This is my revised and final draft of the inquiry based research essay. In this assignment I based my research on the written works of Shirley Jackson and the role of empathy for women with mental illness.
Shirley Jackson and The Role of Empathy
Shirley Jackson was a famous American author mostly recognized for her work in horror and mystery. Jackson wrote a series of short stories and novels, most written either from the perspective of women or the perception of one. The women in her work are often sufferers of mental illness and Jackson is able to convey a connection for her readers to empathize with them. However, how have the literary works of Jackson help readers empathize with these women with mental illness? She creates empathy through the use of her personal struggle. It was relatable to most women during the time facing the changes of World War II and societal expectations to be a married woman. She suffered this to the extent that she developed a mental illness and was able to write from the perspective of a woman gone mad. The origin of her illness, and a theme in her work, was the weight of societal expectations. In her works We Have Always Lived in the Castle, “The Daemon Lover” and “Colloquy” Jackson was able to clearly convey this message while utilizing the role of empathy. Jackson wrote about women suffering from this and translated how the role of empathy can push a woman past the brink of sanity.
The gothic thriller We Have Always Lived in the Castle surrounds the two sisters Merricat, formally known as Mary Katherine, and Constance Blackwood. The sisters along with their uncle are the only remaining members of the Blackwood family. The other members were murdered. The people of their village believe the executor to be Constance Blackwood. Due to these suspicions the family is forced into a life of isolation which the family actually seems to embrace. The sisters openly welcome their isolation and Merricat is more threatened by the lack thereof, “I’m always happy to get home from the village” (Jackson, 21). Jackson through the narration of Merricat to readers portrayed the horror of the outside. In the novel she committed acts of murder and arson to achieve a life of isolation. Readers can tell this is Merricat’s ultimate goal from her continued mention of going to the moon, “On the moon we have everything” (Jackson, 75). The sisters do not make it onto “the moon” until they are the only Blackwoods left and choose to not leave their home.
The author herself suffered from the mental disorder agoraphobia. The fear of places or situations that one will be unable to escape. Jackson’s condition can be seen in the characters Merricat and Constance. Constance seems to embody this fear most. She does not leave home and rejects unnecessary social interaction, “We do not ask from anyone. Remember that” (Jackson, 22). Constance has lived the life of solitude since the murder. However, not to the extent reached at the end of the novel, “they won’t ever see us again” (Jackson, 132). Constance accepts the solitude with the utmost gratitude whereas Merricat made it for herself. Merricat was repeatedly punished as a child to bed without dinner. This punishment was acknowledged to be wrong “A child should be punished for wrongdoing, but she should be made to feel that she is still loved” (Jackson, 34) and still haunted Merricat in the story. Later in the novel Merricat is revealed to have executed the murder of her family. Merricat seems to portray Jackson’s illness in effect since she does not only accept isolation but seeks out to accomplish it. Utilizing this novel Jackson made an outlet to portray her mental illness.
The role of empathy as seen in the novel shows how it can affect a mental illness, most likely Jackson’s own agoraphobia. This can be seen in the relationship between the Blackwood family and Merricat, Merricat and Constance, as well as the sisters and the townspeople. The Blackwood family allowed Merricat to be punished to bed without food. This punishment happened frequently which shows a lack of empathy towards Merricat. This pattern may have led Merricat to develop a mental disorder. Most critics believe Jackson portrayed her suffering with the illness agoraphobia through the characters Merricat and Constance, “it’s possible to see all of her female couples as depictions of the two contradictory halves of her own personality” (Heller). In the novel, when Merricat assumed she was going to be punished, she ran away. She ended up in an abandoned house and created a conversation among her family, “Mary Katherine must never be punished.” (Jackson, 95). This event can be categorized as a mental breakdown and proof that the punishments Merricat received affected her mentally.
Constance had empathy towards Merricat, “I used to go up the backstairs with a tray of dinner for her after my father had left the dining room” (Jackson, 34). For Constance to show empathy towards Merricat during a time that affected her severely, is most likely why Merricat shows great adoration towards her. Ultimately, it may have saved her life. Not only does the empathy between the sisters strengthen their bond but also their habits. Constance took the blame for the murder Merricat executed. This has let Merricat believe she can do anything without punishment and why she had no problem setting their home on fire. She claims, “Somehow it was all my fault” though it is clearly Merricat who started the fire (Jackson, 118). Merricat similarly influences Constance through empathy. She empathizes with Constance by being protective. Merricat does not have Constance leave the home and she does not like for her to interact with outsiders, “I’ll send them away” (Jackson, 24). This encourages Constance to accept isolation. Once again, this speaks greatly of Jackson’s mental state when writing the novel. Sources say Jackson claimed to have written herself into the house, “ It took her two years to recover completely, during which time she was unable to write.” (Heller). Readers can portray the emotion and habits as seen by the girls in the novel, as ones of Jackson herself.
