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At twenty-eight, Constance is ten years older than Merricat, and their relationship is almost like that of an indulgent mother and somewhat unruly daughter. Merricat is extremely possessive of Constance, and Constance has seemingly endless patience for Merricat, placating her when she is upset and glossing over the more disturbing aspects of her personality with her constant refrain: “Silly Merricat.” When Merricat shatters the milk jug, Constance cleans it up without comment. She does similar when Merricat destroys Charles’s bedroom. This appears to be a trend in their relationship, one that extends even to Merricat’s murder of their family, which Constance seems to have sized up and understood in an instant. In Uncle Julian’s retelling, and with the knowledge that Constance knew Merricat was responsible all along, it’s clear she tried to protect Merricat by getting rid of the sugar and then taking the blame when the police arrived.

What Constance thinks about the murders is unclear. She confesses to Uncle Julian that she would give anything to have the family back again, but she also appears to hold no ill will toward Merricat for poisoning them. It’s possible that Constance is terrified of Merricat and, as she is agoraphobic and unable to leave the home, she has no choice but to indulge her to keep her happy. However, while Constance may come across as meek and nonthreatening—the villagers and others who watched the trial seem to think she is too pretty and charming to be a murderer—Jackson makes it clear there is more to Constance than meets the eye. After an entire book in which Constance rarely has an unkind word for anyone, going so far as to tell Merricat to have pity for the villagers who ransacked their home, the casualness with which she says the least Charles could have done was shot himself in the head is jarring. Perhaps she feels particularly betrayed by him; he did, after all, claim to care for her but still instantly demands to know if she killed Uncle Julian when his body is discovered, suggesting he never completely believed she wasn’t a murderer.

Constance retreats into the Blackwood home after the trial, out of fear of other people. In the novel’s climax, when the villagers destroy their home and taunt them, her worst fears are confirmed. This incident reinforces Constance’s desire for isolation, and in the end, both sisters appear to get what they want: Merricat gets Constance all to herself, and Constance gets to live a life devoid of people she can’t trust. She also gets to live life on her terms; it’s notable that, while Mrs. Wright is indignant to learn Constance always did the cooking for the whole family when they were alive, Constance finds joy in the act of growing and making food and providing nourishment for people she loves. Isolated from the world and its expectations, Constance sheds the dress she always wore in favor of Uncle Julian’s suit but continues preserving and cooking, suggesting she does so not because it’s expected of her as a woman in the 1960s but because it’s something she enjoys.

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