly when she journeys to town, both by children who sing a crude nursery rhyme about her and by the gossiping adults. The Blackwoods only connection to the surrounding village is through regular visits from Helen Clarke and the town’s doctor, who regularly assesses Julian’s health. Merricat buries items all over the Blackwood estate to protect the property from townspeople and bad spirits. Her thoughts often turn to murder and mayhem, especially when her rigid schedule is undermined. She is often shocked and disturbed when Constance suggests a change in the usual routine or curiosity about the outside world.

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Soon, their cousin Charles Blackwood arrives, undermining Merricat’s rigid schedule. Now that Charles’s father (Julian’s brother) has died, lifting the extended family’s stonewalling of Merricat and her sister, Charles is free to do as he pleases. He claims he has arrived on a charitable mission to help the Blackwoods. Constance welcomes Charles and the change he brings. However, Uncle Julian is befuddled by Charles’s presence, and Merricat perceives him as a purely malevolent presence, a “ghost” haunting Blackwood Manor. As she creates various passive charms and spells to get Charles out of the house, Charles begins to assess the monetary value of every little trinket in the house and keeps asking about the locked safe and the rumored fortune held within. The conflict escalates between Merricat and Charles, and Charles finally makes the fatal error of suggesting to Merricat that she will be sent to bed without her dinner. Soon after, Charles’s pipe starts a fire in a wastepaper basket that burns the top floor of the house down. The firefighters arrive, as do many of the villagers. The strangers form into a mindless and unaccountable mob, and after the fire has been put out, the mob begins throwing rocks at the windows of Blackwood manor. They rush the house, breaking furniture and dishes, their actions fueled by years of pent-up frustration and fear of the Blackwoods.

During the destruction, Uncle Julian dies of a heart attack while both Constance and Merricat hide in the woods until the destruction is over. Charles, ever greedy, attempts unsuccessfully to carry away the safe but eventually disappears. While hiding, Constance admits she has known all along that Merricat is the murderer. Merricat admits to the crime and says she placed the arsenic in the sugar bowl because she knew Constance wouldn’t eat any. After the mob leaves, Merricat and Constance move into the ruins of their home. They clean the kitchen and seal off the rest of the house, salvaging what they can from the debris. Additionally, they end up wearing Uncle Julian’s old clothing and no longer go into town for anything. The pair live quietly in the house, making do with what they have. Constance previously stored a large supply of canned goods in the cellar, so they have food. Moreover, the townspeople eventually feel guilty for their actions, so they journey to the manor, which is now covered with ivy, to make amends. At night they leave food on the porch in baskets along with apology letters. Though the townspeople feel guilty, they’re also afraid of the girls now more than ever. Constance and Merricat use this fear to their advantage, living a life of isolation that Merricat calls “happy.”

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Essay on Book vs. Movie – We Have Always Lived in the Castle

When turning a book into a movie it can be a challenge. Books have so many details that can be hard to fit into a movie. When watching the film version of, We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, I felt completely engrossed by the movie. Reading the book and using one's imagination is one thing. However, having the book come alive in a film can really make you excited. It can be hard to make a movie live up to fans’ expectations. Some fail and some succeed. In my opinion they very much succeeded.

There will always be differences between the book and the film. I personally liked the book's ending. Now, that’s not to say that the film ending wasn’t good, I just prefer the least violent version. Both in the book and in the movie Charles begs to be let back into the house. In the film despite being ignored he breaks the door down and proceeds to enter. He is then killed by Merricat with a snow globe. While in the book, he doesn’t force his way in and instead leaves forever. Also, in the film the children at the end are portrayed much more aggressive and more remorseful. They showed this remorse by leaving a basket of eggs at the doorstep as an apology.

All in all, the book and the film are fairly similar. They made sure all of the main and supporting characters were present, i.e. Merricat, Constance, Charles, Uncle Julian. Another similarity they kept was the fact that the Blackwood family are outcasts in their neighborhood, even feared by some. They live their lives in isolation and only join society for needs. They also had their differences. One obvious one and already talked about, the ending. The ending wasn’t the only changes they made when creating the movie. In the novel, Constance and Charles' romance isn’t portrayed much if at all. In the movie, they seem to be dating in a way. They act almost as a married couple. All things considered, both the movie and novel are great and capture the reader’s/viewer’s attention all the way through.

