I agree that Carter's "The Bloody Chamber" is ultimately a celebration of female power.
At first, the narrator retelling this modern version of the Bluebeard story seems to have little to no power over her new husband. She is seventeen years old and innocent while he is wealthy, older, and has been married three time before. They also live at his castle, with his servants, so it seems like life will take place on his turf and his terms.
The idea of the husband being firmly in control continues as he tells her what to wear (including the ruby choker) and decides when to deflower her. This control reaches a crescendo when the husband needs to leave home. He leaves her with a ring of keys but forbids her to use one, showing that he feels that he is entitled to tell what she can and cannot do.
The story seems to be following its traditional trajectory when the bride does go into the forbidden room, finds the corpses of the former wives, and drops the key into blood. The husband returns, realizes she has disobeyed him, and plans to kill her. However, her mother—having been alerted—gallops up to the castle as the tide recedes. She shoots the husband before he can decapitate her daughter.
The mother represents female strength and solidarity. She and her daughter prove themselves more powerful than the seemingly invincible husband. The mother's shooting of the husband illustrates her courage, and we as readers feel joyful that she arrived and saved her daughter. The story celebrates women sticking together and helping one another.
Monday, February 12, 2018
To what extent do you agree with this statement? "Carter's 'The Bloody Chamber' is ultimately a celebration of female power."
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