we have always lived in the castle pages

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. 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. 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. 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. Moreover, Merricat later adds that ‘the people of the village have always hated. 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.

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. An example of this early suspense is when Merricat enters Stella’s coffee shop in the opening chapter. In Jackson’s novel, such crucially pertinent tension is present from the immediate outset. 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. 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. 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. 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. It is undeniable that elements of secrecy, concealment and suspense are prevalent in Shirley Jackson’s novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

We have always lived in the castle pages