The heroine from the story “The Bloody Chamber” by Angela Carter perceives herself as a sacrifice for her family to get out of poverty. She sees herself as an innocent person who is trying to help herself and her family live a healthy life. To achieve this, she marries a man who she does not love but is rich and can help her. “‘Are you sure you love him? ‘I’m sure I want to marry him,’ I said.” (Carter, 1993) Perhaps her mother perceives the heroine as a sacrifice too, because she was married to a man who died in a war and was left alone in poverty with a child, and the heroine decided to get married partially to get her mother out of poverty too. Therefore, she perceived her daughter as a sacrifice not only for her own wealth, but for her mother’s as well.
Angela Carter is trying to convince the reader to see the heroine this way too. Though, she does not seem that innocent from the perspective of exploiting somebody as a source of wealth, as such actions are against morals in any case. On the other hand, it is not difficult to understand her as there seems to be no other way to deal with her situation. In the time she lived, it was not possible for a usual woman to find a different way of living, especially if there was a second member in a family in the same situation.
Marquis sees himself as a noble and wealthy man, which in his opinion, allows him to do whatever he wants to whoever he wants. “His forefathers had ruled this coast for eight centuries, from this castle whose moat was the Atlantic. Might not the police, the advocates, even the judge, all be in his service, turning a common blind eye to his vices since he was milord whose word must be obeyed?” (Carter, 1993) The violent Marquis marries the heroine, He is the wealthiest person in France, a massive, bearded lord who has a collection of sadistic pornographic materials and murdered his three previous wives in his coastal castle’s bloody chamber, which the heroine will discover later. He believes that he will avoid getting punished for whatever he does, and it has been so for a long time. The heroine perceives Marquis as a beast and a terrible, sadistic and disgusting person, and her emotions related to him develop into fear and disgust over the course of the story.
Marquis perceived the heroine primarily out of her appearance, virginity and innocence that he wanted to take from her. He did not see her as a person, yet another toy for himself to have fun with. Perhaps, the word ‘take’ is not the best one to describe what he was trying to do. His actions are more similar to humiliation and attempt to destroy and dominate the heroine as a personality. He expresses lust towards her not only in the way he sets up their intercourse trying to assert his dominance. He calls her, talks to her, and interacts with her in any other way doing, showing this attitude as well. He attempts to decapitate her after she discovers the Marquis’ torture room, but she is spared by her mother.
The main conflict in their interactions can be seen almost every time they talk or do something together. The only aspect that unites them is their perception of each other as a source to fulfill their needs. The heroine seeks fulfillment of her financial and material needs in Marquis, whereas he sees her as an object to be exposed to his sadistic tendencies. Marquis seems to have a generally similar concept of the heroine as a person to her own. “‘My little nun has found the prayerbooks, has she?’ he demanded, with a curious mixture of mockery and relish; then, seeing my painful, furious bewilderment, he laughed at me aloud, snatched the book from my hands and put it down on the sofa.” (Carter, 1993) He understands her innocence, yet he wants to take it from her in the worst way possible, whereas she is trying to keep it, along with her dignity.
In conclusion, most characters perceive the heroine as a victim of the circumstances and a sacrifice for a better life for her and her mother. Marquis perceives her differently, he sees her as an innocent person who he wants to humiliate and treat her in any way he wants to. The conflict that occurs because of this is not to be resolved as Marquis is eventually killed by the heroine’s mother, who was saving her. Though, it did not seem to be resolved even under different conditions, as the characters were not looking for better conditions in their relationships. They were seeking to fulfill their needs through each other.
Reference
Carter, A. (1993). The Bloody Chamber And Other Stories. Penguin Group.