Here are some prompts you might want to respond to for today’s discussion:
- Talk about Charles Blackwood and his role in the book. If Constance is a fairy tale princess and the Blackwood Estate is an enchanted castle, what role does Charles play? Despite Charles being such an unlikeable chacter, do you think he’s at all right in trying to make Constance move on from the tragedy, or do you think she’s right to stay put?
- Talk about money and the role it plays in the novel. On p. 63, Charles says, “My father left nothing.” What does this suggest about why Charles appears at the Blackwood house?
- There are a few strange hints given by Uncle Julian about something going on between the brothers and their wives right before the poisonings. For instance, on p. 72, when Julian believes he is talking to his brother John, even though he’s really speaking with Charles, he mentions “examining the books thoroughly.” And on p. 83, Julian says both his brothers were “dishonest.” On p. 91, he refers to a “quarrel” between the two Blackwood wives. I’m not quite sure what to make of this–any speculations?
- Talk about the revelation at the very end of Ch. 8–p. 110. (Some of you may have figured this out in advance!) How does this change our view of the sisters? Why does Constance take the blame for Merricat’s actions and even apologize to her younger sister for mentioning the poisonings? How complicit do you think Constance was?
While reading chapters 5-8 in We Have Always Lived in the Castle, you see the importance of a male figure in the house. Even Though originally there is no father, just their uncle Julian, Constance is the head of the house. Due to their uncle’s disabilities, Merricat and Constance run the house, which was not common in the 1960’s. So when Charles comes in you start to see how badly the girls respond to male authority. Merricat wants to use magic someway to drive him out, and Charles thinks Constance is a murder. It was really interesting reading about their interactions with him, because it contradicts some of the girl’s previous actions. For example Merricat always says her parents room is her “fathers room” and not her mother’s, or that they shared it. This signifies either the importance of her dad, or just a lack of care for her mother. But regardless she emphasizes her father, but wants Charles to leave so badly.
Charles Blackwood reminds me a lot of the bible salesman character in Good Country People by Flannery O’Connor. In that story, the main character is led to believe that she’s seducing a bible salesman but really he’s just manipulating her to think this so he can have the opportunity to steal her prosthetic leg. It’s clear that Charles is a con man in the same vein as the bible salesman. Charles is adept at using manipulation to get what he wants. In this case the Blackwood money. He doesn’t seem to actually care about anything besides money. This becomes really clear when he notices that befriending Merricat won’t work and instead becomes very hostile towards her. Charles really leans into a ‘man of the house’ role because that’s what he thinks Constance wants. The bible salesman in Good Country People similarly leans into this idea that the main character’s aunt has of “good country people” to get what he wants. Charles is a con man whose only intention is obtaining the Blackwood fortune.
Charles Blackwood is generally just not likeable. He just seems to want to control the household for no real reason. I feel like his desire to have Constance move on from the tragedy is fueled by selfish motives. I don’t know how Constance moving on would benefit him persay, but I just don’t think he’s trying to have her move on because he cares about her well-being. I think Charles wants control over the household and the money it has. He gets very mad at any sort of loss of money (like how he got so mad when he found Merricat’s box of silver dollars) and I think that because his father left him nothing, he has come to the Blackwood house to take what they have because they’re easy to take money from. Like they never go out or leave really, all they do is buy groceries and get library books so they’re not really huge spenders, making it less noticeable if money does go missing.
I have only been able to finish up to chapter 6 so far, but I already find Charles Blackwood very disagreeable. Charles is a very dislikable character, though I am not sure just how much of his role as the villain is exaggerated by Merricat’s biased narrative. I do agree with him a little bit that it would probably be better to move on from the family’s tragedy. Isolating themselves in their home and talking about the night the tragedy happened frequently does not seem very healthy, but it’s understandable when the entire village hates them so extremely and the fact that the Blackwood family does not seem to hurt from remembering the past at all. However, I do not believe for a second that Charles is genuinely concerned about Constance, Merricat, and Uncle Julian, and is instead trying to save whatever reputation they have left for his own benefit. He has no right to try to force Constance to move on, as someone with no involvement with the matter, and is constantly trying to control her and the others. It is obvious that what Charles is really after is the Blackwoods’ fortune, from mentioning how his father had left him nothing, commenting on the prices of items in the house, looking through John Blackwood’s things, complaining when Merricat uses something expensive as one of her safeguards and then taking it upon himself to wear the items despite them not belonging to him. If those did not make his greed obvious, then Charles asking to be let into the study right after learning that that is were the safe is kept did. I also dislike how he treats Uncle Julian as if he was a burden that needed to be sent away. Poor Uncle Julian cannot help having dementia, and despite how morbid it may be to be constantly focused on remembering the day of the tragedy and writing his book, I think it’s good that he has at least something to do and be interested in besides sleeping. And I do not now how well hospitals were in that time period, especially to the elderly, but if Constance and Merricat don’t mind, I don’t see why Uncle Julian can’t stay with his family till he dies. I must also admit, that scene where Uncle Julian spilled food on himself during dinner and apologized pitifully when Charles complained about it obnoxiously not only broke my heart but made me so mad! When I was little, I would go with my mother when she worked at a nursing home and help take care of and entertain the residents, so I have always had a soft spot for the elderly, especially sweet ones with dementia like Uncle Julian. So anyone who treats and belittles an elderly person the way Charles does to Julian automatically makes him evil to me.
