The Snow Child

Note the number of words in these opening few lines - heavily descriptive language, rich in colour and vivacity, but also highly symbolic. The story is essentially about colour and the three colours so far indicated are the colours that inspire the creation of the snow child. Colour symbolism has been used throughout 'The Bloody Chamber' - red is regularly associated in the text with blood, and is one of the ways Carter attempts to establish a gothic style in the text.

Note the post-modifiers here - the first creates a sense of strength and power; the second of purity. They are suggestive of almost human qualities that Midwinter possesses.

Midwinter--invincible, immaculate. The Count and his wife go riding, he on a grey mare and she on a black one, she wrapped in the glittering pelts of black foxes; and she wore high, black, shining boots with scarlet heels, and spurs. Fresh snow fell on snow already fallen; when it ceased, the whole world was white. 'I wish I had a girl as white as snow,' says the Count. They ride on. They come to a hole in the snow; this hole is filled with blood. He says: 'I wish I had a girl as red as blood.' So they ride on again; here is a raven, perched on a bare bough. 'I wish I had a girl as black as that bird's feather.' As soon as he completed her description, there she stood, beside the road, white skin, red mouth, black hair and stark nake she d; was the child of his desire and the Countess hated her. The Count lifted her up and sat her in front of him on his saddle but the Countess had only one thought: how shall I be rid of her? Female jealousy is The inspiration for the creation of the Snow Child comes demonstrated here The raven is, now, seen as a symbol of evil. Edgar from three sources with the use of three similes but this jealousy Allen Poe's famous gothic poem 'The Raven' casts a whiteness, that symbolises purity; red, that symbolises reflects male raven as a villaneous tormenting demon. Since that blood (death/violence); black, that symbolises darkness objectification of time, ravens have tended to be associated with (evil). It is suggestive of the tragic existence of the Snow women. Men, 'creatures of the night' and demonic influences and Child and, particularly if we see the blood as symbolic of particularly in gothic is a trope of gothic literature. the breaking of virginity, the rape at the end of story. texts, have a tendency to objectify women as Patriarchal society has a tendency to cause gender sexual objects. Consider here transgressive relationships - Carter subverts competitiveness. As a reader we may initially think Although, hatred is not the relationship between man and woman by making the the Countess' reaction is harsh, but understandable. a desirable emotion, object of the Count's desire a child. The paedophilic But it is the Count unreasonable treatment of his as readers we can connotations here are suggestive of Carter's blending of wife that we should question. understand the genre - mixing the girl of the fairy-tale, gothic elements of Countess' reaction. sexual desire and violence, and the pornographic portrayal of (usually male) sexual fantasy.