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Essay: Shirley Jackson – We Have Always Lived in the Castle

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It is undeniable that elements of secrecy, concealment and suspense are prevalent in Shirley Jackson’s novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Through the viewpoint of the main protagonist Mary Katherine Blackwood (fondly known as Merricat), Jackson’s narrative thread reveals undisclosed secrecies in the Blackwood household: the most prominent being that Merricat had poisoned, and subsequently murdered, the majority of her family. This essay intends to investigate both the manifest concealment strategies employed by the characters in the novel, alongside exploring the more latent secrecy in We Have Always Lived in the Castle: for example, the possibility that Merricat is repressing both mental illness and a sexual attraction towards her sister Constance. By therefore delving deeper into the Blackwoods’ history, not only are the more evident secrets disclosed through Jackson’s intelligent crafting, but the notion of repression can also be unsheathed in this novel.

It could be argued that the foremost driving force of We Have Always Lived in the Castle is the explicit build-up of suspense and tension. In Jackson’s novel, such crucially pertinent tension is present from the immediate outset. An example of this early suspense is when Merricat enters Stella’s coffee shop in the opening chapter. Merricat narrates, ‘Stella would see me pass if I did not go in, and perhaps think that I was afraid, and that thought I could not endure.’ (p. 2). Merricat’s fear in this line is particularly intriguing as it brings about questions of why she is afraid of a simply humble character and, more broadly, why she is frightened of the wider community. Moreover, Merricat later adds that ‘the people of the village have always hated [the Blackwoods].’ (p. 4). This declarative sentence undoubtedly draws the reader into a world of immense intrigue and suspense, understandably compelling them to discover the reason behind society’s disdain towards the Blackwoods. Additionally, as stated in the afterword to We Have Lived in the Castle by Joyce Carol Oates, we learn that ‘there are many household tasks that Merricat isn’t allowed to do, like help in the preparation of food or handle knives.’ (p. 150). In our analysis of Merricat, the fact that she is not allowed to undertake seemingly menial tasks casts doubt on her reliability as the protagonist, adding more suspicion to her veritable nature. Seeing as such anticipation and suspicion is introduced so early on in the text, it is clearly suggested that these ideas will be pertinent to the progression of the novel, thus playing a vital role in governing this text.

The principal secret in We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and the cause of the disgust towards the Blackwoods, is as a result of the poisoning that took place in their household. In the opening chapter, there is evidence of explicit animosity shown towards the family, yet the rationale behind this contempt is not immediately unveiled. However, despite the Blackwoods’ ultimate secret not being instantly introduced into the narrative, their confidential matters are revealed to us with haste. We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a 176-page novel and it is in only the second chapter that Mrs Wright remarks that it was ‘arsenic in the sugar’ which caused the death of the Blackwoods, with Uncle Julian adding that certain family members were ‘led inexorably through the gates of death’ (p. 31). If the most prevailing secret in the novel is therefore unveiled to the reader so quickly, this leaves the majority of the novel open for the discovery and development of further Blackwood family secrets. Similarly, for the majority of the novel it is believed that it is Constance who committed the murders, but this proves not to be the case when Merricat says that she is ‘going to put death in all their food’, and Constance replies with ‘the way you did before?’. (p. 110) Although the revelation that it was Merricat who committed the murders is rather delayed, there are strong inclinations that she is the guilty character through her questionable personality and unconventional actions. It is thus possible that the notion of gradual revelation is not heavily present in this novel, compared to the concept of an elusive and evasive narrator. The strategies of secrecy in We Have Always Lived in the Castle are indeed more concerned with what we do not know about the narrator and how the plot progresses as a result of such a notion. Such an idea provides us with doubts of whether Merricat, who is able to hide her most gruesome secret from the reader for so long, is capable of hiding darker and grislier secrets.

