We Have Always Lived in the Castle

by Shirley Jackson

“Merricat, said Constance, would you like a cup of tea?” “Merricat, said Constance, would you like to go to sleep?” “Oh, no, said Merricat, you’ll poison me.”

Jim Clarke

Dr. Levy

For one terrible minute I thought that they were going to join hands and dance around us, singing.

All around the mulberry bush …. Ashes, ashes, we all fall down! Nursery rhyme Cf. Children of the Corn.

Harler

Jim Donell’s wife

Mrs. Mueller

Stella

Harris boys

Elbert

greedy wife

Charles Blackwood

“Did she kill him?”

Which “she’ does Charles mean? Question cf. “Constance and I —“ p. 92.

one last step and we were inside. Pulling Constance, I hurried under the trees, in the darkness;

Where is she? Disassociation? Question

MK’s “shelter,” pp. 15, 89.

bring her bright fruits and berries and water in a leaf cup.

So Constance knew all the time. Chilling.

wishing that I had been kinder to Uncle Julian.

Uncle Julian had believed that I was dead, and now he was dead himself;

bow your heads to our beloved Mary Katherine, I thought, o...

I decided that from now on I would not be allowed to hand tea cups.

Why? Are all her “not allowed” things her own decision? Question

I had never touched Uncle Julian’s shawl before. I already saw that the rules were going to be different,

Haha content Hill House.

I thought that we had somehow not found our way back correctly through the night, that we had somehow lost ourselves and come back through the wrong gap in time, or the wrong door, or the wrong fairy tale.

filled with broken glass, as though glass after glass had been broken there methodically, one after another.

It seemed that all the wealth and hidden treasure of our house had been found out and torn and soiled;

Haha - very practical.

Nothing was orderly, nothing was planned; it was not like any other day.

she said, almost singing,

YES! Haha Being thankful for small mercies. Always look on the bright side.

WHEN? Time

Although I did not perceive it then, time and the orderly pattern of our old days had ended;

Haha

Haha perceptive

“It was all my fault,” she said. “Somehow it was all my fault.”

Constance went to the mantel and set the Dresden figurine in its place below the portrait of our mother and for one quick minute the great shadowy room came back together again, as it should be, and then fell apart forever.

Haha

never opened it afterwards.

Our house was a castle, turreted and open to the sky.

Haha of course

We will take our meals like ladies,” she said, “using cups with handles.”

Haha - that’s all you really need.

never opened them again.

Helen Clarke,”

“No. Never again.”

Haha se tie t house.

Jim Clarke

Haha

until we can decide what to do with you.

Haha

Haha - Helen had just proved that for the last 10 minutes.