Merrycat Essay, Research Paper
Jackson ’ s last novel, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, combines many of her most critical concerns-psychology, isolation, and evil-with a wonder in black thaumaturgy. Merricat, Jackson s chief character, is a immature miss with many psychopathologic inclinations including obsessional behaviour and slaying. Merrycat s slaying of more than half of her household is explained by her badly neurotic behaviour. Her psychotic behaviour can be seen though her obsessional wonts, her about infantile head, and slaying of her household members.
Merricat is highly superstitious individual that causes stalking compulsive actions. She thinks the figure three is evil, buries things in her back pace to obstruct the universe, and trusts no 1 except her sister Bodensee. She believes she can experience portents, All the portents spoke of alteration. I woke up Saturday forenoon and idea I heard them naming me ( Jackson 58 ) . This superstitious notion causes her to act in cryptic ways. She burns down their house in order to free herself of Charles whom she believed was evil
Merricat slayings her household at the na ve age of 12 and does non mentally age since that dark. As an eighteen-year-old immature lady she seems immature,
estranged, and even foolish. From the beginning of the novel the simpleness in her tone seems infantile, I dislike rinsing myself, and Canis familiariss, and noise ( Jackson 1 ) . Maturity is the ability to command choler and settle differences witho
ut force or devastation. This is non something Merricat handles good. After she is angered by Charles involuntariness to go forth their place, I hammered with a shoe at the mirror over the chest of drawers until it cracked across ( Jackson116 ) . Merricat does non hold the ability to populate in peace with what can non be changed, or the bravery to alter what needs to be changed.
At the terminal of the novel, Merricat is a bland and apathetic character. Although Merrycat had been victim to a less than caring environment, killing is non a normal response. Merricat is invariably believing the villagers should be dead, I would hold liked to walk into the food market one forenoon and see them all lying at that place shouting with hurting and death ( Jackson 12 ) . Merricat wishes decease upon anybody who creates convulsion in her everyday life. This brainsick and crazed attitude is non healthy and is what causes her to kill her household. The dark she puts arsenic in the sugar bowl she makes a determination which effects non merely her but her hapless sister Bodensee who goes through midst and thin to protect Merricat.
Jackson challenges the traditional thought of normalcy by being about sympathetic towards Merricat s behavior. It is obvious how closed in Merricat s life is. At first, she is closed in mentally and so she closes herself off physically go forthing the sane universe behind. Although Merricat s behaviour is prompted by psychological perturbation the result of this behaviour is non justified by any agencies.