Throughout her narration, Merricat appears to be a particularly naïve and innocent character: she states in the opening that she is only ‘eighteen years old’ (p. 1). An example of her childish behaviour is displayed prematurely in the text, when she is walking back to the Blackwood property. She says that she ‘played a game’ when she did her shopping, and that ‘the library was [her] start and the black rock was [her] goal.’ (p. 5). Although eighteen years old is regarded as a relatively young age, the act of playing such youthful games on the fringe of adulthood sheds light on Merricat’s marginally aberrant characteristics. A conceivable reason behind her contentious nature is perhaps as a result of being so disintegrated into the rest of society. Being so spatially removed from the rest of the small New England town in which this story is situated, Merricat understandably has suffered as a result of her separation. The idea of the outsider being shunned by society is present in a number of literary works, one example being Stephen King’s popular novel Carrie. In this book, young girl Carrietta White is snubbed and rejected from her community as a result of her outlandish behaviour. John Sears wrote in his chapter entitled Carrie’s Gothic Script that ‘constitutive of Carrie’s ‘difference’ from others in the novel […] are her telekinetic and telepathic powers.’ This draws close parallels with Merricat in We Have Always Lived in the Castle, as both protagonists are excluded from society as a result of their erratic and mysterious behaviour, with secrets that they are inevitably concealing.

Regarding the notion of concealment in We Have Always Lived in the Castle, one aspect of Merricat’s personality which deserves to be investigated is her obsession with magic. Scattered along the narrative thread are numerous allusions to spells and illusion. For example, when Merricat is fiddling with a watch in the seventh chapter, she remarks that ‘one thing, at least, had been released from Charles’ spell.’ (p. 87). It appears that, by assuming that Charles is in possession of a certain spell, Merricat believes that both the rest of society and her family are against are in some manner or another. It is thus implied that her infatuation with magic is a form of defence mechanism, a way of concealing her dark secret pertaining to the murder of her family. It could be asserted that magic and illusion concern the masking of the inner workings of entities and actions, thus meaning that Merricat’s practicing of witchcraft is conceivably an attempt to draw attention away from her violent actions, disguising their disturbing reality.

It is not only magic and allusion to which Merricat shows a strong attachment in this novel. A recurring theme in Merricat’s narrative appears to be the idea of burial. Weaved into many areas of this novel, it is suggested that burial is another attempt on Merricat’s behalf to conceal to her macabre secret. Merricat describes the Blackwoods’ land as ‘enriched with my treasures buried in it’ (p. 41), and later expresses her wish to ‘bury something for Uncle Julian’ (p. 117). This could be interpreted as Merricat wanting to bury the shame of her murderous actions. On the other hand, the equilibrium of the Blackwood home, and particularly the two sisters, is fractured with the appearance of Uncle Charles. Merricat believes that ‘perhaps Charles was engaged in systematically digging up every inch of our land.’ (p. 88). Not only does Charles’ arrival create tensions within their family structure, but Jackson’s lexical choice of ‘digging up’ implies that Charles is present in order to unearth the raw and dark secrets of the Blackwood family which Merricat would rather stay buried.

The notions of magic and burial in the novel seem only childish and trivial compared to the darker traits that Merricat possesses. Behind her naïve and youthful tone, once angered Merricat voices her most intimate and sadistic desires. In a relatively disturbing stream of consciousness, Merricat wishes to ‘put death in all their food and watch them die.’ (p. 10). Similarly, when speaking about her own Uncle Charles, ‘[she] was thinking of Charles […] [she] could walk over him stamping [her] feet.’ (p. 89). If we take into consideration the notion that Merricat is suppressing or burying other ghastlier secrets, it could be contended that her explicitly violent thoughts are an act against both the hatred shown towards her by the neighbourhood, and a physical manifestation of her suppressed secrets.

Another secret which Merricat is potentially concealing is the possibility of sexual attraction towards her sister. Lynette Carpenter observed in her article ‘The Establishment and Preservation of Female Power in Shirley Jackson’s ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’, that there exists a ‘manifestation of a deeper bond between the two women’ (p. 33). Upon further reflection, this bond between Merricat and Constance appears to not be solely familial, but appears to have rather erotic undertones. Carpenter subsequently adds that Merricat ‘tempts Constance with the allusion of romantic happiness’ and that they happen to replace ‘heterosexual romance with sisterhood as their central emotional bond’. The concept of this more subtle secret being withheld from the reader also appears in the afterword to the novel, as Joyce Carol Oates writes that ‘we are witnesses to a naively repressed young woman’s voyeuristic experience of sexual transgression’. There is thus ample evidence that Merricat is dissembling a multitude of secrets, some on a slightly more personal and intimate level. The critic Matei Calinescu stated that ‘secrecy […] is usually defined as conscious concealment of meaning’. Upon taking this into consideration, it could be conceived that Merricat’s undisclosed sexual attraction towards Constance is not regarded as secrecy, as it is not intentionally concealed on her behalf, but unconsciously repressed – a secret which Merricat has yet to discover about herself.

