Essay- Angela Carter's Magical Portrayal of the Female's Journey to Freedom

In the late 1960's, a wave of feminism was sweeping the world. In the United States, several women's rights groups were campaigning for equal rights with men (according to Information Database). Their ideas slowly began showing up in other regions of the world, and eventually, most of the female population was demanding independence and equal treatment. Their quest for equality, though perilous, eventually led these strong-willed women to defy what had previously been accepted as a social norm. They broke free from their repressed roles in the home, disregarded the previously-accepted superiority of men, and developed their own opinions on what was acceptable, and what was not.

            Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus is the tale of the evolution of a woman, Sophie Fevvers, who denies the norms of females in her society. Carter uses Fevvers' independence to portray a very feminist perspective on society. In Fevvers' story, she "creates a discursive space that poses a threat to the security of a male-dominated society organized according to false categorical distinctions which are supported through oppression and exclusion" (Nikandam). While the male characters in the novel take on the over-powering, suppressive role, the women break free from this suppression in order to become the strong, independent women they want to be. Symbolism and metaphors allow the novel to portray a magical-realistic atmosphere, through the uncertainty and manipulation of time, as well as the uncertainty of Fevvers herself; is she fact or fiction? This bildungsroman shows her journey to discover the answer to that question, but her search leads her much deeper than that. As her journey progresses, she comes to answer the question that has followed her throughout her travels; who is the true woman beneath the feathers?

This journey to independence is also seen in Carter's The Magic Toyshop, wherein a fifteen-year-old girl, Melanie, loses her parents, and she and her two younger siblings move in with their unfamiliar uncle, his wife, and her two brothers (Finn and Francie). Melanie, along with the rest of the household, finds her uncle to be very controlling and overbearing; to such a point, even, that nobody in the house is truly capable of becoming the person that they want to become until Uncle Phillip's power is eliminated. Melanie's journey to break free from this power, much like Fevvers' journey, is told through the use of symbols and the creation of a magical realist setting. She soon discovers that, in order to achieve the mature and independent life that she desires, she must shed her coat of innocence and escape from the power held over her.  In both of these fairytale-esque stories, Angela Carter develops strong female characters through the use of influential minor characters, symbolism and a magical-realist approach to non-traditional gender roles.

Fevvers’ development of personality began in her childhood, and Carter uses Fevvers’ background as one source of reason behind her need for independence and feminine freedom. Fevvers didn't grow up with a father figure. In fact, most of her childhood was spent completely around females. "I was reared by these kind women as if I was the common daughter of half-a-dozen mothers," (Carter 21). Of these many female parental figures, Lizzie is probably the most influential on Fevvers' viewpoints, as she's stayed with Fevvers since birth and continues to stay with her to the end of the novel. During Walser’s interview, Lizzie freely expresses her distaste for commitment to men. "Marriage? Pah!' snapped Lizzie in a pet. 'Out of the frying pan into the fire! What is marriage but prostitution to one man instead of many? No different!" (Carter 21). Lizzie has very strong viewpoints on men, and these viewpoints, since she's the main mother figure for Fevvers, have most likely rubbed off on her 'daughter'. "Lizzie does not believe that romantic love brings happiness" (Kilic). Because Lizzie is an independent female, and one that Fevvers viewed as strong and caring as a child (Much unlike any man she encountered before Walser), Fevvers subconsciously wants to be the same way, and thus throws out the fantasy of romantic love. Melanie, on the other hand, had both a mother and a father. However, neither of them were ever directly present in the novel, and when she moves in with her aunt and uncle her uncle's repressive mannerisms strongly contrast the caring appeal of her aunt, thus making Aunt Margaret, the female, a more ideal parental figure. "His authority was stifling. Aunt Margaret, frail as a pressed flower, seemed too cowed by his presence even to look at him," (Carter 73). Uncle Phillip is seen as the tyrant of the household, and Melanie's abhorrence of him is only furthered by his control over Aunt Margaret. While Uncle Phillip pays nearly no attention to the children, Aunt Margaret is left to take care of them on her own, making her the only "true" parental figure left after Melanie's parents die.  

            The presence of females who take on traditionally masculine roles assists the shift towards Carter’s ideal feminine culture. Along with Lizzie and Aunt Margaret, several other female characters serve as factors of personal development for the heroines in Carter's novels. In Nights at the Circus, the extensive presence of females isolates Fevvers from the male world, causing her to have a skewed view on the men of society.

