The Coven

Because Woods’s novel falls easily into the category of dark romance, the idea of “consent” is problematic, and at times, its existence is debatable; this controversial dynamic becomes especially apparent as Willow discovers what is expected and allowed by the Covenant and the Vessels at Hollow’s Grove. Susannah’s motives are clear after the burial of the White witch; she wants to destroy the Vessels even though it will cost some witches their magic and their lives. Within the world of the novel, burial in a casket rather than atop a bed of sacred stones denies the witch’s essence and condemns her to an eternity without peace. Susannah claims that individual lives are worth less than the survival of the Coven, but she prioritizes only the strength and authority of Tribunal members. Because Willow is understood to be a future member of this Tribunal, Susannah expects her to conceive a child for the good of the Coven. While Willow’s consent is preferred, Susannah is quite willing to proceed without it. Threatening Willow with the “deep sleep,” Susannah reasons, “I suppose Iban could get past the … distasteful aspect of breeding you while you’re unconscious, [and] it would be a far simpler way to get you to do the one thing that is expected of you” (161). By casually threatening Willow with rape and baldly stating that it is the protagonist’s duty to submit to this injustice, Susannah reveals the abusive and sinister depths of the twisted society at the center of Hollow’s Grove.

Gray’s commentary also reinforces this grim outlook on the world, and his blatant disregard for the importance of consent highlights just how depraved his own mindset really is. Though he reflects on the Covenant’s desire for witches’ consent in all things, he also acknowledges their willingness to manipulate circumstances to procure that consent. Notably, however, his reliance on Willow’s consent is dubious at best, as demonstrated when he tells her, “I may be an asshole, and I will most definitely take advantage of you […]. But you’re safe with me” (166). The inherent contradiction of this statement—and Gray’s seeming unawareness of it—highlights the inauthenticity of any attempt that he makes to reassure Willow, his intended victim. Because he fails to see that his willingness to “take advantage” of her is at odds with the idea of keeping Willow safe, any claim he makes about the Covenant’s relative corruption becomes suspect. The practice of dominium also negates the concept of consent because Gray claims Willow as his own—without her knowledge or agreement. The same can be said of his “compulsion,” which restricts her sexual satisfaction against her will.

The ritual of the Reaping also becomes a thorny issue because witches do not have a choice about whether they are fed upon; within the context of the novel, the feeding itself is portrayed as a kind of penetration that is not unlike intercourse. The witch can choose whether she has sex with the Vessel, but she is bound, blindfolded, and forced to remove her undergarments regardless of this choice. Della’s language around the issue reinforces this reality. While handcuffing Willow, Della says, “I have to. If I don’t, they’ll force you […]. This is not optional” (188). Thus, it is clear that a witch has very little choice when a Vessel selects her for this feeding. At the very least, this physical violation is assault, because a witch’s attempt to “make the best of it” does not equate to consent. Ultimately, both sides—the Covenant and the Vessels—routinely violate the witches’ consent and spout convoluted justifications in an attempt to normalize this behavior.

Despite the deeply problematic nature of their connection, Willow and Gray continue to experience growing sexual tension and emotion, and their ambivalence highlights The Tension Between Duty and Desire. From Gray’s perspective, his growing affection for Willow problematizes his thinking and could adversely affect his plans. As he admits, “The witchling had more bravery in her pinky finger than most had in their entire body” (165). When he begins to call her “love” and acts “genuinely concerned” for her welfare after Susannah’s attack, these subtle signs of affection are designed to render him a more sympathetic character despite his many transgressions against Willow. This dynamic also comes into play as he senses her fear before the Reaping and “want[s] to comfort her, to calm her racing heart” (192). He says that he cannot feel love, but his desire to alleviate her fears and avenge whoever caused her such trauma in the past indicates otherwise—despite the irony that his actions during the Reaping traumatize her anew.

For her part, Willow finds herself succumbing to an unreasoning, animalistic attraction to Gray despite the many reasons—both personal and practical—to distance herself from him. As the narrative baldly states, Willow “just wanted to fuck him, all sense of hatred disappearing from [her] with just his molten stare on [hers]” (152). When she learns about Susannah’s plans to eliminate the Vessels, Willow finds herself overcome with “indecision” and a strange sense of loyalty to Gray that leaves her “feeling wrong for not telling him of [Susannah’s] plan to eradicate the Vessels” (173). Although she acknowledges the irony, she cannot deny her sense of obligation to Gray, though she knows that he must be eliminated in order for Samuel’s plan to work. Caught in her own version of The Tension between Duty and Desire, Willow feels pain at the thought that Gray could cease to exist, but she also knows that if she does her duty to Samuel, Loralei, and Charlotte, then Gray can only be her enemy. He stands between her and the bones she needs, and when she finally obtains Loralei’s remains, she is duty-bound to banish Gray’s soul to Hell.

As Woods reveals the hidden aspects of the Coven’s history and common beliefs and habits, the narrative also examines the witches’ fixation upon The Balance of Opposites. The death of the White witch and the improper nature of her burial emphasize the importance of balance. In life, she drew power from sacred stones and crystals, so in death, her body should be returned to the stones, at which point the stones can “reabsorb her into the source” (152). This magical premise also underlies Samuel’s reasons for disinterring Flora’s body and reburying her outside her casket after her funeral. By emphasizing the give-and-take relationship between witches and the natural world, the narrative indicates that the absence of this balance will weaken the witches’ magic, hurting both them and the Vessels who depend upon their blood for sustenance.

These chapters also provide early indications of the novel’s focus on The Cycle of Revenge. Most notably, Gray’s obsession with learning the cause of Willow’s fear of the Reaping and punishing Susannah for the harm she causes Willow suggests that he will seek revenge for Samuel’s and Susannah’s actions. He does not yet know that Willow’s fear of being blindfolded and bound comes from her father’s practice of “bur[ying] [her] in the earth” (197) during her training. However, when Gray realizes that Susannah has made Willow afraid to sleep, he plans to “kill the bitch” (168). Thus, Samuel’s and Susannah’s attempts to seek revenge against the Vessels will likely lead to more revenge plots in the future.