Summary Of Challenging Bluebeard's Egg By Elsa Giuliana

In Elisa Guiliana’s scholarly article “Challenging Bluebeard: ‘Bluebeard’s Egg’ (1983), The Piano (1993) and Barbe Bleue (2009)”, she aimed to analyze and prove how the authors of the listed works used the traditional Bluebeard tale in their own way to challenge .the presentation of femininity and women as .“passive objects of agency” (Guiliana 1) and curiosity as a vice of women that led to subsequent misbehavior. She concentrates on three characteristics of the stories: Bluebeard and his wife, the secret chamber, and the key. Overall, Guiliana is successful in confronting the representation of these traits and how the authors apply progressive traits to their female protagonists. However, her analysis is incomplete and certain interpretations

husband’s secret affair. However, as Sally lies in bed, she sees her heart as “black and white, beating with that insubstantial moth-like flutter” (Atwood 178) of nervousness. Then she sees the egg, which she fears as she watches it pulse. “Sally thinks: the egg is alive, and one day it will hatch. But what will come out of it?” (Atwood 178). Instead of feeling clarity and relief, she is rather unsure and worried. She fears that the egg, as a representation of her heart, will not hatch what she wants. What will become of her relationship with Ed? Will she give up passivity and confront him or remain a victim of her own mind forever?

muteness” (Giuliana 3) and force them to “reveal their real nature” (Giuliana 3). She concluded that this shows the reversal of the patriarchy in the way that Ada had a spellbinding .hold around the men, emotionally, mentally, and sexually. However, evidence can also suggest that the patriarchy also tears her down from her empowered position. Stewart chops off her finger, thing that allows her to play the piano, thus severing her connection with the piano and feminine sexual appeal. With this, all her power that she had held over the men as well as her voice are gone. The patriarchy has silenced Ada in all aspects. She is only able to regain her femininity after reuniting with Baines in the last scene, where we see her wearing white (opposed to the black that she wore throughout the movie) and has a metal finger. The metal finger, as an unnatural, cold, hard, element (masculine qualities) allow Ada to regain her femininity. Baines, as a patriarchal figure, restores her femininity by uniting Ada and her daughter, and creating the family