The Unbelievable Murders: We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Shirley Jacksons We Have Always Lived In The Castle (1962) presents the case of an old classic written in the first person narration by the main character Mary Katherine also known as Merricat. The novel unveils the fate of two sisters, Merricat and Constance following a self-inflicted tragedy on their family and their home. A foreshadowing style is used to reveal the real events of the storyline gradually. Foreshadowing stylistic devices is used by authors in literature to prepare the readers of their works for upcoming events and happenings in within the narration. Foreshadowing in the novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle is represented by symbols revealed through the narrative of Merricat. The content presented by Mrs. Jackson in her book is quite tragic and explicit. She, therefore, prepares the reader through evoking suspense and expectation of the upcoming happenings through foreshadowing. The user is made eager and prepared to settle within themselves the upcoming events. Through foreshadowing, the reader is made to understand that there is more to read as they flip through the pages. This experience made the reader expectant and caught up in the narration, making them flip up to the final page of the narrative. The author, therefore, has effectively used the stylistic device of foreshadowing to present the mood of suspense and evoke eagerness of readers and prepare them for a narration that is inviting and interesting throughout the reading.

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Summary

The novel We Have Always Lived In The Castle a simple description of the narrator, Merricat who suggests of her likes and dislikes and the situation within her family; that is the death of her parents. Both Merricat and her sister Constance opt against leaving the vicinity of their homes, even though Merricat is occasionally forced to do so while fetching grocery and books for the family. Constance does not leave home at all, following her murder charges and subsequent quittance by the court. The community around their residence and the town have also developed a negative attitude towards their family, the Blackwood family and often tease Merricat whenever she is up around the town.

The situation within the household takes another turn when a cousin of the Blackwood sisters, Charles Blackwood visits their home. The appearance of Charles seems to come between the Blackwood and their quiet life. Cousin Mary doesn't like me," Charles said again to Jonas. "I wonder if Cousin Mary knows how I get even with people who don't like me? cite Unlike Constance, both Merricat, and her uncle has a deep disdain for their cousin Charles and acts in a strange manner when he is around the house. For instance, Merricat spends her night with her pet Jonas outside the house in the wood camps when Charles visits the home. During his visit Charles maliciously probes into the whereabouts of Merricats deceased fathers ownership papers. He also wants to access the familys treasure safe amidst resistance from their uncle, Julian.

Marricats disdain for Charles is so much that she eventually sneaks into his room one night and uses a left over burning cigar to torch the house, especially its second floor. This event catches the attention of the villagers who come and hurl stones at the burnt property and loot some of the undestroyed items. In the process, Julian succumbs to a heart attack while the Blackwood sisters safely hide until the fire tragedy is over and later relocate to their camp in the woods. The Blackwood sisters later return to their house after all is settled and live in their kitchen where there are sufficient supply food and other items they need for their living. In a turn of events, the villagers check in the night to drop their apology letters and foodstuff in baskets.

Foreshadowing

The novel constantly revolves around a central theme of death and to some extent isolation. The author gives the reader a glimpse of various traits of the characters and develops the ideas within a foreshadowed narration until the ultimate and tragic end of the narrative. At the beginning of the text, the author gives the reader a glimpse of the entire situation in the novel through the dress by the main character, Merricat. In the opening text, Merricat narrates her ordeal saying; 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. Through this narration, the author prepares the reader to meet with malicious and evil characteristics and revels in negativity and isolation. As the reader navigates through the narration, they are expectant and eager to see the manifestation of Merricats fondness with dangerous things such as the death cup mushroom and an animal such as the werewolf. This instance of foreshadowing also reveals the major themes discussed in the novel including death and isolation. She blatantly reveals how isolated they live in their house with her sister and also is unaffected by the death that has wiped all the rest of their family.

The isolation of the family from the rest of the villagers is also foreshadowed by the statement made by Merricat at the beginning of the novel and the subsequent events that happen whenever she gets to town to purchase groceries and books for the family. The kind of reception she receives from the villagers at the coffee shop are a glimpse of the events that come by in the dying moments of the novel where the villagers come out in large numbers to stone the burning house of the Blackwoods. At Stellas shop, Mr. Jim Donnel predicts that the Blackwoods are planning to move away from the area. This statement clearly foreshadows the expected change within the family. As it later turns out, the tragedy that befalls the already fallen family is much greater than moving out.

At the beginning of the subsequent chapters, foreshadowing is used to reveal the theme of change yearned for by the family, especially Merricat herself who goes ahead to induce the change by her means and ways. The author expresses through her that change was about to happen when her cousin visits. This event makes the reader anticipate the kind of change that Merricat was looking forward to anxiously. Eventually, she induces fire that changes everything include the attitude of the villagers towards the family. The fateful day when she sets the fire is foreshadowed in the best way possible; Thursday was my most powerful day. It was the right day to settle with Charles. She thrives in such kind of acts and feels more potent with them. For Merricat, she finally feels happy by the new development when she and her sister live and operate from their kitchen. Her cruel nature is foreshadowed by the non-oblivious manner in which she handles the matter of her familys death. The fire she induces in Charles room leads to the death of her uncle, Julian. Her fear of people and hatred for them depicts an inward fear of a dark act in her as shown by the statement; I always thought about rot when I came toward the row of stores; I thought about burning black painful rot that ate away from inside, hurting dreadfully. I wished it on the village. This statement foreshadows the possibility of her involvement in poisoning the family that fateful night using arsenic.

Mrs. Jackson uses foreshadowing in the novel to carefully yet comprehensively develop her characters and the main themes discussed in the text. The readers are first introduced to the situation to expect and left to read further to determine the real manifestations of the events introduced earlier. Instances, where foreshadowing is used, include in the description of the isolated life of the family and their feud with the villagers. The real character of the main narrator is revealed in bits through her narration of the happenings. Her malicious and callous nature is gradually revealed by the author as the story unfolds. The use of foreshadowing of these events has been used effectively to unfold a rather tense narration in a straightforward and clear manner.