Family Legacy

Family legacy and respect for one’s ancestry is an important theme throughout the entirety of the novel. This is why the ghosts of various ancestors play such a huge role in the lives of coven members and Diana’s own story.

First, it is important to acknowledge how ghosts are perceived and treated within the novel’s world. For witches, living alongside spirits of the dead is expected, with many accepting that the ghosts can do whatever they want. Gwyneth shows this best when she says, “The dead are always with us, but I find more than a dozen dearly departed a real nuisance” (132). This shows how the ghosts of departed ancestors are treated more like roommates than something supernatural to be feared or wary of. This does not mean that all ghosts are seen this way, though. When Gwyneth reveals that Meg wants...