The townspeople show little to no empathy toward Constance and Merricat. In the beginning of the novel Merricat is approached by a man. He said there was a rumor her family was moving, “You just say the word, Miss Mary Katherine and we’ll come out and help you pack. Just you say the word Merricat” (Jackson, 15). Merricat is only called so by Constance and the name is used by the townspeople to tease her. Town boys even made a song, “Merricat, said Connie, would you like to go to sleep? Down in the boneyard ten feet deep!” (Jackson, 16). This behavior towards the sisters in reaction to the murder of their family only pushes them further into isolation. Merricat responds to this treatment with thoughts of violence, “Their tongues will burn, I thought, as though they had eaten fire” (Jackson, 17). These thoughts of violence eventually cause her to act, as seen throughout the novel, in grand forms. For Constance, people treat her as if she were a murderer. She is quite scared of them, “‘Can they see me?’ she whispered ‘Is anyone looking? ’” (Jackson, 103). The lack of defense for Constance from any of the townspeople causes her to not want to leave her home. She, in turn, accepts and eventually learns to enjoy the isolation.
In the novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle it is seen that the townspeople, due to the lack of empathy, mistreat Merricat and Constance. This, in the novel, diminishes the possibility of treatment for the sisters. This has proven to be a likely conclusion as gathered from studies on behavioral therapy for those diagnosed with Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia (PDA). Multiple studies have hinted to whether empathy has an effect on the treatment outcome of a patient with PDA. The study tested this theory directly with the assistance of junior therapists and college students as patients who were diagnosed with the disorder (Keijsers et. al, 500). Results from the study have shown that the relationship between the therapists empathy and treatment outcome did not directly correlate, “The therapist’s empathy was non significantly associated with treatment outcome in univariate analyses, but it contributed significantly to the regression equation for avoidance when alone.” (Keijsers et. al, 509). However, data did show that empathy towards patients affected their behavior when alone. The role of empathy plays a beneficial role to those with PDA. Supporting Jackson’s message conveyed within the novel that the lack thereof can fuel the disorder.
In the short story “The Daemon Lover”, written in 1949, Jackson addresses the societal expectation for women to get married. Jackson creates a character in which a woman in her early thirties is to be married to a man she seems to barely know. In the beginning of the story a woman is anxiously getting ready for her wedding day, “Dearest Anne, by the time you read this I will be married” (Jackson, 9). By the time that she finishes getting ready she notices that Jamie is late and embarks on a journey to find him. As the story unfolds readers cannot help but notice the lack of knowledge the woman has about fiancé, Jamie, “she tried to think of Jamie and could not see his face clearly, or hear his voice” (Jackson, 12). She doesn’t know where he lives and cannot provide a distinct description of him, “He was rather tall, and he usually wore a blue suit” (Jackson, 20). Despite the woman’s enthusiasm in her search she does not seem to track down Jamie. At the end of the story she ends up narrowing her search at one home and no one opens the door. However, this does not stop her from continuing the search.
Jackson utilizes the role of empathy in this short story through interactions with the woman. Jackson used dialogue for both the woman and readers to collect information about Jamie. Not all of them were pleasant, “Her voice sounded amused, ‘No men named Harris here’” (Jackson, 15). A trend with Jackson, as found among readers, is the role she chooses for the women in her work, “women who were uncomfortable in their skins and in the roles that they were being forced to play in society” (Gordon & Franklin)”. Jackson provides a platform for women who oppose societal expectations and who are traditionally, disrespected. ‘Whyn’t you ask the people there?’ the man said, his eyes narrow, inspecting her” (Jackson, 19). The women did face a lack of empathy from others in her search. However, the woman responded with dignity, “‘Please don’t make any mistake,’ she said, and her voice was very dignified, with thirty-four years of accumulated pride ” (Jackson, 15). The woman may not have had the most information or support but, she still continued. This response can be translated as encouragement from Jackson for women to oppose the status quo.“I came to see it as a strong kind of counter narrative to what had been the mainstream story about American women.” (Gordon & Franklin). There is a message conveyed about succumbing to the overbearing pressures of society. The woman is trying desperately to live up to the societal expectation for a woman to get married.
During 1949 women were not treated as they are now. Despite the revolutionary changes in the role of women after World War II society still held the expectation for women to marry, “single women reported societal pressure to find husbands.” (Elliot). It is seen in the short story that the woman is anxious to get married. Even if it is to a man she does not “clearly” remember (Jackson, 12). The lack of empathy that Jackson portrays in the characters the woman interacts with reflect the lack of empathy from society towards women. “Women who chose not to marry or were unable to find a mate, however, were often shamed and ridiculed”(Elliot). The former can be seen in the conversation between an owner of the building and the woman, where she responds to the woman “amused” (Jackson, 15). Jackson used the short story to give a platform for women who have faced ridicule and judgment from society and how, in effect, can leave a woman on the brink of madness.
