The Bloody Chamber- uh, about the bloody chamber

So I suppose the thing about this section that most captured my imagination (that's a bit of a stretch, but anyways) is the part where the narrator discovers the bloody chamber itself. Her discovery is opened by a quote from her husband's favorite poet- "There is a striking resemblance between the act of love and the ministrations of a torturer", which seems to suggest that the bloody chamber is an extension of the bed chamber. Furthermore, he has the position of a torturer in both worlds; that of his public image (his mask) and that of his true self which he takes great depths in order to hide. As a 'torturer' he is able to maintain dominance through inflicting pain, an in the bed chamber this 'pain' can be seen as the dishevelment of his young wife's virginity.

This room is described as his 'soul' so it is a reflection of his true self. It is dark, indicating this secret has to be hidden, but it is within the confines of the castle walls (although it has to be reached by a long, winding corridor) so it is still in his 'territory'- it is simply out of the way and is (normally) only accessed by the husband. The "absolute darkness" of the chamber is juxtaposed by the actions of the wife in switching on every light in the castle, which alleviates some of her fear. This may represent the contrast between her world and his, that she welcomes daylight and wants to see everything, while he wants to hide his true self in the dark recesses of his world of the castle.