“The Bloody Chamber” by Angela Carter Narrative Essay Example

" I saw him watching me (.

..) with an assessing eye" What these exemplar suggest is an atmosphere of tension. The passage builds up tension and it is until the description of the choker of rubies (climax of passage) that the reader can foresee what could happen."I saw him watching me in the gilded mirrors with the assessing eye of a connoisseur inspecting horseflesh, or even of a housewife in the market, inspecting cuts on the slab" this is just an example of how descriptive the passage is. The fact is that it is so descriptive and detailed that it makes the level of tension even higher but it also makes it easier for the reader to understand what the author, Angela Carter, is trying to express.

Although descriptive, it does not slow down the lecture since it combines description with action and interesting words and events.The plot of the prose is the one of the opera mainly; the other places are not specified. For example, the passage reads they were married but it does not say where. The type of prose is narrative since it is narrated. The narrator is the girl herself; this makes the story telling more personal and hence more direct to the reader.

The characters are not personified. The girl, since she is the narrator refers to herself as I, to her fiance as he, and to her mother as mother.This may confuse the reader but the main effect it has is the one that reflects the characters only superficially, and Angela Carter, by giving them no names only emphasizes on their appearances so that the end of the story is

more astonishing. This allows the reader to visualize the characters only superficially and in the end the reader can complete the images he has of every character by their last actions, which reveal who and how they really are like. The relationship of the characters refers back to the theme of communication.The passage is narrated in the past.

The events are a memory of the narrator, hence it is narrated chronologically.Throughout the passage there are several examples of similes, one example of a hyperbole and one of a comparison. An example of a simile: " The whispering crowd in the foyer parted like the Red Sea to let us through" This refers to the Bible, how the waters were divided and the Israelites could go through the sea on dry ground. This reflects back upon her husband's power. Another example would be the description of " A choker of rubies, two inches wide, like an extraordinarily precious slit throat" this suggests how the necklace would attract anyone just as a slit throat would, both are issues that are present in every day life: wealth, for some a reality for others an illusion; and death, that comes anytime and is a theme of conversation among people.

"...The muscles in my neck stuck out like thin wire" This last example suggest her malnutrition, how she led a poor life.

"...Extraordinarily precious.

.." This is an example of a hyperbole, since it is an exaggeration on the description of the choker of rubies. This exaggeration makes the necklace be strong and compact, powerful, heavy to the eyes.She compares her future husband's wealth, " He was as rich as Croesus", to

a king in Greek mythology (Croesus). This conveys the idea she has of her future husband's power.

The words "wound, blood, red, choker of rubies" convey diction that has to do with death. These words help to develop the atmosphere and also help the reader to predict what will happen later on in the story. There is also diction implying luxury, word such as " velvet armchairs, champagne, Poiret dress, silk, white muslin, rubies". The narrator refers to these types of words since it was something opposite to her and again, refers back to her fiance's wealth and power.

There is a contrast between the words " deathly passion" since a passion takes hold of your thoughts; it doesn't take hold of your life. This suggests that now she feels that way, but later on, this " deathly passion" may take hold of her life.The repetition of the "and" word suggests how she was beset with new things and events, also new faces. The color "red" is repeated several times and this evokes the theme of apparent love, since love is not what he wants her for..

he is rather willing to kill her and see her set next to the other wives at the Bloody (blood>red) Chamber. This is also a contrast since red is usually a symbol of love, but here it is a symbol of death, hence the link to the theme.The repetition of the words "I, me, myself, my" are an example of how direct the text is for the reader since it is told from the narrators point of view which makes it more of a personal experience.This passage is vital for the

fairy tale, since it introduces the situation and it introduces the choker of rubies, which is essential for the story.