Isolation in Both Beloved and We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Introduction

In both Beloved and We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Toni Morrison and Shirley Jackson respectively the sense of isolation fueled by discrimination and oppression is a forceful component which gives both novels a constitutive development. In the novel beloved Morrison presents the theme through the pathetic nature of racial discrimination that has led to the development of a sense of alienation. Beloved mainly explores the psychological and physical destruction brought by slavery, a destruction that continues to affect that that are previous slaves even in their acquired liberty (Bloom 4). The primary effect of slavery based on the novel lies in the individual’s sense of self thus illustrating a number of examples regarding isolation. On the other hand, throughout We Have Always Lived in the Castle the general activities of the female characters demonstrate the desire to rebel against patriarchy. In both novels, Morrison and Jackson illustrate the theme of isolation through the female characters who are faced with oppression and discrimination due to race and gender inferiority.

Throughout the novel, We Have Always Lived in the Castle based on the family disaster and social alienation Constance and Merricat have acquired authority over their daily operations something that is not common for young females in the 60s (Jackson 16). The novel is mainly focused on the sister’s fight to guard their power against the dominating males who will not seize it. It is this isolation that prevents the characters from exploring their potential since they exist in a society where men are in control of all the major aspects particularly those that deals with finance. Constance and Merricat based on the desire to assert control in their lives isolate themselves from the world almost completely after losing their parents. Despite the fact that they both fear the society the setting is based on a period of transformation after they begin to account on whether they should face it all. Merricat fears but also hates the society and even though she desires to escape from every oppression that it subjects to them she feels the need of killing them (Jackson 17).

The isolation of the sisters generally quantities to protection against existing by the set standards and norms by the society that is dominated by men. The outside society is particularly dominated by males such as Donnell who does not appreciate Blackwells (Jackson 21). The general trials by Clarke to integrating both sisters into the general society is mainly aimed to ensure that they comply with the patriarchal standards as well as rules especially in regard to respecting marriage and finances. As sisters, they are forced to remain in the house not because they do not wish to be part of the larger community but mainly because they feel that the patriarchal standards are not appealing and they work against their will as though they were slaves. They hate the fact that men in the society are fully in control of ruling and deciding on all that is to be done. After the occurrence of the fire, Mericat becomes isolated from self and the rest of the world and all she feels is hate for a society that she considers being particularly cruel (Jackson 27).

The Blackwood house in which they live in represents a form of isolation. The house had been faced by the girl’s father with the intention of preventing any trespass (Jackson 36). The lock was however simple which means that it did not prevent them from escaping but it restrained the wider community from accessing this family world by categorizing it as private. Both Merricat and Constance lived under their own control and no one else was permitted access. Mericatt believes that the Blackwood house is her safe location and she only gets out twice a week for shopping while Constance remains as they fear to interact with the society. Clarke is the only person that visits the house since Constance has a problem as she does not respond well to the presence of visitors. Merricat prefers to utilize her guarding magic in order to ensure that the house is free from any visits and she utilizes her father’s book with the hope that it will guard the house. Based on the setting of the house, it offers them with a safe harbor and they are also able to seclude themselves from the rest of the village (Jackson 37).

An additional aspect that keeps them locked into the house is the negative perception of the villagers against them. In that, the villagers isolate them as they hate them fully based on the ground that they normally have adequate funds to purchase all that they need and live without many struggles despite the fact that all their family members have died (Jackson 33). They subject insults to Mericat when she goes out for some shopping and thus forcing the family to isolate themselves further to avoid such stress. Due to the sensation of minimal support, Mericat felt that her family had isolated her and she only remained close to Constance (Jackson 19). She sets her own rules and norms that she has to adhere to. This reveals that both sisters isolate themselves from the world due to the sensation of unhappiness and the lack of affection towards them. The house, in general, ensures that they are alienated from the villagers and that the villagers have no access to their world.

