Carter's prominent male character in 'The Bloody Chamber' takes the form of the sadistic, "weighted" and powerful Marquis. His "dark mane" and "leonine" qualities highlight the animalistic, preditorial nature of his character. His seduction of our protagonist resembles a hunter stalking it's prey as he would "creep up" behind her.
The extent of the Marquis' power is shown through his exercising of control over his new, young wife. He can order her to wear the clothes he wishes her to wear, and by procrastinating bedding her, with no regard for her desires hints at a controlling sadism. If we consider the 1970's feminist discussion of the notion of the 'male-gaze', which depicts the aesthetic objectification of women as merely sexual, we can see how the marquis conforms to this notion. He "inspects" and "assesses", and she catches him looking at her with lust, illuminating his tendency to objectify her. Even the chauffeur "eyed" her, reinforcing that she is constantly judged through the "male-gaze".
In contrast, the piano-tuner is prevented from looking at women in the way that the 'normal' sighted man sees her. His blindness is at once symbol of his weakness and the possibility of a non-threatening relationship, one not based on selfish, primarily visual gratification for the man alone, as seen in her relationship with the Marquis. She later refers the the piano-tuner as her "lover", yet they have not shared any sexual experiences, highlighting that he symbolise a loving relationship can form without sexual objectification, as with the Marquis.
The piano-tuner in other forms is the antithesis to the Marquis. The latter is cruel, voyeuristic and blasphemous; the piano-tuner is gentle, blind and trained in his trade by a 'good priest'. It is significant that later on in the story, his gentle manner provokes a far greater reaction in her that the violent Marquis. In a romantic interlude, she faints, suggesting Carter is championing the gentle manner of men, while condemning the controlling, patriarchal tendency embodied by the Marquis.
The piano-tuner is identified with the natural order of the world; he is a natural man, speaking with the "rhythms" of the land and sea. Contrastingly, the Marquis with his "grotesque", "waxen" face, "deathly" composure and calm detachment project inhuman and unnatural characteristics. This portrayal of the two men in 'The Bloody Chamber' explicitly show Carter's perception of men, and which one she considers to be preferable.
Lovely blog you put mine to shame :)
ReplyDeleteWhat does this mean though.."for her desires hints at a controlling sadism" Do you mean her desires to not have sex?/loose her purity? Because if you do in some parts I would argue that she does want him and is disappointed when he does not pursue her sexual desire further.
Also I don't believe that the Piano Tuners blindness is a symbol of weakness, I think it to be more of a strength in a more positive light. He becomes his own person more and defies the social norm - he is more tentative and lovable and in this way perhaps even more desirable for a woman?..hmmmm
I agree with Hannah that she does seem to desire sex as the language that she uses suggests that she feels contrained almost by her virginity and lack of experience.
ReplyDeleteAgain I agree that the piano tuner's blindness, though seen as a weakness by other men, may be seen as a strength by women as unlike other men he 'sees' her for her personality rather than her looks.