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Chapter 3

Summary

The chapter starts off with Merricat worrying about a change coming. Not wanting things to change. She goes on her routine walk to check up on the gates to make sure they are locked, and she explains that she has buried multiple things across the Blackwood estate that are used to protect everyone and keep everyone out. This chapter also centers around Uncle Julian and his struggles to remember the exact turn of events that occurred the night his family was murdered. He asks that if he were to not finish his book, it would be given to someone who does not care for the truth. In this chapter, Merricat also comes up with three words. ‘Melody’, 'Gloucester’, and ‘Pegasus’. To ensure that they don't have to face change, which only works when the words chosen aren’t said. The rest of the chapter is Uncle Julian attempting to recount the events of that night.

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Quotes

“A change was coming

“I watched her”

“So long as they were where I had put them nothing could get in to harm us”

“So I would be always be able to hide there”

“All our land was enriched with my treasures buried in it”

“I was not allowed...”

“All the Blackwood women had taken the food that came from the ground and preserved it”

“...can’t be permitted to stay there and rot; something has to be done with it”

“But we never touched what belonged to the others; Constance said it would kill us if we ate it”

“Who will not be concerned with the truth”

“Dr. Mason was the one Constance called the night they had all died”

“a fine bright morning, and none of them knew it was their last”

Glossary

Fretful

feeling or expressing distress or irritation.

Sauntering

walk in a slow, relaxed manner.

Taut

stretched or pulled tight; not slack.

Cynic

a person who believes that people are motivated purely by self-interest rather than acting for honorable or unselfish reasons.

Melody

a sequence of single notes that is musically satisfying; a tune.

Gloucester

a city in England

Pegasus

a group of stars that is located just north of Aquarius and Pisces

Pegasus is a winged horse in Greek mythology

Arbor

a shelter of vines or branches or of latticework covered with climbing shrubs or vines

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Comments

“A change was coming” - She doesn’t like change, doesn’t want change to interfere the way things are now

“Were not broken and the gates were securely locked” - Making sure things or people do not come in

Offerings

the box of silver dollars

doll buried

book nailed to the tree

buried six blue marbles

“So long as they were where I had put them, nothing could get in and harm us” - this is ironic because she was the danger inside her own home who had poisoned her entire family

“So I would always be able to hide there”. - From who? or what? (the police? because she was the one that poisoned her family

She has a strict routine and stands by it relating to what she does on certain days

“I was not allowed in Uncle Julian’s room.” - Why?

It is so often that Merricat mentions that she is allowed and isn’t allowed to do certain things

“Can’t be permitted to stay there and rot; something has to be done with it” - with Merricat burying things all over the land, I feel like her protection rituals will backfire. That if it stays there something must happen

This is the opposite of Merricat, she likes to bury things, whereas the rest of the Blackwood women like to bury things out of the dirt and make use of it

“But we never touched what belonged to the others; Constance said it would kill us if we ate it” - superstitious

“...if anything looked large, or difficult to eat” - relating to the poisoning??

Everyone is highly dependent on Constance, maybe that's why they accused her

Uncle Julian also has memory loss due to the arsenic and him surviving

“wear your boots if you wander today...” - Kind of like her mother figure

She occasionally practices protection spells to dispel change from coming

“Dr. Mason was the one Constance called the night they all died” - If she poisoned everyone, why would she be worried enough to phone the doctor herself. Wouldn’t it be better to cover your tracks and not phone anyone at all

It is also weird how there is not mention of Merricat during the night of the murder

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