Intricate Process Involving Indefinite Power Relationship (Essay Sample)

We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a mystery novel that was written in 1962 by an American author known as Shirley Jackson. In the book, the main character describes how she and her sister ended up living with their crippled uncle after their family was poisoned and died. Merricat's feelings and ideas for the world are reflected in the book. Merricat and her sister are shown in the book as spending much of their time in the kitchen, which was traditionally the primary role of women in a patriarchal culture. On the other side, one of the major motifs is replaced with food. This essay focuses on the symbolic value of food because it signifies the characters' positions of power in various ways.
The whole process of eating and being fed is an intricate process involving indefinite power relationship. Feeders and those being fed are always involved in a supremacy power rankle, where those feeding may overpower the latter but the mantle may change because the person initially in charge of power may be subjugated by those being fed. This is true as opined by Sceats (2004:133). Sceats posits that “Eaters are always vulnerable.” He further ads that “history and literature are full of poisonings that take place during the course of a meal.” Therefore, by understanding that those being fed are vulnerable, feeders can use their temporary power positions to poison or pass down their history and literature during the course of the meal.
Secondly, Merricat uses food to exert her power over her sister, leaving her uncle in a lost and confused stupor. Uncle Julian was left so confused that six years after the night of murders, has still not come to terms with what happened on the fateful night. Food is also thought to be so powerful since it can be poisoned and caused to kill people “like flies”. It is also said to be so imperious that it could cause uncle Julian to remember and analyze every single detail that transpired on that night, despite his unsound state of mind proves how powerful food can be (Klein, 2014). Besides, food is portrayed to be so powerful since it paralyzed Constance leaving her so frozen that she was unable to call doctors for help. She stood there aimlessly and “saw them dying around her like flies.” The inability of Constance to call an ambulance or sound an alarm shows how helpless she was amid the tragedy, which further affirms the powerful effect of food (Jackson, 2010).
Thirdly, Constance and her younger sister, Merricat have since assumed very powerful and fearful positions back in the village, that children have specifically composed an accusing song for them following the incidence on the night of the murders (Counihan & Van Esterik, 2013). The duo attracts a huge criticism from villagers especially from the song: “Merricat, said Connie, would you like a cup of tea? Oh no, said Merricat, you’ll poison me. Merricat, said Connie, would you like to go to sleep? Down in the boneyard ten feet deep!” (Jackson, 1976:16). Moreover, Merricat uses the food poison to get even with her targets. However, since her elder sister understands her motive, she uses food to control her and save the life of her uncle, who was one of Merricat’s target victims. Constance controls the amount of sugars she gives to her uncle, which in effects, saves his life.
Additionally, food is viewed as a power in the Blackwood family that distinguishes between the most lifted and the most devastated people. This is seen from the amount of food they eat and where it is placed on the table, which reflect the relative power that each person has within the family (Jackson, 2010). Uncle Julian, who used to live with his brother on a permanent basis, recalls how his tremendous financial dependency on the family dictated where he sat at the Blackwood’s' table and how much food he consumed. As he tells the tale, he claims that, in contrast to the brother's son, who was always presented with sausages, eggs, and pancakes, he was just a simple man who always took little food that was just enough for him (Jackson, 2010). Mr. Blackwood controls what his sister and brother-in-law eats in order to demonstrate his dominance over them. Additionally, he makes them appear powerless by kicking Merricat off the table, forcing her to go to bed hungry, and forcing Constance to prepare for the group at all times.