As a result of a culmination of both Merricat’s unlawful behaviour and her erratic personality, it has been contested that Merricat suffers from a form of mental illness. Charles L. Crow stated in the book The History of the Gothic that ‘we understand Merricat’s strangeness from the first paragraph, in which she wishes she had been born a vampire, and expresses her love for Richard Plantagenet and death-cap mushrooms.’ This further accentuates Merricat’s mental fragility and, although the community initially shuns her sister Constance for the murder, the evidence regarding Merricat’s mental instability suggests that she is the genuine culprit. In the afterword to We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Oates comments on the fact that Merricat ‘behaves as if mildly retarded’. It is arguable that the word ‘retarded’ is perhaps a more derogative manner of describing Merricat’s personality, but upon further analysis it is certainly apparent that she is somewhat mentally unstable. Oates adds that ‘Merricat’s condition suggests paranoid schizophrenia […] and all things are signs and symbols to be deciphered.’ This idea of signs and symbols also appears in We Have Always Lived in the Castle, through Merricat’s employment of so-called ‘magic words’. Merricat says, ‘I would not forget my magic words; they were MELODY GLOUCESTER PEGASUS’. (p. 51). It is arguable that such words provide a form of solace for Merricat in repeating these words to herself, and thus are deemed even more atypical regarding the normal ways of comforting oneself. On the surface, Merricat’s repetition of her magic words appears to be peculiar and unusual, adding to the portrayal of the abnormal protagonist. Therefore, as a result of a melange of repressed secrets and an implied unstable mental condition, it could be contested that Merricat is not the character who can give us a true and pure representation of what happened to the Blackwood family, with the revelation not necessarily being veritable.

To conclude, Jackson employs varying techniques of suspense, concealment and secrecy in order to weave Merricat’s narrative into a stimulating plotline. By not immediately revealing the complex nuances of Merricat’s murderous past, Jackson establishes a rising and prominent whirl of suspense and tension which permeates throughout the text. This mounting suspense is followed with the revelation of the most pre-eminent secret which Merricat holds and has been concealing from the reader. However, it is proven that, although the killing of the Blackwood family is the central force of the book around which the plot orbits, Merricat holds secrets which she is not even fully aware that she possesses: a sexual attraction for her sister and the possibility of mental illness. Shirley Jackson heavily entwines these confidences into the plot of We Have Always Lived in the Castle, using such strategies to craft an intricate tapestry of suspense, tension and anticipation which is tinged with the acridity of concealed secrets.

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We Have Always Lived in a Castle – 2023 Sample Essay

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We Have Always Lived in the Castle

By shirley jackson, we have always lived in the castle quotes and analysis.

“My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cup mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead.” Merricat, page 1

The masterful first paragraph of We Have Always Lived in the Castle introduces the reader to Merricat by showing what she values. Her age, 18, is significant since she oftens acts younger, and is also sometimes treated as younger by Constance and Charles. Her childish nature is underlined by her simple statements and dislike for “washing myself,” as well as the chilling nonchalance with which she speaks of the death of her family. Merricat’s affection for the creepy werewolf and poisonous mushrooms, along with Richard Plantagenet (a rumored poisoner himself) is an early hint that she is the killer, not Constance.

“I wished they were dead… I was never sorry when I had thoughts like this; I only wished they would come true.” Merricat, page 12

Appearing early in the novel, this line is an introduction to Merricat’s dark interior monologue and the frequent death wishes she places on others. Her elaborate fantasy of seeing all the townspeople in the store dead, even the children, foreshadows the revelation that she, not Constance, killed her family—including her 10-year-old brother. Merricat’s statement that she never regrets such thoughts can also be linked to her lack of remorse over the killings, though it also indicates that she understands on some level that these thoughts are wrong, indicating that she perhaps isn’t as confident in her mentality and past actions as she presents herself as being.

