Friday 16 March 2012

Wealth/loneliness in 'The Tiger's Bride'

So we're supposed to write about something interesting in 'The Tiger's Bride'. For me, one interesting element is the association of the Beast's loneliness with his wealth. He "bought solitude, not luxury, with his money", indicating that for him wealth is not something that can be compared to material beauty. Rather than providing for a large number of human guests that could be accommodated with his money, he instead opens up his dining room to be used by horses. He seems to find company in nature, as he covers up portraits whilst leaving the frescoes which are reminiscent of Paradise where animals are equal to men (and of course where the lion lies down with the lamb).

Therefore, it is clear that nature matters to the Beast much more so than his material possessions. He doesn't have any human servants, preferring to employ clockwork maids and his monkey manservant. Distancing himself from the human world is, ironically, achieved through his wealth enabling him to have the "megalomaniac citadel of his palazzo" but he doesn't enjoy any of the comfort this brings and resides in his "eyrie" with a "small fire in a small grate". For the Beast, wealth is associated with human contact so he avoids the visible signs as much as possible. This way, he can separate humanity from nature, which is regarded as 'true beauty'- seen as Beauty's human skin is turned into "a nascent patina of shining hairs".

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