The Bloody Chamber: Key Quotations (OCR A Level English Literature)
Revision Note
Written by: Nadia Ambreen
Reviewed by: Kate Lee
The Bloody Chamber: Key Quotations
One of the ways to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the text is through the effective use of quotations and references to the text. This means that summarising, paraphrasing, referencing single words and referencing plot events are all as valid as using direct quotations.
Overall, you should aim to secure a strong knowledge of the text, rather than memorising a list of pre-prepared quotations, as this will better enable you to respond to the question. It is the quality of your knowledge of the text that will enable you to select references effectively.
If you are going to revise quotations, the best way is to group them by character or theme. Below you will find definitions and analysis of the best quotations, arranged by the following key themes:
Examiner Tips and Tricks
While AO2 isn’t explicitly assessed in Task 2 (the comparative essay), you are still credited for the accurate use of quotations in your responses and the marks are awarded under AO1.
This means that your quotes still need to be used accurately to support the direction of your argument and they should be appropriate to the question. The importance is not placed on how many quotes you use, but how well you use them in order to back up your argument.
Ownership
The theme of ownership is significant in The Bloody Chamber, The Tiger’s Bride and The Courtship of Mr Lyon, and Carter explores the idea of ownership in various ways, often within the context of power dynamics, identity and sexuality.
Paired quotation:
“I know quite well that this child I've bought with a handful of coloured stones and the pelt of dead beasts won’t run away” – The narrator, The Bloody Chamber
“And I had to be content with that” – The narrator, The Bloody Chamber
Meaning and context
The Marquis is leaving to go on a business trip and his new bride is upset that he is leaving during their honeymoon
She tries to object to his leaving, but realises that she has no power over him and that he does not consider the honeymoon to be as important as she does
Analysis
This highlights the power dynamic in the narrator’s relationship with her new husband:
She knows that she is powerless against him and that he will do what he wants
She also “had to be content” with the situation, which suggests that she does not have the freedom to truly express her feelings
The narrator also mentions how she has been “bought” and, as a result, will not be able to run away as she now belongs to him:
Here it is evident that the narrator has no power or authority and that she is essentially owned by her husband
“My father said he loved me yet he staked his daughter on a hand of cards” – The narrator, The Tiger’s Bride
Meaning and context
This is the beginning of the short story when the narrator tells the reader that, despite her father’s love for her, he used the narrator as an object that can be given away in a game of cards
Analysis
The narrator, who is female, is traded from one man to another as if she were a commodity
This highlights the objectification of women and how their only value is through what a man is willing to pay
It also emphasises how women are powerless to object to this and are reduced to the role of passive observers
It also leads to the reader questioning whether her father truly loved his daughter
“And such a one she felt herself to be, Miss Lamb, spotless, sacrificial” – The narrator, The Courtship of Mr Lyon
Meaning and context
Beauty is made to have dinner with the Beast in order to help her father
Beauty is sitting opposite the Beast and is finding his presence and his physical appearance overwhelming and suffocating
However, she is only there because she wishes to help her father
Analysis
Beauty recognises that she is powerless and potentially in danger in the Beast’s presence
She likens herself to be a sacrificial lamb who has been sent to the slaughter in order to help her father
The use of the word “spotless” suggests that she is seen as pure and untainted, which increases her value and her worth
“Sacrificial” suggests that her father has used her in order to save himself
Beauty and objectification
In all three stories, women are objectified and their beauty is used by the male characters as either currency or for their own satisfaction. Carter’s exploration of beauty and objectification delves into the complexities of how society treats women by offering a subversive and critical perspective.