“Merricat, said Connie, would you like a cup of tea?/Oh no, said Merricat, you’ll poison me./Merricat, said Connie, would you like to go to sleep?/Down in the boneyard ten feet deep!” Villagers, page 22-23

The recurrent nursery rhyme that the villagers chant embodies the sinister girlhood behind the murders—though in reality Merricat, not Constance, is the guilty one. Merricat was only 12 when she killed her family, and is outwardly innocent (and, even at 18, childish) enough that she has successfully fooled the world into thinking she was innocent. The simultaneously childish and sinister nursery rhyme parallels Merricat’s nature.

“Sometimes I feel I would give anything to have them all back again.” Constance, page 32

This statement from Constance is highly unusual, since she never again outwardly expresses missing her family—even Merricat, the true murderer, seems to think of her deceased family more often than Constance does. Yet the statement indicates that Merricat and Constance’s relationship perhaps hasn’t always been as ideal as it seems, since Constance does miss her family. The fact that, at least by the time of the events of the novel, she seems to hold no resentment towards Merricat for killing their family, and even apologizes for reminding Merricat of her past actions, is a powerful window into Constance’s psychology.

“She told the police those people deserved to die… She told the police that it was all her fault.” Helen Clarke, page 53

This statement by Helen Clarke reveals Constance’s immediate response to the deaths of her family. Rather than mourning her family members, Constance immediately blamed herself (as she later does for the fire at the end of the novel.) (Uncle Julian suggests that Constance blamed herself because she thought her cooking had killed them, but her cleaning of the sugar bowl suggests otherwise, and the fact that she again blames herself for the fire indicates that this tendency is a sort of compulsion in Constance’s character.) Equally revealing is the fact that Constance said her family deserved to die, since she doesn’t seem to hold much resentment towards them otherwise (though she doesn’t mourn them much, either.) Constance perhaps said so to make herself the obvious murder suspect and take the fall for Merricat. Either way, the statement that her family deserved to die conplicates Constance’s seemingly kind, idealistic personality.

“‘Don’t you ever want to leave here, Merricat?’ ‘Where could we go?’ I asked her. ‘What place would be better for us than this? Who wants us, outside? The world is full of terrible people.’ ‘I wonder sometimes.’” Constance and Merricat, page 78

This exchange illustrates the differences in views of humanity and the outside world between Merricat and Constance. While Merricat embraces her solitude and isolation in the house and thinks pessimistically of the outside world, Constance regrets feeling compelled to remain in the house and considers leaving, believing she may be missing out on the outside world. This ideological conflict between the two sisters is the major source of suspense in the novel as the reader wonders whether or not Constance will remain isolated with Merricat.

“On the moon, Uncle Julian would be well and the sun would shine every day.” Merricat, page 108

This line is one of many of Merricat’s fantasies about the moon, where she imagines an idealized and isolated life. That her fantasy includes Uncle Julian being well is notable because she, after all, is the cause of his ill health—his physical and mental disabilities are the result of surviving the poisoning. Thus, the line suggests that Merricat may regret harming Uncle Julian, though she never outright expresses guilt for killing her family.

“I sat between Constance and Uncle Julian, in my rightful, my own and proper, place at the table... ‘Mary Katherine should have anything she wants, my dear. Our most loved daughter must have anything she likes… …‘You must never be punished. Lucy, you are to see to it that our most loved daughter Mary Katherine is never punished.’ 'Mary Katherine would never allow herself to do anything wrong; there is never any need to punish her.’ ‘I have heard, Lucy, of disobedient children being sent to their beds without dinner as a punishment. This must not be permitted with our Mary Katherine.’” Merricat, page 139

Through her fantasy of her family’s adoring behavior towards her, Merricat indicates the true reality of how they truly behaved towards her. This passage reveals the reason why Merricat killed her family: they punished her by sending her to bed without dinner. This reasoning is chillingly mundane, particularly because Merricat never reveals why she was punished in the first place, so the punishment may have been completely appropriate. Nonetheless, it’s clear that Merricat resented being punished so much that, along with being driven to murder, she still seems almost traumatized by the events years later. The statement that Merricat would never “allow herself” to do something wrong is especially revealing, indicating a possible motivation behind the rules that Merricat creates for herself.

