Explain the relationship between power and pornography in Carter's The Bloody Chamber - Essay Example

Power and Pornography in Carter’s “The Bloody Chamber” Roll No: Teacher: 19th June 2009 Power and Pornography in Carter’s “The Bloody Chamber”The Bloody Chamber written by Angela Carter is the story which, indicates towards the issue of masculine power over females and this power is portrayed through pornographic images utilized by the writer. The protagonist of the story is the girl who is married to the Marquis. Marquis is shown as a cruel person who does not believe in any love and is only interested to subjugate his wives by his power.

Marquis is shown as having only a sexual relationship with his wives and after passing sometime with them, he kills them. The girl as his wife is also controlled by Marquis similarly as other women. Marquis subjugates the girl by means of a pornographic linkage.Marquis controls the girl by means of her pornographic image in her own eyes. After reaching Marquis’ bed chamber, the girl sees so many mirrors on the walls. Marquis informs the girl about her inferior status as compared to his own by undressing her.

When the girl after being undressed watches herself in the numerous mirrors, she regards herself as a piece of assessment and no more. When she is being assessed extremely by the Marquis, she considers herself as a lamb chop as she says that he “examined her, limb by limb” and she also considers her confrontation with her husband as “the most pornographic of all confrontations”. Therefore, because of her nudity and pornographic exposure, she regards herself in the power of Marquis with no self will.

The choker that the Marquis asks the girl to continue putting on can also be seen as a tool for controlling the girl. The girl tells, “He made me put on my choker”. She put on the choker while she did not want to as “it was cold as ice and chilled” her. The choker can be seen as a subjugation symbol that is employed by the Marquis. He asked the girl to put it on as he wanted to exercise his full control over her. As far as the pornography in this scene is concerned, it is wholly pornographic.

The choker is a symbol of power that Marquis exercised over the girl by making her put on the choker always. When the Marquis tries to kill the girl, he orders her to be there and informs her that he will kill her. In that scene also, he asks the girl to put on her gems as a symbol of his power over the girl and tears her clothes away and subjugates her in her pornographic imagery.Marquis exercised control over the girl by means of her pornographic images. He maintains his control over her by making her put on the choker that works as a symbol of his power over him while he continues to assess the girl pornographically by making her an object of use.

The story “The Bed Chamber” portrays the relationship between pornography and power by Marquis’ control over the girl.Works CitedCarter, Angela. The Bloody Chamber. London: Vintage, 1979.