2026, Vol. 8, Issue 1, Part A

Author(s): Neha Tehlan and Sumitra Huidrom

Abstract: The research paper presents a feminist horror interpretation of Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle (1962), emphasizing madness, repression, social isolation, and female power that are interrelated. In contrast to the conventional psychological readings that interpret the main female characters as insane, the study looks at madness as a social deployment to the monitoring, hostility, and exclusion that the patriarchal community imposes. This qualitative research, which is intertwined with close reading, thematic analysis, and feminist and psychoanalytic theories, considers the Blackwood sisters' isolation because of societal power dynamics instead of individual mental disorder. The research uncovers that Jackson shows how solidary is formed through immorality and socialization as the two patriarchal power fathers emphasize women's alienation and dehumanization as signs of oppression. The Blackwood family is a home where subconscious inflation exists, meaning that the family is cursed alternatively and sheltered, and that generates a thrill, a scare, and a place of clever survival. The most important finding is that women's power in the story does not depend on society's acceptance or moral approval, but it is realized through strategic withdrawal, silence, and disobedience. In the same vein, without drawing a definite conclusion and presenting a morally ambiguous situation, Jackson unsettles the prevailing notions of sanity, fairness, and femininity. The research further classifies We Have Always Lived in the Castle as a pivotal work for present-day feminist discussions on mental oppression, gendered discipline, and resistance through alternative ways, thus making the book a radical critique of social conformity, patriarchal oppression, and psychological terror.

DOI: 10.33545/27068919.2026.v8.i1a.1808

Pages: 37-41 | Views: 69 | Downloads: 27

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