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Examples Of Norms In The Bloody Chamber

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Defying norms in Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber Frank Zappa once said, “Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.” In this essay we are going to take a closer look at some of the main characters in Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber and how they might or might not conform to a reader’s presuppositions of norms, especially regarding gender and traditional gender stereotypes. Exploring further how some characters might deviate from the reader’s norm. This, of course, depends on how the reader defines and value norms. So, what is a norm? Merriam-Webster define “norm” as being a “standard of proper and acceptable behaviour.” Let’s take this definition and apply it to both Terry Eagleton’s argument that a deviation cannot exist …show more content…

She goes on to find a room with bodies of Bluebeard’s former wives. He then returns and tries to kill her, but in the end, her brothers comes to save her and they kill Bluebeard. The bones of this story and the characters are almost identical to what we find in The Bloody Chamber. One can argue that the protagonist, a virginal girl who marries the monstrous Marquis, is a very predictable character. She is, in most ways presented as the typical damsel in distress who marries the rich, mysterious guy, and ultimately needs saving. This is shown time and time again through the Marquis’ dominant nature and his total power over her. EXAMPLE FROM STORY! The Bloody Chamber deals with objectification of women, but the author does give the main character, and the other female characters for that matter, more detail so that they become something other than victims. Additionally, the reader is presented with an actual strong female character. Carter puts a big emphasis on virginity and the importance of this theme is shown throughout several of her stories. In The Bloody Chamber, the protagonist is, in some ways, empowered by her virginity and its “potential”, in spite of its innate innocence. It is her virginity that convinced the Marquis to marry

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