Carter’s stories merely perpetuate representations of helpless women rather than challenging them. In light of this comment, consider Carter’s presentation of women in at least two of the stories.

Angela Carters stories, though often short, continue to explore the role of women and both their societal place and their victimisation. Whilst many critics believe Carter’s female characters are solely victims or “helpless” it could be argued in fact, through Carter’s complex language and developed narratives, she challenges this notion and presents females as not just a lamb but rather with “tigerish” qualities (Margaret Atwood). The Bloody Chamber at first glance, could epitomise a helpless woman as she is not only the victim of her own naivety and curiosity but also at the mercy of her dominant husband. However Carter’s deliberate use of language and characterisation could signify her intent to portray different aspects of a woman to both conform and subvert representations. The Lady of the House of Love takes a multifaceted stance on this issue as Carter portrays an animalistic, rapacious woman who is in fact much a victim of her own prerequisite as a vampire, she must feed to stay alive, yet it could be argued as a female, she must love to be truly living. Carter’s female characters in both short stories may not be “merely” Gothic representations of helpless women but rather a presentation of the complexity of being female in a patriarchal society and finding equilibrium between femininity and strength.

With a “tender” young girl and an “eagle-featured, indomitable” Mother, it seems Carter presents both the lamb and the tiger attributes of women as separate entities through two characters, suggesting perhaps a woman can only adopt one or the other. They may not be perpetually helpless but perhaps in assuming dominance or “change from lamb to tiger” (Atwood), lose or “divest” their femininity. However Carter’s use of soft language when describing the mother “a legacy of tears” suggests that despite challenging stereotypes of helpless women by depicting a woman gallant enough to shoot a “man eating tiger” she has not lost her femininity or discarded all aspects of vulnerability. She still encompasses maternal emotions and grief - conventional female traits - amongst strength and pride. This suggests women can retain their femininity whilst controlling their circumstances and not fall to being prey but rather become the predator. Carter’s adaptation of a fairytale has also not lost its conventions, as her list of three gifts left behind for the Mother in her husband’s passing “tears…medals…revolver” similar to that of Sleeping Beauty, could symbolize the three attributes she feels women are blessed with such as emotion, pride and strength. This suggests through her fairytale form and use of conventions she is reinforcing the notion that women can be both vulnerable and brave, challenging rather than perpetuating the common representation of women.

Helplessness, it could be argued is a consequence of ignorance. This could be highlighted by the opening passage of The Bloody Chamber “unguessable country of marriage” portrays Carter’s female narrator and protagonist as ignorant of not only sexual experience but of what awaits her when she crosses the border between “girlhood” to marriage. The idea of the liminal state and being on the threshold is a prominent Gothic concept; the use of “country” enhances this idea of her crossing the border from her innocent, helpless position to the “potentiality for corruption”. It seems she is not aware of her future and therefore portrayed as helpless. However the deterministic nature of “my destiny” suggests in fact she is more aware of her situation and in control. She firmly chooses to “marry him” and it could be argued has consequently crossed this margin into the realms of the unknown, suggesting the vulnerability that ensues is self-inflicted. The fact that she chooses to marry a man she barely knows who has uncertainty surrounding him could imply she is not helpless as she has made the decision it has not been forced upon her. However because of this decision she later becomes exposed to danger and at the mercy of her husband therefore making her helpless.  Carter, through the use of the Gothic convention of the liminal, has placed her character in a position of perpetual helplessness as she crosses the boundary into the unknown becoming unaware of her situation. This could imply if women cross their stereotype or what they know and attain dominance or “tigerish” attributes they will become helpless as they are ignorant to the issue power involves and move “away” from security.

The Lady of the House of Love portrays a woman trapped in the body of a monstrous Vampire symbolised by her caged bird, she is unable to be free of her need to feed on men. Carter states “her beauty is a deformity” suggesting she is a victim within her own body and therefore helpless to the condition she endures. It could be argued on the surface The Lady of the House of Love subverts the representation of women as helpless as she preys on men, devouring them and using their corpses as fertiliser for her roses. This portrays a predatory and sinister female who challenges this representation as she is in control,  a role reversal occurs as males are the victims. However it could be disputed that in fact Carters female in this story is the greatest victim of all her characters as she is helpless to stop herself, she is almost in battle with herself.

Carter also depicts a helpless female in The Lady of the House of Love as her female character cannot help but fall in love with the Englishman on his bicycle; she is helpless to the power of love causing her ultimate death. However interestingly, Carter portrays the male as a victim and it could be argued as a stereotypical representation of a female Gothic victim. He is a virginal man with “blond hair” much similar to Marquis de Sade’s “Julie”, the man is a typical portrait of a victim, leading us to believe his female counterpart is in fact not helpless but rather he is. Carter’s use of the supernatural aids her portrayal of a helpless woman as once the Countess becomes human in the end of the story and becomes a real female rather than a fantasy Vampire, she dies. This could imply in giving in to love a woman cannot retain her predatory features or her dominance, by succumbing to a males love she becomes vulnerable and discards her strength, suggesting in reality women become helpless when they are corrupted by a man. This creates a further complexity as the male now becomes a villain as opposed to the victim he depicted in the beginning of the story, as he causes the Countess’s death. She becomes powerless as he becomes the villain suggesting equality in power between the genders is difficult to achieve, as with the natural world, there must always be a prey and a predator.

To suggest that Carter’s stories “merely perpetuate representations of helpless women” would be to undermine the many layers of Carter’s short stories. They do not “merely” achieve one representation of women but rather explore different attributes of both women and men by adapting various fairytales. By giving her female characters femininity and power in this fairytale form it suggests that the representations of females is “merely” a social construct instilled in us from childhood as we are read fairytales that depict such helplessness in women. Carter’s adaptations may try to challenge that gender is a social construct and showcase the reality of female ability and strength. By utilizing the Gothic genre she adds sexuality and vigor to the female gender, portraying the modern woman as versatile, encompassing emotion, honour and dominance.