Tiger's Bride Questions

1. What are ‘the devil’s picture books’?
The devil's picture books is another name for a deck of cards. Named so because gambling was seen as a sin and linked with the devil as well as the extravagant pictures and designs on many decks.

2. What type of language is Carter using when the narrator calls The Beast ‘Milord’?
The narrator is being sarcastic when talking about the master. Carter has created her to be cynical and it highlights the irony the the one place she wants to go to save her father from his gambling addiction is the one placed he must indulge in it.

3. When The Beast gives the girl a white rose. What do white roses symbolise in this collection
and why are they used more than once (also in ‘The Courtship of Mr Lyon’)?
White Rose symbolise the pure and innocent image associated with the perfect woman. In the Tiger's Bride Carter exposes that it is 'unnatural' which was not questioned in The Courtship of Mr Lyon as they focused on its perfect form. However similar to the snow child, the narrator gets pricked by the thorns and let the rose be 'smeared with blood' possibly suggesting her impurity. This could also be a symbol to the father that his objectification of Beauty as a possession he can gamble away makes her suffer.

4. What might be significant about the verb choice ‘fleeced’?
The word 'fleeced' is significant as Carter often refers to her heroines to lambs. In the story the narrator is the lamb who 'must learn to run with tigers'. It also refers back to their social situation where the father 'beggars himself' with gambling. There is also connotations to be covered similar to how the Beast covers his otherness and how Beauty's father is blinded by his own addiction to see how the Beast is playing him.

5. Which fairy tale does ‘gobble you up’ come from and why is it referred to?
The reference is to the Big Bad Wolf in Red Riding Hood and links the story back to its fairy tale roots. The Wolf here is replaced by a Tiger however the predatory nature is constantly referred to through references like this. It could also be a reference to Billy Goats Gruff and the troll under the bridge. At the beginning of the tale he is stopping them from regaining their wealth by insisting on playing cards where he is so obviously cheating. Within the Tiger's Bride it is there to scare the young narrator has while seemingly innocent when taken into the account of the Beast could be used to suggest rape or assault. It is foreboding that something sinister may happen to her when she meets the 'Tiger man' and links to the end where she confronts him and he begins to 'lick' her which, 'ripped off skin' to reveal the tigress.

6. What tells the reader that the inhabitants are not driven by appearances or luxuries?
The narrator points out that 'the beast has brought solitude not luxury with his money' in order to hide his otherness. Later the servant points out that they have 'dispensed with the servants' so no longer have the 'utility and pleasure' but are not at odds without it. These simply things help to isolate the Beast, As for luxuries he offers Beauty a lot of money to see her 'de nuda' as well as gambling, despite cheating, for a 'king's ransom'. These suggest that for the Beast money is not a problem and not really a luxury for him. The only place that appearances matter to the Beast is when he is trying to hide his otherness, his mask is 'too perfect' and he is completely covered from the wig, to the 'chaste silk stock' choker around his neck and his gloves. While this is supposed to cover his true appearance and act as a disguise it is what makes him stand out to Beauty as to her it appears 'two-dimensional'.

7. What is the significance of the fresco ‘where fruit and blossom grew on the bough together’?
The image of a 'wood where fruit and blossom grew on the bough together' inspires thoughts of Eden. This idyllic scene of nature and man in a symbiotic relationship is one that ties into the story as the Tiger cannot find this world in his home and must hide himself behind a 'mask' when with company. The narrator suggests that this scene is too perfect as the 'tiger will never lie down with the lamb' however it is not mythological either and can, with compromise, work as the 'lamb must learn to run with the tigers'. 'Fruit and blossom also seem to connect to women as a sign of beauty and fertility and it suggests it is rare that the two traits most valued in a woman go 'on the bough together'.  On the other side of things the 'fruit' could be symbolic of the fruit of knowledge in the garden of Eden and could be used to forebode the curiosity of the Beast. As it is a fresco and painted into the wall it acts as a constant reminder to the Beast of nature however it could also show an element of control. The Beast is going against nature by living as a man instead of embrace his true self and by trapping nature inside he is exerting his control.

8. What is the description of the soubrette supposed to suggest to the reader?
Carter has used the doll like, soubrette to create an image of the objectification of women and society's ideal view of a woman. The first thing described of the 'maid' is the face, 'rosy cheeks'. 'nut-brown curls' and 'blue, rolling eyes'. These features first give the soubrette a human quality however the narrator is quick to 'recognise her' as a 'clockwork twin' giving the doll a more sinister feeling to it. As the description goes on it reflects society's needs for a woman. She is wearing 'white stockings' and a 'frilled petticoat' and her job is to serve. In one hand she is holding a 'looking glass' and makeup suggesting that appearances are important for a woman. The heroine herself, when indulging in makeup references that she is making herself look more like a doll. Within her heart the 'soubrette' carries 'a musical box' suggesting that woman should sweet and light like music, for example a common simile for a woman's voice is like bells or music. Lastly out of her bodice 'protrudes the handle of a key', the soubrette is under the control of men who wind it up whenever she is needed to perform her duties, A feminist reading of this would say that this demonstrates that women are unable to think and act for themselves. Another view of the soubrette's inhuman qualities and the valet's remark 'nothing human lives here' is a sign of the Beast's otherness and can be traced back in the Courtship of Mr Lyon where the Beast cannot bear to surround himself with those who he differs from.

9. How does the girl compare herself to animals?
The narrator expresses her feelings towards horses, that 'they are better than we are, and in the stables she 'lirruped and hurrumphed' to her horse. This affinity suggests her need to be free but also after seeing how the Beast treats his horses, giving them the 'use of the dining room' and she too wishes for this respect. She also likens herself to a 'lamb' which is a sacrifical symbol and in the end she sacrifices her human nature to be equal with the beast. 

10. In light of the end of this story, analyse the phrase, ‘The tiger will never lie down with the
lamb; he acknowledges no pact that is not reciprocal’.
This suggests that the no matter how much the Tiger wishes he cannot change his nature to 'lie down with the lamb'. In a similar way the Beast couldn't change his nature and be a man, such as in the Courtship of Mr Lyons. Despite his disguises he is not quite human in company and on his own he reverted to his animal nature as he sits 'imprisoned between gnawed and bloody bones'. It can be suggested that in this story it is not just the narrator but the beast also that comes to terms with their animal nature. It is because of his unchanging nature that she must change for him, becoming a tigeress and making their pact reciprocal.