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The Effects of Isolation

The Blackwood sisters live secluded lives, as Constance does not leave the house and Merricat does so only rarely to run errands, but the family’s isolation began long before. Their parents disdained the villagers, with their father building a gate around the property at their mother’s request so she wouldn’t have to see “common people” using the footpath in front of the house. It was likely this isolation that exacerbated the villagers’ hatred of the Blackwoods. Unlike the other wealthy families, the Blackwoods did not engage with the villagers, a trend that continues even when only Constance and Merricat remain.

Following the trial, Constance has become frightened of people, only allowing select visitors to stop by at pre-approved times. Merricat despises almost everyone other than Constance, and therefore relishes in their isolation as it enables her to have Constance to herself. To both sisters, isolation equals safety. To Merricat, any threat to their isolation is a threat to her relationship with Constance. As a result she is disturbed by Constance’s yearning to leave the property and return to society, and when Charles arrives, Merricat tries to drive him out and preserve their isolation by any means necessary. This desire for isolation is precisely why Merricat fantasizes about living on the moon, where they would be totally cut off from others. In the end, with the house burned down and Constance more opposed to venturing into society than ever, they are essentially (and symbolically) living on the moon, though it is not as Merricat imagined it. Instead they maintain ties to society in the form of food delivered at their doorstep, and the conversations both sisters eavesdrop upon from the locked front door. They continue living in a sort of quasi-isolation, but they are no longer forced to engage in a way that doesn’t suit them, instead controlling the manner in which they connect with society.

Resistance to Society’s Expectations

Merricat and Constance live outside the parameters of society’s expectations. They live alone with only their uncle, and Constance is in charge of the household, contrary to notions prevalent in the 1960s about homes requiring a “man of the house.” They maintain only the barest of contact with other members of society like Helen Clarke and the Carringtons, and Merricat spends her time adventuring in the woods.

When Charles arrives, it becomes immediately apparent that he is an echo of their father and his patriarchal rule over their home. The two men similar in appearance, and he takes John Blackwood’s place at the dining room table and stays in his bedroom. Also like their father, Charles seeks to control them and impose his will on the household. He’s preoccupied with the way things should be in the Blackwood home, staunchly opposed to the way they are. He seeks to separate Constance from Merricat and Uncle Julian so that, as Uncle Julian suggests,  he can marry Constance and acquire their wealth. Merricat’s efforts to send him packing are an act of resistance to the societal order he represents. When Charles leaves for good, the bond that had begun to form between him and Constance is broken and the sisters are free to live as they wish, untethered to the rigid expectations of society.

The Influence of Social Class

Merricat appears not to understand why the Blackwoods are so uniquely hated among the villagers. She mentions that people ostracize her but smile and wave to the Clarkes and the Carringtons, despite the fact that their houses are newer but no better than the Blackwoods’. This detail suggests she thinks all the old families are on equal footing because of the niceness of their homes. She does not take into account the fact that her mother had a gate built around the property, forcing passersby to take the long way so she would not have to see “common people” in their yard. Furthermore, Merricat’s father referred to the villagers as “trash” and kept an account of people who owed him money or favors. Helen Clarke and the other wealthy families, in contrast, make an effort to engage with the townspeople, setting them apart from the Blackwoods who isolate themselves in their wealth and superiority. That Merricat fails to see this discrepancy displays a lack of self-awareness and an inherent classist bias. Following her parents’ example, Merricat refers to the villagers as dirty, ugly, and ill-mannered.

While Merricat and Constance have no interest in material wealth and appear confused by those who do, they benefit from it nonetheless. Combined with the fact that the villagers believe Constance managed to get away with murder, perhaps it is no wonder they resent her as part of their general resentment for the Blackwood family despite her kindness and lack of ego. In the end, this resentment bubbles over and results in the ransacking of the estate. Notably, this destruction has little impact on the Blackwood sisters’ lives outside of enabling them to enter increased isolation. In fact, in a way, it frees them; they are no longer beholden to the constraints of a class-based society. With the house (a symbol of the Blackwoods’ wealth) gone, the villagers are no longer blinded by hatred, and they can experience feelings besides resentment and bitterness, namely shame for their behavior.

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