The Tiger's Bride- A3 Questions.

Who has the Power in this Text and who is Disempowered? What is the Source of Power within the Text?
It is the Beast who controls the Power within this Text, as he can do with as he wishes with his newly acquired 'possession'. This is due to the Beast's Stereotype being one of Fear/ Dread as he is portrayed as more Powerful than a Woman, as the Source of Power within this Text could be believed to be Self-Realisation, as the Beast knows that a Beast is exactly what he is- whereas it is not until the Final Paragraph where Beauty transforms into a Tigress therefore exposing her true self. As until this Stage Beauty is alienated, as the Automaton allows Beauty to view herself as inferior to what she should be- as the Automaton is there to symbolise the idea that as Society constantly develops it is hard to keep up with the continuous improvement, meaning as Beauty becomes a Tigress it is the Self-Realisation of Beauty that makes her content with being as she truly is, as she peels back the layers that Society has uncontrollably placed upon her.





How far does the Text present a struggle for Power between different Social Classes?
The Text portrays the fact that it is hard to become something that you may not be, this may be due to the Superstructure of Society that does not allow movement between the Classes- as the Lower Classes are Disempowered to the extent they have no option but to risk all in order to gain what they desire, which is most cases is Wealth. This is shown through Beauty's Opening Line of " MY FATHER LOST me to The Beast at cards"- as the only way in which the Proletariat can become the Bourgeoisie is through blind-luck, as the idea of Economic Determinism is simply an idealist view of the Lower Classes.





To what extent are the choices Character's make in the Text 'free' or 'determined'?
It could be suggested from a Marxist perspective that all actions that Character's take within 'The Tiger's Bride' are pre-determined by the Society in which they are part of. As the Father of Beauty is disempowered within Society to the extent he must risk all to become a Man which he is not, this means that despite the fact it is Beauty's Father's free will to Gamble his Money away- it is Society that makes him choose this this option as if he does not then he can never give the Life to his Daughter that she deserves- meaning that if he cannot give her this Life himself then she is better off without him.



In what ways do Character's in the Text seem to be locked into Social Roles - and does the Text Question the fairness of this?
In this Text all Character's do seem to be locked into a Social Role that has been created for them by Society, as the Beast is a Beast in Society's View. The fact that the Character's are locked into these Role's is portrayed through the fact that Beauty's Father must Win his Wealth instead of Earn it, as it is impossible for each Character to develop within Society- as there is the Superstructure within Society that means it is impossible for anybody to move past their Class. The Character's are too shown to be forced into their Social Role's through the fact that Beauty cannot change until she is taken away from the Materialistic Society in which she lives and moved into the Beast's Castle, as it is easier here for the Beast to show Beauty how she is controlled by the Society in which she Lives- until the Stage whereby she is able to transform into her Natural Self as a Tigress, meaning that until a Person is taken away from their Position in Society they are unable to see the way in which they are controlled into decisions by the Structure of Society.





How are different Social Classes presented in the Text - and why?
Different Social Classes are presented differently within the Text- as the Beast although a Higher Social Class is shown to be less obsessed with Materialistic Views of the Lower Classes in Society. This may be Carter attempting to represent the idea that the struggle that the Lower Classes go through in order to reach the heights of Society is in a sense a waste of time- as the Materialism that a Person seeks is not all to Life, as those who have the Power to own whatever they want soon find that what they have is tedious so therefore attempt to find more and more as Society must constantly improve. This is shown through the Automaton, as this symbolises the fact that Society must constantly develop in order to satisfy the needs of those who control it- but that those such as the Beast that are at the height of Society understand that once you are in the position of Power it is not necessarily over, as there is like Society always a continuous improvement to be made.





To what extent is one Social Class exploited by another, resulting in alienation?
It is shown within 'The Tiger's Bride' that the Proletariat are in many senses exploited by the Bourgeoisie as they are made to believe that the higher you are in the Social Structure the better your Life will become- which means that those Lower Classes will work harder in order to get where they want to be, despite the Base of Society making it impossible for the Structure to truly change. This results in alienation as it makes the Lower Classes feel left out of the Society they want to be in, as hard work seems to get People nowhere- therefore it in a sense creates two alternate Societies whereby there is a constant struggle to get into the higher class, as it is perceived as a better Life for those in it.





To what extent are Character's reified?
Within 'The Tiger's Bride' Characters are treated as if they are 'possessions' as Beauty can be Won/ Lost at Cards like Wealth- suggesting that every Person has a value to someone that can be exchanged for Money etc. It is suggested that Character's are reified in order to show the extent to which Materialism plays a Role in Society as in order to succeed it is viewed that risks need to be taken- but that the risks taken outweigh the rewards, but Beauty's Father cannot see this as he is blinded by Society and his overwhelming ambition to move up in an unwinnable Social Structure.