Chapter 7

Question 1

The mirror over the dresser was already smashed; it would not reflect Charles

Answer 1

ANALYSIS
* Merricat is actively attempting to assert control over and destroy Charles. Smashing of the mirror could be Merricat’s attempt to deny his presence, desperately wanting to believe that Charles is a ghost and her superstitions will expel him.

MESSAGE
* Jackson comments on the length to which individuals may go to protect their domain from outside influence and threats, which alludes to the idea that isolation can be destructive.

Question 2

“I haven’t quite decided what I’m going to do with you,” he said. “But whatever I do, you’ll remember it.

Answer 2

MESSAGE
Charles exerts threat, control and intimidation, which reflects the idea of power abuse. Jackson comments on the detrimental effects of power imbalance and the possible fear it instils, resembling much of the patriachy

Question 3

“You are evil,” I said to Charles.
“You are a ghost and a demon.”

Answer 3

ANALYSIS
* Merricat perceives Charles as an intruder and a threat, calling him a “ghost” and a “demon” which reflect her perception of men as dangerous and unnecessary creatures to society.

MESSAGE
* Jackson presents a vision of feminist utopia in which they reject traditional nuclear family and patriarchal structures, positioning women to be the center of life and the erasure of males

Question 4

“Aren’t you even going to punish her?”
“Punish me?” I was standing then, shivering against the door frame. “Punish me? You mean send me to bed without my dinner?”

Answer 4

ANALYSIS
* Merricat’s understanding of punishment as a simple, trivial consequence, like being sent to bed without dinner. This seemingly juvenile perception of punishment underlines Merricat’s naivety and her disconnection from the gravity of her actions.

MESSAGE
* Merricat’s trivialisation of punishment might reflect how society often diminishes the severity of actions committed by those in power, or those who are protected by societal structures

Question 5

“Mary Katherine, we love you.”
“You must never be punished”
“Bow all your heads to our adored Mary Katherine.

Answer 5

ANALYSIS
* Merricat indulges in her fantasy of being cherished, protected, free from reprimand. Perhaps the reality of her family’s attitude to her was quite the opposite
* However, the devotion given by her family as described in her imagination comments on the absurd degree of reverence Merricat seeks for.
* Since food symbolises power, Merricat’s desire of having constant food supplied to her represent her demand for power and having that power and superiority acknowledged, which echoes the ominous and sinister ending of her fantasy “Bow all you heads to our adored Mary Katherine”.
* Interestingly, Constance consistently supplies Merricat with food while her family denies her access to food as a form of punishment and ultimately falls victim to her poisoning. Food, an instrument of subjugation of women, in this case is used as means of subverting its oppressors.
* Merricat’s fantasy of being adored and never punished suggests a desire for unconditional love and acceptance that may not exist in her actual family situation