"‘I am going to put death in all their food and watch them die.’ Constance stirred, and the leaves rustled. ‘The way you did before?’ she asked. It had never been spoken of between us, not once in six years. ‘Yes,’ I said after a minute, ‘the way I did before.’” Merricat and Constance, page 161

This exchange is the only time in the novel in which the sisters discuss the mutual knowledge that Merricat killed her family, and is the explicit confirmation of what the reader has likely already guessed. The fact that the sisters have never felt the need to discuss the poisoning before shows how much they love and care for each other. After all, despite missing her family, Constance has never asked Merricat to explain why she killed them, and it is she, not Merricat, who apologizes for even bringing the matter up later. The exchange thus indicates Constance’s disturbingly serene acceptance of all of her sister’s actions.

“‘Oh, Constance,’ I said, ‘we are so happy.’” Merricat, page 214

This statement, the final line of the novel, is chilling. Merricat has succeeded in convincing Constance to abandon the outside world, and the two sisters truly feel happy in their isolated home. In some ways, the sisters are more feared and hated by the villagers than ever before—though they bring the sisters food, this is partially because they fear their families being hurt otherwise, and there are rumors that the Blackwoods eat children. Yet while the sisters previously hid from the villagers in fear, they now laugh as they do so, delighting in being the cause of so much fear and mystique.

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We Have Always Lived in the Castle Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Where is the fire foreshadowed in the book?

In Chapter Six, Merricat goes to the summer house, somewhere she hasn't visited in six years. While there she explains that no one in her family liked the summerhouse, and her mother even asked to burn it down.... forshadowing a possible fire.

What is the dynamic between men and women through the symbol of nature?

I'm not sure about the nature part of your question. Through the dynamics of the Blackwood family and the town as a whole, Merricat’s world is split starkly into male authority and female power. The magic that Merricat practices and believes in...

I cant seem to find the page number for the quotes

I don't know what quotes you mean. Page numbers also differ from copy to copy.

Study Guide for We Have Always Lived in the Castle

We Have Always Lived in the Castle study guide contains a biography of Shirley Jackson, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

About We Have Always Lived in the Castle
We Have Always Lived in the Castle Summary
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Essays for We Have Always Lived in the Castle

We Have Always Lived in the Castle essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson.

Pearls in the Castle: Comparing Materialism and Gender in Fiction by Steinbeck and Jackson

