Short stories - ‘The Bloody Chamber’ free essay sample

In the short stories in ‘The Bloody Chamber’, Carter is excessively interested in violent instincts, this viewpoint is correct to an extent but Carter has a feministic approach to her stories, which at some points more apparent. I find that her stories are in a literal sense driven by violent instincts but optimistic outlook of Carter that humans are capable of change is still evident. Violence is already embedded in fairytales and by bringing this to the surface; she is only catering to her adult audience. The violent instincts portrayed by the characters shows what happens when we give in to the animalistic nature that humans’ possess, ‘i’ll grind his bones to make my bread’ the countess is a prime example, although she is hinted to be a supernatural creature. Intersexuality of Jack and the Beanstalk places the vampire in the role of villain while that of Sleeping Beauty shows her as a victim . We will write a custom essay sample on Short stories ‘The Bloody Chamber’ or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The act of grinding brings in to mind the domestic practices of a woman at home having to prepare the task of feeding the family, perhaps Carter is suggesting that women too often are given no credit for their roles in society. Another interpretation is by H. Simpson, ‘The stories are â€Å"fired by the conviction that human nature is not immutable, that human beings are capable of change†. Although this notion is shared by Carter, it seems that some of her characters had to be driven to extremes to change. The marquis could only escape his violent instincts through his death and the countess shared the same fate, his favourite quote: There is a striking resemblance between the act of love and he ministrations of a torturer†. To the Marquis the sex act is inseparable from the act of murder, which we see reflected in the heroines diction when she describes the loss of her virginity as impalement’’. It could be said that humans are capable of changing but only when they face hardships which leads them to lose the purity of their virginity, the extensive imagery of snow symbolises Beauty’s purity, â€Å"white and unmarked as a spilled bolt of bridal satin†. Carter comments on this often in her short stories in ‘The Bloody Chamber’. Secondly, Carter is suggesting that while society remains its patriarchal self, violence will always be present and this is reflected in her short stories. Carter appears to be excessively interested in violent instincts because she wanted to explore the human nature. In the Company of Wolves, the narrator addresses the reader, from the perspective of someone involved in the story In ‘granny’s bed between the paws of the tender wolf’ suggests that this story is based on little red riding hood. The juxtaposition of tender and wolf, shows how Carter creates dominant male characters which though are presented as evil are also seen to be partly victimised by their role which they are trapped within. Although carter uses intertexuality and makes exospheric references to other folk tales, in ‘the company of wolves’, it is actually hinting at what it is like for females to go out into the world and immediately be in danger from men and the traps that they lay for them, ‘You are always in danger in the forest’. The forest is perhaps an allegory for society and in a sense women must use the strength that has derived through their female lineage e. g. Mothers, Grandmothers to face obstacles. Angela Carter presents a feminist agenda in which women are presented as controlling their own lives and destiny through using skills and attributes including their sexuality in the face of their objectification by men and this being the reason that Carter isn’t just interested in violent instincts. In ‘The courtship of Mr. Lyon’, the story is written in first person, giving the female protagonist the voice, a feminist move unlike Beauty in CML. In the tiger bride, the ‘earrings’ are used as symbols; only a man who is beast-like can truly feel sorry for objectifying a woman. Furthermore, Cater is in a way addressing the double standard that men live by traditionally. That men are also viewed by her as being capable of thought and compassion and not purely sexual driven beings although the animalistic qualities of men are evident it is systematically represented in ‘TBC’, through the imagery of cats, lions and wolves. However, in the ‘Snow Child’ the entire story can be seen as an allegory for the transitory nature of male desire, with the short-lived girl representing the male fantasy, while the Countess’ victory represents the triumph of feminism. In the ‘The courtship of Mr. Lyon’, the simile of the Beast’s eyes â€Å"green as agate† emphasise the materialistic nature of Beauty and her father, while Beauty using his eyes as a mirror to see â€Å"her own image reflected there† emphasises this. On the other hand it could be that TBC is ‘A critique of the idea of adult womanhood sanctioned by patriarchy and a suggested alternative to it’ E. C. Rose. It can be argued that ‘a suggested alternative’ would mean the part victimisation of men to allow the balance to tip in to the woman direction making the two sexes equal All in all, it is my belief that Carter is ambiguous about overall message in her short stories; nevertheless many of the stories can be linked to wider feminist messages. While violence is a theme of the short stories in the ‘The Bloody Chamber’, Carter doesn’t appear to be excessively interested in violent instincts, her characters’ just happen to be atypical to the gothic and fairytales.