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How The Bloody Chamber and Dracula presents female sexuality NEA (FULL MARKS 50/50)
Full mark NEA on Female sexuality in Dracula and The Bloody Chambers
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Rukhsar Yazmin final draftempowered by her maternal nature and disgust of transgression, leads not to her downfall but
instead keeps her alive both physically and socially within the Victorian society, as “Stoker's women
fall into two classes, victims and survivors” David Gates (1976).
Similarly, Carter presents the sexual autonomy of her female heroines, however, instead of this
autonomy leading to their ruin, it empowers and frees them. Carter presents these heroines actions
of sexuality and expression to be empowering rather than to be viewed as transgressive and
immoral, pushing away the norms of the initial fairy tales. This is evident in the ‘Tiger Bride’ a
reinvention of the story ‘Beauty and the beast’. The heroine freely removes her clothes, and she
states “I felt I was at liberty for the first time in my life”, conveying that her femininity was used as a
mask to prevent her from rebelling, but now the removal of that mask has meant she feels
empowered in allowing the metaphorical ‘beast’ within herself to be free. This idea conveys that
female sexuality is often forced to be repressed within women, and that often women having agency
over their desires makes society vilify them despite the women being liberated. This is seen through
the metamorphosis of Beauty, as the Beast “ripped off skin after successive skin” with his tongue to
reveal her “beautiful fur”. The metaphorical and literal unmasking of the characters symbolises the
destruction of these rigid norms and ultimately makes both characters, ‘Beauty’ and ‘Beast’, equals.
Within this story, Carter presents the catalyst for transformation to be female sexuality and desire.
This is seen in the symbol of the rose she gives to her father which is representative of her virginity
which at that point remains intact and is considered pure and beautiful; but when it becomes
“smeared with blood’, it foreshadows the impending transformation of her character and her loss of
virginity, which ultimately breaks the patriarchal hold over her and her sexuality.
Additionally, Carter also presents female empowerment and the embracing of female sexuality
through ‘The Company of Wolves’. The altered version of Little Red Riding Hood depicts Carter’s
ideal that in order to survival women mustn’t unwillingly succumb but instead give in by embracing
and being in control of their own sexuality. This is presented through the line, ‘since her fear did her
no good, she ceased to be afraid’, conveying a tone of acceptance and empowerment. Perhaps,
Carter is encouraging women to not fear their desires as society says but rather yield to them. This is
reaffirmed in the line of ‘she didn’t flinch’ as she knows she is ‘nobody’s meat’, insinuating she will
give him what he desires, but on her own terms, a binary opposite to the heroine in The Bloody
Chamber, who is objectified as a ‘lamp chop’. The heroine knows she will not be hurt because she
has taken full control of her body and uses her sexuality in order to defend herself. “See! Sweet and
sound she sleeps in granny’s bed, between the paws of the tender wolf” conveying she has relied on
herself and her own desires to save her, rather than letting herself be consumed by fear of the
‘Wolf’.
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