Lesson Plan for We Have Always Lived in the Castle

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We Have Always Lived in the Castle Study Guides & Sample Essays
Essay 1 : "Family is the cause of all the problems in We Have Always Lived in the Castle.'. Do you agree? Essay 2 : Merricat and Constance find safety in their ruined house, but they sacrifice their freedom. Discuss. Essay 3 : "In We Have Always lived in the castle the women are stronger than the men" discuss.
We Have Always Lived In the Castle, Essay Example
Literary Aspects: "Sula" vs. "We Have Always Lived in a Castle". Inked by celebrated American novelist Toni Morrison, the book " Sula " sets a perfect example of how literary elements are blended effortlessly into the book. On the other hand, " We Have Always Lived in a Castle ," authored by Shirley Jackson, provides a pedestal ...
We Have Always Lived in the Castle Essay Questions
Essays for We Have Always Lived in the Castle. We Have Always Lived in the Castle essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. Pearls in the Castle: Comparing Materialism and Gender in Fiction by Steinbeck and Jackson
Family in "We Have Always Lived in the Castle"
Introduction. We Have Always Lived in the Castle, written by Shirley Jackson and published in 1961, was the final novel of the author, representing several characteristics of her personality.As mentioned by Bartnett for the Guardian, the female characters of the novel are "yin and yang of Shirley's own inner self - one, an explorer, a challenger, the other a contented, domestic homebody."
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Works Cited. Jackson, Shirley. We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Viking Press, 1962. Shirley Jackson's final book, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, tells the story of two twins, Constance Blackwood and Merricat, who l... 622 words. Read essay for free.
A Comprehensive Guide for 'We Have Always Lived in the Castle
In "We Have Always Lived in the Castle," magic and witchcraft are presented as a means of coping with and resisting the difficulties and isolation faced by the main characters. For Merricat, her practice of sympathetic magic can be seen as a way of trying to exert some control over her circumstances and to find a sense of agency in a world that ...
We Have Always Lived in the Castle Essays
These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Sh... We Have Always Lived in the Castle Material. Study Guide; Q & A; Essays; Lesson Plan; Join Now to View Premium Content. GradeSaver provides access to 2356 study guide PDFs and quizzes, 11005 literature essays, 2763 sample ...
We Have Always Lived in the Castle Study Guide
Historical Context of We Have Always Lived in the Castle. This novel, written just a few years before the radical social movements of the 1960s and '70s began, is a reaction to the return to traditionalism that occurred in the United States after World War II. During the 1950s, women were expected to stay at home to cook and clean and support ...
An Analysis of We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
This analysis of We Have Always Lived in the Castle (1962), Shirley Jackson 's last novel, has a special emphasis on Mary Katherine (Merricat), the younger of the Blackwood sisters central to the story. Excerpted from Girls in Bloom: Coming of Age in the Mid 20th Century Woman's Novel by Francis Booth, reprinted by permission.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle Essay Topics
Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" by Shirley Jackson. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to ...
We Have Always Lived in the Castle Summary
Charles begs Constance to let him in, but she doesn't. The moment he leaves they both laugh uproariously at his foolishness. The people who walk past the house always speculate about the sisters, and children are afraid of them. There's a rumor that the sisters eat children, and Merricat and Constance joke about it.
The Theme of Isolation in We Have Always Lived in the Castle ...
The first novel where isolation is inevitable, is Shirley Jackson's 1962 publication of, We Have Always Lived in the Castle. This novel refers to the character Mary Katherine Blackwood (Merricat). ... All samples are real essays written by real students who kindly donate their papers to us so that you can use them for inspiration and simplify ...
We Have Always Lived in the Castle Summary
Essays for We Have Always Lived in the Castle. We Have Always Lived in the Castle essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. Pearls in the Castle: Comparing Materialism and Gender in Fiction by Steinbeck and Jackson
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Overview. We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a contemporary gothic novella written by Shirley Jackson. It was first published in 1962. It is narrated by Mary Katherine Blackwood, known to her family as Merricat, and tells the story of the misfortune that befalls the secretive Blackwood family when the outside world encroaches and Merricat ...
33 Practice Essay Questions for the VCE English Text: We Have Always
33 Practice Essay Questions for the VCE English Text: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. Here is a list of practice questions for the metaphoric masterpiece, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, a text that some of you will be studying this year. As students who want to do very well for the exam at the end of 2023, you should ...
We Have Always Lived in the Castle Themes
Throughout the novel, the actions of the female characters reveal a desire for revolt against the patriarchy. Due to family tragedy and social isolation, Merricat and Constance have power over their day-to-day lives that is unusual for young women in the 1960s, and the book is concerned with the sisters' struggle to defend that power from men ...
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a 1962 mystery novel by American author Shirley Jackson.It was Jackson's final work, and was published with a dedication to Pascal Covici, the publisher, three years before the author's death in 1965.The novel is written in the voice of eighteen-year-old Mary Katherine "Merricat" Blackwood, who lives with her agoraphobic sister and ailing uncle on an estate.
Essay on Book vs. Movie
2. 📌Published: 14 September 2021. When turning a book into a movie it can be a challenge. Books have so many details that can be hard to fit into a movie. When watching the film version of, We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, I felt completely engrossed by the movie. Reading the book and using one's imagination is one thing.
Essay: Shirley Jackson
We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a 176-page novel and it is in only the second chapter that Mrs Wright remarks that it was 'arsenic in the sugar' which caused the death of the Blackwoods, with Uncle Julian adding that certain family members were 'led inexorably through the gates of death' (p. 31). If the most prevailing secret in ...
We Have Always Lived in the Castle: Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis
Analysis. The narrator introduces herself as Mary Katherine Blackwood (or Merricat) and says she lives with her sister, Constance. She wishes she had been born a werewolf. She doesn't like washing herself, dogs, or noise, but she does like Constance, Richard Plantagenet, and the death-cup mushroom. All of her family members besides Constance ...
We Have Always Lived in a Castle
Annotations, with assessor comments identifying the elements of the essay that work well, as well as identifying areas for improvement. Tips on how to approach the essay topic, with appropriate strategies for analysis and selection of relevant textual material. ISBN SE-D-23-Lived-in-castle. $ 3.95.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle Quotes and Analysis
The masterful first paragraph of We Have Always Lived in the Castle introduces the reader to Merricat by showing what she values. Her age, 18, is significant since she oftens acts younger, and is also sometimes treated as younger by Constance and Charles. Her childish nature is underlined by her simple statements and dislike for "washing ...

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Family in “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” by Shirley Jackson Essay

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