The Second Wife in the Castle Rackrent

Castle Rackrent presents an interesting view of the three Rackrent wives that are presented in the novel. In particular, I found the experience of the wife of Sir Kit Rackrent, known derogatorily as “the Jewish” by Thady, the most compelling.  Thady dislikes this woman from the start, solely on the basis of her heritage, even calling her a “heretic blackamoor” in fear of what she may bring to the estate (77). The family proceeds to mock her ignorance of Irish culture, words, and even geography. The fact that she conceals diamonds from Sir Kit is the act that gets her further mistreated and eventually locked inside a closet. This series of events provides an interesting parallel to the Irish situation. The difference in the English and Irish cultures, that difference between the beer and whiskey as mentioned in the final lines, is what causes contempt on the Irish side. The wrongs done to the second wife and her oppression within the Castle Rackrent parallel the poor treatment and the effective imprisonment of the Irish People, as well as the effects that these policies would have on the religious group of the Irish Catholics.