we have always lived in the castle synopsis

The destruction of the house through fire and the villagers’ throwing of objects mimics the execution of witches by burning or stoning-except in this instance, Merricat and Constance not only survive the symbolic execution, but find themselves happier than ever after it, as it leaves them entirely out of reach of the male-centric world, with only each other for company. Her cat, Jonas, even acts like her familiar, an animal believed to aid witches in their work. Essentially, they shed much of the power that men may have over them by choosing not to rely on or value money.Īdditionally, witchcraft has long been associated with women who transgress social expectations, and Merricat creates her own brand of witchcraft as she buries protective objects all over the property and decides on words that she believes are powerful. When Charles arrives, he’s scandalized by the sisters’ indifference to their wealth, but they simply laugh at his attempts to get into the safe and put a price to all the objects in the house. Their money sits in their father’s safe, and they use it only to buy necessities. By entirely disregarding the value of money, Merricat and Constance simply deny the power of men. Blackwood men in particular base their identity and success largely on their ability to make money.

In this book, male power is especially present in money, as men have traditionally been breadwinners and have used this position to control women. Jackson, then, presents a vision that could be seen as a kind of feminist utopia, in which the sisters reject many structures and icons of male power, such as money and the traditional nuclear family, and are able to make a woman-centered life for themselves that includes only the two of them.

The sisters’ ultimate triumph is that they succeed in banishing these men from their lives. 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 who would usurp it. Throughout the novel, the actions of the female characters reveal a desire for revolt against the patriarchy.

We have always lived in the castle synopsis