Women's Self-awareness Establishment Written by Angela Cater—A Case Study of Mirror Effect in The Bloody Chamber

摘要

The Bloody Chamber is the most famous and critical masterpiece by Angela Cater. According to the writer Marina War-ner,"it's about desire and its destruction, the self-immolation of women, how women collude and connive with their condition of enslavement."Feminism in Angela Cater's view may seem extremely radical at first glance, especially in such an unorthodox Gothic tale filled with blood, murders and sexuality. However, beneath the surface conceal rational reflections on the irrational"fe-male mythology, which is the result ofa long-term ideological indoctrination in the patriarchal society. Many women try to find their identity in this patriarchy centered social norms and regard men's affirmation as the source of happiness. They have built their self-awareness unconsciously catering to males'needs.This article is going to demonstrate another pattern of women's self-aware-ness establishment process in Angela Cater 's conception, via analyzing the functions of a kind of specific symbols in the story—mirrors, which reflect the expected female images through different perspectives.