The Bloody Chamber: Themes (OCR A Level English Literature)

The Bloody Chamber: Themes

Exam responses that are led by key themes and ideas are more likely to reach the highest levels of the mark scheme. Exploring the ideas of the text, specifically in relation to the question being asked, will help to increase your fluency and assurance in writing about the stories.

Below are some of the key themes that could be explored in The Bloody Chamber. Due to the nature of the short stories, these themes are closely linked and, at times, could overlap. This list is not exhaustive and you are encouraged to also explore any other ideas or themes you identify within the novel.

• Ownership

• Beauty and objectification

• Power

Ownership

The theme of ownership is significant in many of the short stories in The Bloody Chamber in a number of ways. For example, the idea of women being considered property and moving from one man to another, having no choice but to comply, is a common idea. However, this is not the only way the theme of ownership is apparent. Many of the female characters go through a transformation of their own which, as a result, leads to them taking ownership of their own lives and destinies. 

Knowledge and evidence

• In the short story titled The Bloody Chamber, the narrator has married a wealthy marquis:

  • The narrator, it could be interpreted, has given herself to her husband completely both legally and symbolically through marriage

• The narrator is financially dependent on the Marquis as his wealth is inexhaustible and, therefore, he has power over the narrator

• The Marquis’s castle is isolated and cut off from the rest of society at certain points in the day, which leaves the narrator all alone. Therefore, the Marquis also has ownership of her space

• The Marquis exerts sexual dominance over the narrator, which is evident through his violent and aggressive sexual encounters with her:

  • This can be seen as a form of ownership and objectification

  • The narrator, in her naivety, is overpowered by the Marquis and allows him to exert his dominance over her

• However, at the end of the story, the narrator takes ownership of her own life by deciding to go against her husband’s wishes and enter the bloody chamber:

  • Her decision to defy the Marquis’s demands symbolises her desire to escape the Marquis’s control and the ownership he exerts over her

• In The Courtship of Mr Lyon, ownership is evident initially as Beauty’s father feels pressured to “trade” his daughter for the rose he picked:

  • The beast has financial power over Beauty’s father and, as a result, has left her father with no choice

• Beauty feels she has to agree to the beast’s demands as she refers to herself as “Miss Lamb”, which suggests that she is being sacrificed for her father’s benefit:

  • The woman is passed from one man to another for personal gain, and shows little independent will

• In The Tiger’s Bride, the narrator’s father loses his daughter to a game of cards with “The Beast”:

  • The narrator is used here as currency and is easily passed between one man and another

• However, in The Tiger’s Bride, the narrator reclaims her body and her destiny by refusing to return to her father:

  • Instead, she chooses to stay with The Beast and become an animal herself

  • By doing so, she symbolically takes back ownership of her body and her destiny

What is Carter’s intention?

• In each one of these stories, Carter delves into the complex relationship between men and women

• The female characters are initially presented as classic submissive females, but are transformed into modern, feminist characters:

  • In the three stories, the female characters rebel against norms and societal pressures

  • A good example is the narrator in The Tiger’s Bride choosing to stay with the Beast rather than returning to her father

• Carter has deliberately chosen classic fairy tales, such as Beauty and the Beast, but has written them from the perspective of the female characters:

  • By doing so, she is empowering women by giving a voice to characters who did not really have a voice in the traditional fairy tales

• Carter uses female characters to critique and challenge traditional gender norms, especially in relation to females being submissive characters or possessions moving from one man to another:

  • She questions and deconstructs these norms through her stories

Beauty and objectification

In all three short stories, beauty and objectification are linked, as the men who take ownership of the female characters are all attracted to their beauty and therefore objectify them. Carter explores the complex interplay between beauty and objectification, and in many instances challenges the traditional gender dynamics that fairy tales often depict.

Knowledge and evidence

• In The Bloody Chamber, the Marquis is attracted to the narrator’s physical beauty and youth and, as a result, views her as an object in his possession:

  • The Marquis exercises his control over the narrator’s physical appearance by providing her with expensive dresses and jewellery, such as the ruby choker and the white dress

  • He forces the narrator to fit into an image and aesthetic that sexually pleases him

  • The Marquis underdresses the narrator in a room covered with mirrors, which further objectifies her, while he remains fully clothed

  • He tells her when to wear the choker made of rubies like a collar, turning her into his servant or pet

• The Marquis also objectifies his previous three wives:

  • He not only kills them, but displays their bodies elaborately in the chamber as part of his personal collection

• In The Courtship of Mr Lyon, Beauty becomes an object when her father uses her to appease the beast:

  • She also appears to start to lose her beauty when she stops serving the men and forgets her promise to the beast

  • She becomes a spoiled brat, an unattractive quality

  • Carter could ironically be suggesting that women’s only purpose is to serve men and that their “beauty” fades when they no longer fulfil that purpose

• In The Tiger’s Bride, the female narrator is objectified by The Beast, who wins her in a game of cards:

  • This action in itself highlights how the female is portrayed as a possession to be bargained with and for

  • The Beast also asks to see the narrator naked, which she initially rejects

What is Carter’s intention?

