Merricat is effusive in her self-description and in listing her many likes and dislikes. How does Merricat (and Jackson) use this to hide certain facts from the reader and to throw them off the truth?

How do the relationships of the Blackwood family resemble traditional family relationships? How do these similarities comment upon power roles and other dynamics within the traditional family structure?

The people of the village have never been hurt by Constance and her sister, so why do they hate and fear them? What do the Blackwoods represent to the village?