We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Constance Blackwood is Merricat’s sister, older by about 10 years. She was accused of murdering her family, and though she was acquitted of the crimes, the village still believes she is guilty. She only wants peace, even at the cost of her happiness and freedom. She takes on the role of mother to her Uncle Julian and Merricat, fulfilling the duties of the woman of the house after her mother’s death. Though seemingly benign, Constance also exhibits the same upper-class arrogance of her sister and presumably of her family before they were killed. Her chief occupations are with cooking and budgeting, which is how she takes on the role of mother to the Blackwoods now that their birth mother is dead. Constance is the heart of the household and Merricat protects her at all costs, including ensuring Constance would survive the poisoning of the rest of the family by choosing a vehicle Merricat knew Constance would not consume. Constance does the only real work in Blackwood Manor, but she does so without complaint. This compliance may be borne of the knowledge that Merricat is the real murderer of her family; Constance may be either wary of her sister’s capacity for murder when she is displeased, or she may be thankful that she was spared. Constance’s ability to so easily accept further disconnection from the world outside her kitchen after the fire and vandalism speaks to both her resilience and her own detachment from reality.

Julian Blackwood has never been the same after imbibing a trace amount of the poison that killed his wife and the rest of his family. He spends his days cheerfully and somewhat absent-mindedly relitigating the poisoning and subsequent trial, all while allowing himself to be doted upon in his wheelchair by his wife’s murderer. Though the oldest person in Blackwood Manor, Uncle Julian is cared for by his nieces and is not considered a critical part of the family. Constance and Merricat indulge his obsessive investigations but do not fool themselves into believing they mean anything. In Julian’s mind, he is performing a noble and masculine act of heroic scholarship, but to the sisters they must take care of him while they do the important chores around the house. When the time of mayhem arrives, Constance, Merricat, and Charles believe he can manage to get out of the house after gathering his papers, but he dies of a heart attack during the chaos of the fire and the mob vandalizing the house. He receives no more than the usual sentimental sadness on the part of the sisters, and they choose not to go to his funeral.