Comparative Essay: “the Wedding Gift” and “the Company of Wolves”
Comparative Essay: “The Wedding Gift” and “The Company of Wolves”
In “The Wedding Gift” and The Company of Wolves”, both authors use young females that appear submissive but in reality, both main characters are independent girls, especially considering the time era they are from. Through “The Wedding Gift” and “The Company of Wolves”, Thomas H. Raddall and Angela Carter demonstrate the importance of being independent to achieve happiness through the elements symbolism, location and character.
The use of symbolism is evident in both stories. In “The Company of Wolves”, people who rely on others dies. For example, the wolves attack a man who relies on a higher power and “sing[s] to Jesus all day” and a domestic housewife that relies on her husband (Carter 1). When Kezia rides the horse, she starts off in a womanly fashion, and “as soon as she was out of the preacher’s sight she [rusks] her skirts and [slides] a leg over to the other stirrup” (Raddall 15). This action represents that she is abandoning the character that Mr. and Mrs. Barclay created for her. Red claims her own identity by “[taking] off her scarlet shawl”(Carter 6). The red shawl was given to her by her grandmother, and the moment she “[bundles] up her shawl and [throws] it on the blaze”, she throws away the identity and expectations that her family has for her, and her past (Carter 6). In “The Wedding Gift”, Kezia “[flings the tinderbox] into the woods and [walks] on” (Raddall 25). The tinderbox is a gift from Mr. Barclay to Mr. Hathaway and by throwing it away, she is no longer associated with him, and gains freedom. Both Red and Kezia relieve their pressure by throwing away who they once where and gain a new identity.
Location plays an important part in showing that independence is crucial. Red is headed towards her grandmother’s house, which is “a little way out of the village” (Carter 4). In a secluded area, nobody is able to miraculously save her, so she must be able to find a way to save
In “The Wedding Gift” and The Company of Wolves”, both authors use young females that appear submissive but in reality, both main characters are independent girls, especially considering the time era they are from. Through “The Wedding Gift” and “The Company of Wolves”, Thomas H. Raddall and Angela Carter demonstrate the importance of being independent to achieve happiness through the elements symbolism, location and character.
The use of symbolism is evident in both stories. In “The Company of Wolves”, people who rely on others dies. For example, the wolves attack a man who relies on a higher power and “sing[s] to Jesus all day” and a domestic housewife that relies on her husband (Carter 1). When Kezia rides the horse, she starts off in a womanly fashion, and “as soon as she was out of the preacher’s sight she [rusks] her skirts and [slides] a leg over to the other stirrup” (Raddall 15). This action represents that she is abandoning the character that Mr. and Mrs. Barclay created for her. Red claims her own identity by “[taking] off her scarlet shawl”(Carter 6). The red shawl was given to her by her grandmother, and the moment she “[bundles] up her shawl and [throws] it on the blaze”, she throws away the identity and expectations that her family has for her, and her past (Carter 6). In “The Wedding Gift”, Kezia “[flings the tinderbox] into the woods and [walks] on” (Raddall 25). The tinderbox is a gift from Mr. Barclay to Mr. Hathaway and by throwing it away, she is no longer associated with him, and gains freedom. Both Red and Kezia relieve their pressure by throwing away who they once where and gain a new identity.
Location plays an important part in showing that independence is crucial. Red is headed towards her grandmother’s house, which is “a little way out of the village” (Carter 4). In a secluded area, nobody is able to miraculously save her, so she must be able to find a way to save
Cited: Carter, Angela. “The Company of Wolves”. The Bloody Chamber. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. Raddall, Thomas H. “The Wedding Gift”. The New Oxford Book of Canadian Short Stories in English. Eds. Margaret Atwood and Robert Weaver. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1997, 14-25.