We Have Always Lived in the Castle

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).

Conclusion


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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