“When I saw him look at me with lust, I dropped my eyes but, in glancing away from him, I caught sight of myself in the mirror” – The narrator, The Bloody Chamber
Meaning and context
The narrator notices the Marquis staring at her in a lustful way and realises that her new husband finds her attractive
She is intimidated by his stare and looks away from him
Analysis
It is evident here that the Marquis is looking at the young narrator as a sexual object
This could represent the idea of the male gaze and the narrator’s realisation that she is an object of desire
When she sees her reflection in the mirror, this could suggest that the narrator is finally able to see what the Marquis sees and so she realises that her innocence may well be corrupted
“My master’s sole desire is to see the pretty young lady unclothed nude without her dress … after which she will be returned to her father with bankers’ orders … and also a number of fine presents” – The Valet, The Tiger’s Bride
Meaning and context
The narrator has just been taken to the Beast’s room
The valet has just informed the narrator that the Beast wants to see her naked in return for money and gifts
Analysis
This moment reinforces the idea that the narrator, who is a female, is merely seen as a possession and an object of desire
It also highlights, from a feminist perspective, that men are able to exert their power and force, especially if they have money, in order to satisfy the male gaze
The use of the word “returned” also suggests that the narrator does not have control over her own fate and that she has nothing more to offer than her body
When the Beast is satisfied, the narrator will be “returned” to her father
“For she knew with a pang of dread, as soon as he spoke, that it would be so and her visit to the Beast must be … the price of her father’s good fortune” – The narrator, The Courtship of Mr Lyon
Meaning and context
Beauty realises that, in order to save her father, she must visit the Beast
She understands what she must do as a dutiful daughter for her father, even if it frightens her
Analysis
It is evident here that Beauty, despite her reservations, feels a sense of obligation and duty towards her father
This highlights how Beauty’s purpose, as a female, is to serve the male figurehead, which is a reflection of restrictive gender roles
She recognises that her father’s fortune and future depend on her success with the Beast and that, more significantly, she has no choice
Power
Carter explores the theme of power through the lens of gender, sexuality, transformation and Gothic symbolism. Carter’s use of power is complex and often subversive, challenging traditional gender roles and power dynamics. Her stories examine the ways in which power is exerted, abused and resisted.
“The king, aghast, witnesses the revolt of his pawns” – The narrator, The Bloody Chamber
Meaning and context
The Marquis hesitated in beheading the narrator and, as a result, the narrator runs to the entrance of the castle to help her saviour enter
The Marquis, as a result, is shocked as his plan has been foiled
Analysis
Carter subverts traditional gender roles by empowering the female narrator to run to her salvation and disobey her husband
By doing this, she has taken the power away from the Marquis, who is the traditional head of the household and “king” of his castle
It is also worth noting that the narrator’s saviour is not a prince or a strong male character, but her mother, who is also presented as strong and fierce
Once again, Carter has subverted gender roles and empowered women
“This leonine apparition shook Beauty’s father until his teeth rattled and then dropped him sprawling on his knees…” – The narrator, The Courtship of Mr Lyon
Meaning and context
Beauty’s father has just enjoyed the Beast’s generosity in his castle, without actually meeting the host
As he leaves the castle, he plucks a single white rose from the Beast’s garden for his daughter, Beauty
This enrages the Beast and causes him to confront Beauty’s father
Analysis
There is a typically Gothic element here as the Beast is described as a supernatural “leonine apparition”. This ties into the idea of the unknown and supernatural, which instils fear into the father
The Beast’s power is evident here as his presence is enough to overpower Beauty’s father
“How pleased I was to see I struck the Beast to the heart!” – The narrator, The Tiger’s Bride
Meaning and context
The narrator has just been taken to the Beast’s room in the castle
The Beast’s valet has just told Beauty that the Beast wishes to see her undressed
The narrator’s response was not what the Beast expected:
Her aim was to humiliate him and she succeeds
Analysis
It is evident here that the Beast’s request was an attempt to satisfy the male gaze
However, we see a shift in power here as the narrator does not submit to the Beast’s will, but offers him a counter offer with the purpose of humiliating him
As a result, the power shifts from the male to the female and Carter has successfully subverted gender roles
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Aim for quality not quantity. There are no rules about the number of references you should make about your core text, but making 3–4 thoughtful, detailed and considered references, closely focused on the question, will attain higher marks than, for example, 6–7 brief and undeveloped references.
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