The Bloody Chamber - Quotations and analysis

Quotation sheet for The Bloody Chamber:

Reference

Quotation

Analysis

The Bloody Chamber, page 1

“I had, in some way, ceased to be her daughter in becoming his wife.”

Shows her moving away from her childhood and innocence. He has already changed her before they have even met.

The Bloody Chamber, page 2

“Are you sure you love him?”

“I’m sure I want to marry him.”

She is marrying for money not love, unlike her mother. She is trapped in poverty and this is her only way out.

The Bloody Chamber, page 2

“She sighed, as if it was with reluctance that she might at last banish the spectre of poverty from its habitual place at our meagre table.”

She is running from one ‘spectre’ to another, dramatic irony? Reinforces the idea that she has no choice – Gothic theme of entrapment.

The Bloody Chamber, page 2

“My young girl’s pointed breasts”

Emphasises her age and the difference in age between her and the Marquis – creates unease (paedophilia?)

The Bloody Chamber, page 2

“His kiss, his kiss with tongue and teeth in it…”

Could suggest at his violent desires, and his animalistic nature, which later comes into light.

The Bloody Chamber, page 2

“The magic place, the fairy castle whose walls were made of foam.”

Dramatic irony.

Shows her childish naivety and innocence. Fairy castles link to entrapment of young girls, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty… Links to fairy tale form, “new wine in old bottles…” Carter

The Bloody Chamber, page 2

“I could see the dark, leonine shape of his head”

Links to animalistic and dangerous nature.

The Bloody Chamber, page 3

“His shoes had soles of velvet, as if his footfall turned the carpet into snow.”

“soundlessly open the door and softly creep up behind me.”

The idea of velvet soles and such light footfalls hints that he has paws instead of feet, as a cat or lion has ‘velvet-like’ paws, and moves softly and silently – predatory.

The Bloody Chamber, page 3

“He was older than I. He was much older than I; there were streaks of pure silver in his dark mane.”

Connotations of the words ‘dark’ and ‘mane’ – suggest evil, leonine…

Further connotations of paedophilia.

The Bloody Chamber, page 3

“Eyes that always disturbed me by their absolute absence of light, seemed to me like a mask.”

Shows his complete lack of compassion and goodness. The word mask suggests he has something to hide.

The Bloody Chamber, page 3

“He seemed to me like a lily.”

“Like one of those cobra-headed, funereal lilies.”

Lily – connotations of death, especially a funereal lily.

Cobra – animalistic, ruthless, dangerous.

The Bloody Chamber, page 4

“A fire opal, the size of a pigeon’s egg set in a complicated circle of dark antique gold.”

“Opals are bad look”

The word ‘fire’ holds connotations of danger and passion. Gothic theme of excess. ‘Dark’ suggests the violent past of the ring. ‘Antique’ reinforces the age of the…