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The Current Cover Art For We Have Always Lived In The Castle By Shirley Jackson

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The current cover art for We Have Always Lived In the Castle by Shirley Jackson is insufficient in conveying the themes within the book. Shirley Jackson’s novel deserves an accurate portrayal of its gothic nature, highlighting the main characters’ juxtaposition with our own norm and the themes that Jackson has chosen to write. One of the qualities that we at Penguin pride ourselves on is our reliable bookshelf of English-language classics. To uphold this pride, we must change the current cover for this proposition to a new cover. This new cover, drawn by Tabitha Picucci, accurately represents the theme that Constance’s relationship with her garden reflects her position as the provider of the Blackwood family. Constance grows the food the family …show more content…

The plants represent the other Blackwoods in this case, as without the sun they could not live. Because my cover projects all of the plant-related symbols to the reader, it accurately conveys Constance providing stability through independence. Constance uses the garden as a way to defend the Blackwoods, providing a way to protect themselves. Uncle Julian, sensing the unease of Helen Clarke more so than Mrs. Wright towards the topic of having visitors at the house and believing that no one wants to visit due to the fact that Constance is associated with murder, says, “My niece can tell you of the most unlikely perils -- garden plants more deadly than snakes and simple herbs that slash like knives through the lining of your belly, madam” (Jackson 30). Uncle Julian uses the analogy of plants to snakes, a familiar fear to all, to clarify to Mrs. Wright and Helen Clark how dangerous her plants are, warning them in the process. He continues using comparisons with the verb “slash” followed by the simile of “herbs like knives,” which sets a tone of seriousness and

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