• Carter has written many of her stories from the female perspective to highlight how women are objectified and are forced to conform to the male gaze

• The female characters in all three of the stories are beautiful and innocent:

  • However, Carter also shows how multi-layered and complex these characters are by highlighting their other characteristics

  • For example, the narrator in The Bloody Chamber is an exceptional pianist

• These women then challenge and subvert traditional gender roles by being agents of their own fate:

  • This shows that women are so much more than their outward appearance

• Carter also uses beauty and objectification to subvert traditional beauty ideals:

  • For example, in The Tiger’s Bride, Beauty rejects the Beast’s request initially and only complies when he reveals himself to her completely

  • In The Tiger’s Bride, the narrator undergoes a transformation that challenges the conventions of beauty and objectification by becoming a beast herself

  • By doing so, she has also challenged patriarchy by highlighting that relationships are only successful when both individuals are equal

Power

The theme of power is prevalent within the gothic genre and, in the short stories in The Bloody Chamber, it is a central and complex one. It encompasses various aspects of power dynamics, particularly in the context of relationships, gender roles and sexuality. Angela Carter’s reimagining of classic fairy tales allows her to challenge and subvert traditional power structures, providing a thought-provoking and often provocative commentary on this theme.

Knowledge and evidence

• Initially, in The Bloody Chamber, the Marquis is the one who appears to have all of the power:

  • His money, status and title all give him power over the narrator and the people around him

  • He is also physically and mentally stronger than the young and naive narrator

  • He forces the narrator to conform to his male gaze and fetishes, such as when he makes her wear the ruby choker 

• The only other male in the story is the blind pianist called Jean-Yves:

  • It could be suggested that, as he is blind, he is powerless against the Marquis 

• However, we see the power shift as the narrator’s mother challenges the patriarchy and conventional gender roles:

  • She is described as a tough woman who is not afraid to fight

  • She raised her daughter on her own without the help of a man as her husband had died

  • She was unafraid of expressing her opinion and had asked her daughter whether she was sure she wanted to marry the Marquis

  • This suggests that she is not someone who can be bought with titles and money

• Throughout the story, the narrator’s mother can be seen as a source of inspiration for her:

  • When she discovers the bodies in the chamber, her mother’s “spirit” drives her on

• At the end of the story, it is the narrator’s mother who saves her:

  • The description of the narrator’s mother at the end of the story is powerful as she rides in to save her daughter, a typically male image of a “knight in shining armour”

• The narrator’s mother uses her husband’s pistol to kill the Marquis:

  • This phallic symbol could suggest that power originates from men and that they are the only source of power

  • However, the counter argument could be that power can easily be transferred from a man to a woman

• In The Courtship of Mr Lyon, the story takes inspiration from the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast:

  • The beast, whose name is Mr Lyon, is portrayed as a wealthy and powerful figure

  • His influence and resources help to save Beauty’s family from financial ruin and he therefore has power over Beauty’s family

  • Also, the beast’s physical power is initially intimidating as his strength and size are sources of both fear and fascination

• Throughout The Courtship of Mr Lyon, emotional power plays a significant role:

  • Beauty’s kindness towards the beast and ability to see beyond his appearance gives her emotional power over him

  • It is this power that ultimately leads to the story’s resolution

• In The Tiger’s Bride, the theme of power is most evident through the narrative voice:

  • The female protagonist’s voice and perspective is an assertion of her individuality and power to shape her own destiny

• The female narrator is submissive and vulnerable at the beginning, but gradually undergoes a transformation that allows her to reclaim control over her life:

  • Initially, her father has control over her life and gives her away in a game of cards

  • However, at the end of the story, she reclaims this power when she sheds her human skin and life to willingly become a tigress

• The transformation from human to tigress could symbolise a shift in power dynamics:

  • The tigress symbolises freedom and strength, while her father represents conventional power structures that seek to control and dominate

  • The narrator’s refusal to be submissive or to continue to be owned by a man challenges these power structures

What is Carter’s intention?

• Carter has purposefully chosen to write some of these stories from the female protagonist’s point of view

• By doing so, she has empowered these characters by giving them a voice and allowing them to choose their own destiny:

  • The stories begin with the women being in a submissive position, but they end with the women either defeating the dominant male, which is evident in The Bloody Chamber, or becoming their equal, such as in The Tiger’s Bride and The Courtship of Mr Lyon

• In The Tiger’s Bride and The Bloody Chamber, Carter chose to have the female characters overpower the male characters in order to show how it is possible for females to empower themselves and decide their own fate

• In The Courtship of Mr Lyon, there is not such a clear shift in power:

  • However, it is evident that Beauty has emotional power over Mr Lyon and her neglect results in him almost losing his life

• Carter wrote these stories during a time of feminist uprising and, as a result, the stories liberate the females in fairy tales against the oppression of men