In The Bloody Chamber, it can easily be argued that women are presented as 'trembling victims' at the mercy of 'predatory males'. This can be seen through the presentation of the characters in this story, as both seem to have and follow traditional gothic conventions within their personas, such as weak willed and naïve females (an example of this being Mina from the novel Dracula) and controlling and powerful males (which can be seen in novels such as Wuthering Heights, with the character Heathcliff.) However this is easily challenged by Carters unique presentation and paradox's posed by her characters, perhaps suggesting Carters aim was specifically to challenge the conventions set by original gothic literature.
The narrator of the Bloody chamber can be seen to be a 'trembling victim' due to her young age and her obvious naivety. The narrator refers to her own life before marriage as 'innocent and confined,' suggesting that she had little experience in the world outside her own, adding to her childish innocence. This is strengthened by the quote, 'I was seventeen and knew nothing of the world,' as it also signifies one of her weaknesses, in that she has no knowledge and so can easily be taken advantage of, making her a 'trembling victim'.
The physical characteristics of the narrator also contribute to her being seen as a 'trembling victim,' her small body and typical feminine gothic attributes such as her 'young girls pointed breasts,' link strongly with the idea of fragility and weakness. She is described as 'the frail child,' within her dress and this creates the image of both a physically and mentally inferior or 'trembling,' character, as the reader regards her as immature and childless, thus easy to exert power and dominance over.
Another way in which the female protagonist can be seen to be a 'trembling victim,' similar to those in the original gothic is displayed through her being a possession of the Marquis rather than his wife. An example of this is when he bestows her his wedding gift, 'a choker of rubies,' that 'clasped around my throat,' symbolising not only her fate, but also his ownership over her, as it could represent a collar to show ownerships over a pet. The narrator also states that the a servant smiled when he saw the choker as it provided him with proof that 'I was his masters,' again adding to the idea that she is owned by her husband and so at the mercy of his actions and decisions, contributing to her portrayal as a 'trembling victim.'
It is also clear that the narrator feels trapped and at times victimised by her new marriage, shown through the 'sharp premonition of dread,' that she feels at some of the Marquis advances, and that she states herself to 'always be lonely,' feeling she is exiled from her own world, show by the quotation 'into marriage, into exile,' implying she is trapped and must deal with the Marquis alone, loneliness being a key theme linked with the female victims in original gothic as it signifies that there is no one else to assist her in danger. The dread she feels at the Marquis is indicative of the limited power she has to stop him doing whatever it is he desires, and also illustrates that she does not want his desire forced upon her, meaning she is the 'victim.'
However, it can also be seen that Carter has gone against the conventions of original gothic literature and has depicted her main female protagonist as not a 'trembling victim,' but perhaps a knowledgeable and developing character. This is shown by her gaining information that was intentionally hidden from her, 'I took the forbidden key,' shows her growing defiance towards the demands of her husbands and also indicates that she knew the act she was about to commit would be disobeying her husband, yet she chooses to anyway. Toward the end of the story, the narrator seems to have gained strength and control over her own situation perhaps due to her 'tainted innocence', and she now differs greatly from her earlier personality of the 'trembling victim.' Phrases like, 'fear gave me strength,' and 'I flung back my head defiantly,' show her newfound strength and bravery, which seemingly appears after the loss of her virginity, perhaps symbolising a rebirth of wisdom as she is no longer clueless about the world of marriage and men, due to this she is no longer represented as the 'trembling victim' and contrasts with the typical constraints of the original gothic.
The narrator can also be seen as more of a seductive character than a 'trembling victim,' challenging the original perspective. When the Marquis returns and she is aware of the danger she is in, she states that 'I forced myself to be seductive,' indicating that she now understands his feelings of desire and is aware of new ways to manipulate him, by acting in a seductive/sexual fashion. She then goes on to state that 'he almost failed to resist me,' suggesting that she had become skilled as the seduction act and thus is no longer a 'victim' as she has now gained some power of her own. She also takes on the role of traditional gothic seductress (opposite of the disempowered 'trembling victim') as she shows violent traits when she states, 'if he had come to bed, I would have strangled him,' showing her obvious 'potentiality for corruption,' that she sensed earlier in herself. This could contribute to the argument that she is more of a seductress than a 'trembling victim' as her intended actions are more similar to the common 'femme fatales' seen in original gothic.
A final point that argues women are not presented as 'trembling victims' within The Bloody Chamber is the presentation of the mother figure. She is described as 'eagle featured, indomitable Mother,' who had once before 'shot a man eating tiger with her own hand.' She is recognised by the narrator and thus the readership as a warrior like figure of immense strength and bravery as she comes to her daughters rescue and kills the Marquis, which is contradictory not only to the original Bluebeard tale, (where the damsel is saved by her gang of heroic brothers) but also to the generic gothic forms which depict women as powerless and simple-minded.
Within this story, there is certainly a clear presentation of men as 'predatory,' common to the original gothic, displayed most distinctly by the Marquis, the male character who pursues the female protagonist. The description of his characteristics and personality attributes to this. His head shape is described as 'leonine,' which males him seem bestial and threatening, and his 'carnal avarice,' directed towards her depicts him as predatory, due to the harsh yet sexual nature of his glances towards her. Also significant to this point is his ambiguous statement or quote from Little Red Riding Hood, 'all the better to see you,' likening himself to the predatory character of the wolf within the tale, indicating his avaricious and rapacious intentions towards his new bride. The narrator displays fear when faced with his 'strange, heavy, almost waxen face,' which portrays his as unnatural and different instilling fear. The narrator shows reluctance and great anxiety when he 'ran his tongue over his red lips,' as this threatening and 'predatory' motion has connotations of blood and sexual violence, suggesting harm may come to her through his advances.
The Marquis is also displayed as a 'predatory male,' through his age, him being 'much older,' and the way that he treats her much more like a possession than he does a wife, signified by the way he makes his wife 'put on the choker,' which can be seen to act as a means of control over her. Predators are named so as they 'feed' off of those who are weaker and lower that them, which is an easily recognised metaphor for the relationship between the Marquis and his bride. He is older, bigger, more experienced, and more socially powerful than her which arguably makes him the predator and his bride the selected prey.
The fact that the Marquis has had previous wives, or prey, adds to the idea of him being a 'predatory male,' as he has already been married 3 times previously to the narrator who has been 'invited to join his gallery of beautiful women,' heavily suggesting that he had a certain type of prey, i.e. beautiful women, this is typical as 'predatory males' in original gothic generally pursued women like this. Adding to this point is the use of the 'choker of rubies,' that 'every bride that came to the castle wore,' indicating his predatory hold over all women that he has had relationships with.
However, a strong point that argues against Carter using the conventional character of the gothic 'predatory male,' is that at some points within the text the Marquis is shown to be kind or 'tender' towards his bride. An example of this
