The Intersection of Class and Gender in "The Bloody Chamber"

“This ring, the bloody bandage of rubies, the wardrobe of clothes from Poiret and Worth, his scent of Russian Leather—all had conspired to seduce me so utterly that I could not say I felt one single twinge of regret for the world of tartines and maman that now receded from me as if draw  away on a string, like a child’s toy, as the train began to throb again as if in delighted anticipation of the distance it would take me.” (12)

This passage in particular points out a significant theme that I also noticed when reading “Bluebeard” and “The Grey Woman.” The women are all lured into marriage on the basis of wealth and material objects. In each story, quite a bit of time is spent describing luxury items and the women’s fascination with them. However, I do not think it’s accurate to say they are simply marrying for money; rather, there is a larger underlying issue here. The intersection of class and gender essentially leave the women with no choice. As a woman, social mobility would have been near impossible without marrying. In “The Bloody Chamber,” the narrator never confirms she wants to marry him, but doing so will “banish the spectre of poverty from its habitual place at [their] meager table” (7). Marriage, then, is a sort of economic necessity for these women. That they are exposed to such monstrosity after provides a larger commentary on the patriarchal society they must interact with.