We Have Always Lived in the Castle

by

Shirley Jackson

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Stella runs a café in the village where Merricat always stops on her way home from doing the shopping. Merricat stops there not because she wants to, but because she feels the need to show that she isn’t afraid of the villagers. Stella is polite to Merricat, unlike the other villagers, but she also doesn’t defend Merricat against the hostilities of her other customers. Furthermore, she takes part in terrorizing the sisters after the fire.
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Stella Character Timeline in We Have Always Lived in the Castle

The timeline below shows where the character Stella appears in We Have Always Lived in the Castle. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
Isolation Theme Icon
...neither Constance nor Uncle Julian ever went. On the way home she always went into Stella’s café for coffee because, if she didn’t, she knew Stella would think she was too... (full context)
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There’s a crack in the sidewalk in front of Stella’s café. Merricat remembers roller-skating and bicycling over it when the villagers didn’t yet express hatred... (full context)
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Stella made a couple of changes to the café with the insurance money after her husband’s... (full context)
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The Relativity of Truth Theme Icon
Stella tells Jim Donell to leave Merricat alone, but he continues wondering aloud why the villagers... (full context)
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...he could go on talking for a while. She imagines she lives on the moon. Stella tells Jim to cut it out, and he says he certainly wouldn’t have wanted to... (full context)
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Stella tells Merricat that she should go home. Jim Donell lets her get off her stool,... (full context)