Similar to We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Beloved has addressed females isolation but through racial discrimination and slavery. Sethe and her daughter Denver are separated fully from the world which creates a form of loneliness which hindered the characters capability to grow and utilize their abilities and opportunities fully (Bloom 6). Sethe as the protagonist in the novel indeterminately suffered from isolation because of being treated as less human.  She appears to be isolated from the world and herself filling her with self-hatred. She perceives her worth to be grounded in her children but her children are as well characterized by unpredictable and unreliable identities. Through Sethe Morrison illustrates the sense of isolation fueled by the unappealing racial discrimination subjected to the African populace. Sethe is psychologically and physically isolated from her family, society and from herself as well (Morrison 8).

Sethe is forced to make unrepairable damages in her weird decisions for survival and to overcome the challenges of discrimination (Morrison 22). She is forced to murder her daughter in order to alienate her physically based on the severity of slavery forcing her sons to develop fear siting that she might kill them too. The society believes that as a woman she has committed a severe offense that does not deserve any form of forgiveness thus the society alienate her even further. In this context, she becomes fully isolated physically. Sethe’s psychological alienation is more severe because despite the fact she loved her family she is physically isolated from them which tortures her even further (Morrison 28). Despite the fact that she believes in building a special family her lack of knowledge and the brutal experience forces her to assume that the most applicable solution is to kill her children rather than exposing them to slavery (Bloom 6).

Beloved the dead daughter is severely missed by her mother and Sethe is ready to do every available thing in order to satisfy her psychological hunger (Bloom 7). Morrison focuses on isolation by demonstrating the manner in which blacks even after achieving freedom are pressured to exist in isolation as they are at all times physically and psychologically estranged from their families. In this context, the author asserts that women are the most affected by the separation. Throughout the novel, the alienation is mainly fueled by the society’s attitude towards the victims which is negative. In that, the society failed to acknowledge Sethe’s contributions simply because she is female and African which makes her mistakes to be worse. Her only intention was to ensure that her children are not subjected to the same suffering as she did in general something that she never achieved (Bloom 12).

Sethe becomes isolated after being raped because she felt as if her dignity had been snatched (Bloom 13). This forced her to estrange from the world and herself and she felt that there was nothing that would work for the best given the cruelty that she had faced (Bloom 14). She was not only required to deal with such a feeling that created psychological isolation but she was also forced to decide on whether her daughter is to live and face brutality as well. Although she believed that killing her would relieve her of the suffering she ended up feeling more detached based on her actions and the hatred subjected by the society. Sethe also had the feeling as if there was a part of herself that had been alienated from the world based on individual’s perception of herself, family and how they reacted against her (Morrison 28). Beloved mainly illustrates the degree to which individuals are required to offer support to the larger community for better existence rather than facilitating separation. Sethe starts to acquire a positive self-sense after attaining liberty and becoming a part of the larger community (Bloom 14). Equally, Denver is able to acquire independence which facilitates her personal development after leaving and being part of the larger society (Bloom 14).

In conclusion, both in Beloved and We Have Always Lived in the Castle a sense of isolation is fully illustrated through the female characters. In that, all the women from both novels are working against discrimination and the domination of whiles and the male gender. Jackson utilizes patriarchy as the means through which women are subjected to isolation which hinders them from achieving personal growth while Morrison utilizes discrimination as the driving force in regard to alienation. Both novels assert that women are the most affected by psychological and physical alienation which plays part in contributing to withdraw and hatred against the society in which the victims live in. It is through the isolation that control is achieved by creating a personalized world.

Work Cited

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Bloom, Harold. Toni Morrison's Beloved. New York: Bloom's Literary Criticism, 2009. Print.

Jackson, Shirley. We Have Always Lived in the Castle. New York, NY: HarperPerennial Classics, 2016. Internet resource.

Toni Morrison. Beloved. New York, Vintage; Reprint edition. 2004.

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