Update: I just finished chapter 8. Charles hiding in the crowd during the fire and only being concerned about saving the safe was not surprising in the slightest, because I already knew he was a horrible person. However I am very upset about the death of Julian! I was worried he may somehow die due to the fire but then he died due to his heart failing. I really liked Julian, so it is sad that he died, and that all his dedicated work to his book may be forgotten as well. Also, it was very strange to read that Julian thought Mary Katherine died in the orphanage during Constance’s trial, and now I do not know if we will be able to learn more about that after his death. I also realized before it was revealed at the end of chapter 8 that Mary Katherine was the one who poisoned her family. Hints were given all throughout the novel, from her constantly wishing people would die, her extensive knowledge about poisonous plants and mushrooms of which Constance claimed to have taught her, and then the most evident hint being that Mary Katherine was not allowed to cook or wash the dishes. Although I felt incredibly dim-witted for not realizing it sooner, I am glad I at least figured it out before it was revealed in the book. I also think that despite Mary Katherine murdering her family, the village people are extremely and unnecessarily too cruel to the Blackwoods. The fact that not only does the village obviously not know who the real murderer was, but that they were not even sure themselves that they knew the truth made it so strange for them to treat the family so brutally. It is unwarranted, excessive, and it is very disappointing to see the adults treat them just as their children do singing that terrible song and surrounding them.
No matter how weird the rest of the Blackwood family is, I think most everyone can agree that Charles Blackwood is a very unlikeable character. To me, his role in the book is the typical villainous male character that does not have anyone’s best interest in mind except for his own. It’s pretty obvious that Charles is only really concerned about the money that runs in the Blackwood family and not really concerned with the actual people in the family, what they are doing, how they are doing, etc. and I just picked that up from the little comments he has made about how little money he has and whatnot. When it comes to him trying to get Constance to move on, that annoyed me because it was not his place to say when she should be over it or not.
Charles Blackwood is the cousin of Merricat and Constance. I personally do not like him. I find it annoying that he has taken a patriarchal role in the family all for the purpose of gaining or controlling the sisters’ fortune. This is transparent through the fire scene as he cared little for his family members safety and more for the money kept in the study. I also think his treatment of Merricat is terrible even though I am not fond of her. He should let her be the way she is as he has no right to try and change her. Furthermore, Constance is one of my favorite characters so his attempts to use her to get money made me hate him even more because Constance deserves more. I think Charles portrays the other Blackwood male figures like the girl’s father. The Blackwood men are greedy and Merricat and Constance fight against those patriarchal figures.
The revelation made by Marricat at the end of chapter 10 was not really shocking to me, but at the same time I never really suspected it. This made me rethink my view of the sisters and lead me to question the lives that they have been living in the six years since the murders. I believe that Constance took the blame for the murders in order to protect Merricat. Merricat would have been only twelve at the time, Constance took the blame so that Merricat didn’t have to face any of the consequences. Constance was able to stand trial and was acquitted, although in the mind of the villagers she was still the murderer. Also everyone else already suspected that it was Constance, so why would she place the blame on her sister, that would be more incriminating for her. Overall I don’t really know if Constance was complicit in the murders, it is obvious that she was the only on Merricat wanted to save. I believe in some ways Constance was afraid of Merricat after she proved what she was capable of. Constance took a subordinate role of doing the cooking and the housework (Merricat was not allowed to cook, I wonder why), and she let Merricat do as she pleased and complied with her wishes in order to sustain their world in the Blackwood house. Also, Merricat being left to her own devices with no outside influence or parental figures explains why she seems to be much younger than she actually is. Or maybe she is stuck in the mindset of a twelve year old forever because that was how old she was when she poisoned her family, and after that time almost ceased to exist.
I have very conflicting feelings about this book and the characters in it. I only character I actually like in the book is Constance. At first, I thought Charles might be a good person (partly only because Sebastian Stan plays him in the movie), but as soon as I heard him mention the price of things in the house, I knew his intentions were bad. Charles very obviously has only shown up after all these years because he has no money, and the girls do. He constantly talks about money and asks Constance about her father’s safe. However, I think he did start to awaken Constance from her delusions. I was glad that Constance seemed to be realizing what she should do. But, it seems that maybe for Constance and Mary Katherine how they’re living is what is right for them and what makes them happy. I was very confused by this book and genuinely can’t decide whether I’m in love with it or not.
