He tries to befriend Merricat after his arrival but gives up soon. It gets clear pretty quickly that Charles has an ulterior motive. Merricat enjoys the life they have and feels threatened when Charles’s arrival starts to change things. She practices her own type of witchcraft, burying objects all around their land for protection. Her actions are often born out of this love for her sister even though they aren’t rational. The one person Merricat loves is Constance. Throughout the story, details about the night of the poisoning are revealed but a complete picture is never disclosed. I thought it was Constance who has set all the rules they live by but slowly, you realize it is actually Merricat. She seems to hide something and is almost indifferent at times. In the first couple of pages itself it is casually mentioned that their family died of poisoning. She comes off quirky from the start but she has a cold-blooded and violent streak. Their routine life changes the day Charles Blackwood, their cousin comes to stay with them and gets close to Constance. The people feel that justice has been evaded and many believe Constance to be guilty yet she is free. The villagers bother Merricat or give her a wide berth while some taunt her. It is Merricat’s job to go into town and get everything they need. She has isolated herself in the house and doesn’t go beyond the garden area. After her family’s murder and her trial, Constance is scared to leave the house. She cleans, cooks, and takes care of Merricat and Uncle Julian.
Uncle Julian is the only survivor of that poisoning which has affected his health.Ĭonstance runs the whole household. Constance was arrested and put on trial but acquitted. In the beginning, it is simply dropped that the sisters’ family died of arsenic poisoning six years ago. Blackwoods are one of the wealthiest and oldest families in the area. She lived with her elder sister, Constance, and her Uncle Julian, isolated from the town. The narrator of the story is Merricat, who is 18 years old. The book is a mystery thriller that has a gothic feel to it. The story focuses on two sisters Mary Katherine Blackwood known as Merricat and her older sister Constance. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson is a novel, that has been on my reading list for a couple of years. Book Review: We Have Always Lived in the Castle (Shirley Jackson).
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