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The short story “Colloquy” takes place during a therapy session. A woman, who goes by Mrs. Arnold, approaches the therapist with a question pertaining to insanity, “how do people tell if they’re going crazy?” (Jackson, 145). This question is asked by Mrs. Arnold due to all of the changes that she noticed. The world is no longer in “simple” times, as she put it (Jackson, 146). In an attempt to help her the therapist only seems to make Mrs. Arnold more confused. She uttered the words, “Disoriented” “Alienation” and finally “Reality” before leaving the session (Jackson, 147). The short story ends with Mrs. Arnold questions unanswered and her state worse off than when she entered.
In “Colloquy” the lack of empathy towards Mrs. Arnold from her therapist causes her to rather leave questions unanswered. Jackson wrote Colloquy in 1944, during a time when the role of women changed drastically. She seemed to use the character of Mrs. Arnold to express the state of women during this time. In 1941 President Roosevelt declared a war on Japan in response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the United States of America entered World War II (Hall et. al). Mrs. Arnold went to therapy seeking understanding of the new world around her and she asked about the words “psychosomatic medicine” and “international cartels” (Jackson, 146). Yet, her therapist’s answer left her with more questions, showing a lack of empathy. Despite the initial confusion with vocabulary the therapist did not refrain from using words that ultimately made her leave the session.
World War II was the time for women to leave their traditional domestic roles and join the workforce. “it was a woman’s patriotic duty to help the war effort, either on the home front, through volunteer work, or by taking a “war job” (Hall et al). With men off to war American needed women to step up at home. This however, put a lot of pressure on women and they quickly had to adapt to the change, “propaganda was presented through the medium of magazine advertisements, columns, short fiction, and feature articles. Media of this kind insisted it was a woman’s patriotic duty to help the war effort” (Hall et. al). Jackson was able to translate the pressure of change for women in this story. The lack of empathy from the therapist to Mrs. Arnold reflects the lack of empathy towards women during this transitional and stressful time. A lack of empathy that pushes women away, as it did with Mrs. Arnold.
The life of Jackson is one as twisted as her works, which is only right since they are mostly written from personal experience. Despite the brilliance of her work recognized today, it was not fully acknowledged in her time, “All her life, Jackson struggled to be taken seriously as a writer.”(McGrath). She faced little recognition, not only for her work, but for her worth. Jackson was mistreated mentally from both her mother and her husband, whom she hoped would be an escape. The women that Jackson created in her works who did not live up to societal expectations, were all pieces of herself, “She was a fragile, damaged and often desolate person, subject not just to the trials that beset ambitious women of her generation but to torments all her own.” (McGrath). Due to the mistreatment faced by Jackson she suffered battles with mental illness. Today her work is recognized to advocate for women who faced similar struggles, ““Her body of work constitutes nothing less than the secret history of American women of her era,” Franklin writes,”(McGrath). Jackson speaks out for women who faced a lack of empathy from society due to not living up to expectations. She, on the road to recovery, died of a heart attack at the age of 48.
The literary works of Shirley Jackson advocate for women suffering with mental illness. A trend in her work is a woman suffering due to the pressures of society. The role of empathy, mainly the lack thereof, plays a pivotal one in regards to the mental state of women. Jackson wrote so often of women being tormented mentally by society due to her own personal battles with mistreatment and the mental illness agoraphobia. She, as most women during the time, faced judgement for not living up to expectations and drastic changes in the role of a woman. Though the role of women had shifted, the societal pressures did not and Jackson was able to advocate for the women suffering from this. Readers of Jackson are able to empathize with women with mental illness because she wrote from a personal perspective. The perspective of a woman who had suffered due to the lack of empathy from those around her. A woman who could not rely on her mother nor husband and instead pills for acceptance. Jackson was a woman who was judged and received little to no empathy in life, and was able to beautifully advocate for women in that position.
Shirley Jackson. Penguin Classics Deluxe ed. edition. We Have Always Lived in the Castle (2006)
Shirley Jackson. “The Daemon Lover” (1949)
Shirley Jackson. “Colloquy” (1944)
Charles McGrath. The Case for Shirley Jackson (2016) https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/02/books/review/shirley-jackson-ruth-franklin.html
Doug Gordon, Ruth Franklin. The Growing Legend of Shirley Jackson (2016)
Zoë Heller, The New Yorker. The Haunted Mind of Shirley Jackson (2016)
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/17/the-haunted-mind-of-shirley-jackson
Susan Elliot. The Single Woman of U.S History. (2019) https://dcc.newberry.org/?p=14379
Martha L. Hall, Belinda T. Orzada, Dilia Lopez – Gydosh. American Women’s Wartime Dress: Sociocultural Ambiguity Regarding Women’s Roles During World War II (2015) https://doi-org.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/10.1111/jacc.12357
Ger P. J. Keijsers, Cas P.D.R. Schaap, Cees A. L. Hoogduin, Mirjam W. Lammers. Patient -Therapist Interaction in the Behavioral Treatment of Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia (1995) https://journals-sagepub-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/doi/pdf/10.1177/01454455950194005