After Charles has left to go to the town to get groceries and stuff, Merricat starts to talk about her fantasy of her and Constance living on the moon. Which if you think about it, it seems to be a common theme in the recent female gothic novels we have read this semester. For example, Merricat talks about her fantasy of the moon, and in Jane Eyre, Jane talks about talking to the moon and seeing it right before she meets a guy who we later find out is Mr. Rochester her new boss. But it seems Merricat takes the fantasy of living on the moon much further than Jane Eyre does and talks about some of the things that are on the moon such as lettuce, pumpkin pie, Amanita phalloides, and reliable locks to protect her. But all the things she lists are very weird and random things that do not go together to be in a fantasy or on the moon. It also seems Merricat’s temper is getting stronger and is leading to suspicion that she might have killed her family wherein chapter 5 she says she hopes to drive Charles away with magic and will smash the mirror in the hall if he is not gone within the next three days.
Jackson utilizes repetition effectively in this novel, detailing the obsessions that all of the Blackwood’s seemingly have. Charles Blackwood is no different. When he is introduced into the novel, he seems to be heavily preoccupied with money, and the money that the Blackwood’s possess. While I don’t particularly dislike his character (because any sane person would find the Blackwood’s to be odd and contemptible from an outsider perspective – which we as readers do not have, given that the novel is told from Merricat’s point of view.) his objectives are ambiguous at best and despicable at worst. I do like that Jackson focuses on his obsession with money in conjunction with the other obsessions that the Blackwood’s have, as it seems to be a recurring theme in the novel (Merricat with death, Uncle Julian with the past, and Constance with food).
I personally don’t like Charles that much, he is an unlikeable character for a reason. Him trying to get Constance to move on is not something that he should be taking upon himself to accomplish. That is something she needs to consciously make the decision to do in her own time. Additionally, I think that his reasons for being at the house are sinister. He states that his father left him nothing, however, he seems to be doing well off at the moment he is at the house. He also hints that they shouldn’t keep so much money lying around the house, which makes me think that his reason for being at the house is to secure himself some money. I think that he will try to undermine the girls and Uncle Julian to try to get himself money in the future. I do not trust his behavior, he seems suspicious and not a trustable character.
Yeah, I believe we can all agree we don’t like Charles. Without a doubt, his only motivation for showing up at the house is for financial reasons, and his priorities are only exposed when the fire breaks out–he’s not worried about any of the people inside, only the wellbeing of the safe. He definitely plays the greedy and villainous character. Still though, I don’t blame him from being perturbed by the Blackwood’s behavior, and maybe if they led normal lives, it would be better for the family to move on from the tragedy. They don’t lead normal lives, however, and clearly the sisters are happy in their microcosmic world, and I find it infuriating that he believes he has the right to turn up and tell them how they should be living, as if he has any say in it. I also had my suspicions that it wasn’t actually Constance who poisoned the family, and it was Merricat afterall, but I do still think Constance was an accomplice. I drew this conclusion because of the emphasis of her washing the sugar bowl; clearly she knew something was going on, I just don’t know to what extent yet.
Generally, I am disgusted by Charles Blackwood. He is an egotistical, materialist nuisance to the family dynamic. He has the nerve to show up to the Blackwood house, imposing on their daily lives, with determination to “fix” whatever he sees fit changing. He complains about “putting up” with Merricat’s antiques, that of which he disturbed, as if he holds any power over her to begin with. All he cares about is money; he is materialistic. During the horrors of the fire, it’s not surprising that all he stressed about was the family safe. It’s not surprising that, while the house is burning he shouts, “get the safe out of the study downstairs” while he stands safely in the crowd out front. Charles finds refuge in the crowd out front, symbolizing how he does not identify with the Blackwood family but only integrated in hopes of obtaining their wealth. He doesn’t even care to stop the crowd during the further destruction of their home, via the mob of villagers. Charles was sent into a panicked frenzy when the possibility of losing the money was more prominent. Once his desire for their wealth was satisfied, his business with the Blackwoods was over. Some nerve Charles has when he says, “Listen, will a couple of you guys help me with this safe?” His work at the Blackwoods was done and he no longer cares about any of their well beings. Charles Blackwood Hate Club!!
Charles plays the villain in the book. He is the evil guy stopping the princess from doing what she wants while ruining her life. Charles drives Merricat mad, to the point where she breaks the glass. Merricat talks about going to the moon with Constance, which can be a representation of how she wants to get her and Constance away from Charles’s control. Although at first Charles appears to be a good guy, Merricat is soon the only one to see through him. She is able to see he is driven by money. Especially when he starts telling constance it is not smart to keep money in the house. Merricat has a hard time accepting that Charles is actually in the house, she is deeply unhappy with the situation, so she wants to deny his existence completely. In these chapters Charles gets closer and closer to replacing their Dad with his actions such as sleeping in his bed. Charles is the sterotypical bad guy in the novel. He wants to take away what Merricat cares about as well as take advantage of Constance.