"It was a wholly female world within Ma Nelson's door. Even the dog who guarded it was a bitch and all the cats were females, one or the other of 'em always in kitten, or newly given birth, so that a sub-text of fertility underwrote the glittering sterility of the pleasure of the flesh available within the academy. Life within those walls was governed by a sweet and loving reason. I never saw a single blow exchanged between any of the sisterhood who reared me, nor heard a cross word or a voice raised in anger." (Carter 39).

 The peaceful portrayal of an all-woman society further supports Carter's ideal feministic view of society. This isolation develops Fevvers' non-traditional outlooks on men as a group. Other all-female societies are present within the novel, in which men and authority in general are seen to be suppressive, such as in the House of Correction, where even the females who hold power are ultimately trapped by the suppression of their leader. "The wardresses were also trapped, women- for the House of Correction was manned exclusively by women- who lived barrack-style amongst those they policed, and were imprisoned by the terms of their contract just as securely as the murderesses" (Carter 214). Countess P. takes on the masculine leader position in the House of Correction, but as a result, the women of the house rebel and trap her forever. Because of her shift into a male role, she's viewed as repressive and is ultimately taken over so the women of the house can achieve their ideal free, all-woman society.

In The Magic Toyshop, the strength of the female characters is also shown when they break free from not only men, but from the suppression of authority in general. Aunt Margret's escape from this suppression is seen through the symbolism of her voice.  "With her voice she had found her strength, a frail but constant courage like spun silk. Struck dumb on her wedding day, she found her old voice again the day she was freed" (Carter 197). By leaving Uncle Phillip's toyshop, Aunt Margaret is able to speak again. Unlike women who must wait to speak when spoken to, she no longer is held back and can say and do what she pleases because she's freed herself from the male repression that previously prevented her from doing so.

            Sophie Fevvers also does as she pleases without conforming to what is “proper” for a woman. Carter uses Fevvers’ innovative social behaviors as a source of further support for breaking traditional societal ideology, and "seems to mock the typical Victorian notion that what makes a man a perfect mate is being a good woman" (Kilic). Fevvers denies most traditional female behaviors for her time period through her actions; she shows no particular interest in acting like a "lady", which enforces her denial of the traditional, suppressed female role, yet Walser still pursues her, not necessarily because she is a "good woman", but rather, because of his interest in her personality and unusual confidence. "Dislocating the conventional connection between the masculinist gaze and objectification or possession, Fevvers subverts notions of female object passivity by demanding to be looked at" (O'Brien). The fact that Fevvers is putting herself out there for the world to see is very non-traditional, as most women tend to stay behind the "curtains", such as the women in Ma Nelson's house during Fevvers' childhood. Her appearance and behaviors also mirror this out-of-the-norm personality.

            "At close quarters, it must be said that she looked more like a dray mare than an angel. At six feet two in her stockings, she would have to give Walser a couple of inches in order to match him and, though they said she was 'divinely tall', there was, off-stage, not much of the divine about her unless there were gin places in heaven where she might preside behind the bar. Her face, broad and oval as a meat dish, had been thrown on a common wheel out of coarse clay; nothing subtle about her appeal, which was just as well if she were to function as the democratically elected divinity of the imminent century of the Common Man" (Carter 12)

The description of Fevvers is somewhat intimidating; a description not traditionally given to women. She's also portrayed as an avid drinker, which was a behavior that, for women, went very much against social norms.  Melanie is slightly more of a conformist in her behavior; in the beginning, she sneaks out in her mother's wedding dress, musing on about how she wants to be married. However, the only aspect of marriage that seems to appeal to her is the marriage itself.  "Moonlight, white satin, roses. A bride. Whose bride? But she was, tonight, sufficient for herself in her own glory and did not need a groom." (Carter 16). While she longs for the maturity that comes with marriage, she, like Lizzie, doesn't feel the need for male presence. In addition, she finds marriage to be a strange excuse "just in order to lose your virginity" (Carter 13).

            Throughout the novel, Melanie clings to the innocence associated with virginity, which prevents her from fully becoming the woman who she desires to be. Carter uses Ma Nelson’s sword as a symbol to represent Fevvers’ innocence and security, and Edward Bear to represent Melanie's, and these symbols show these characters’ journeys to strength and maturity as the novels progress. While it was untraditional for Fevvers to put herself out for the world, the fact that she was strictly hands-off ["She was twice as large as life and as succinctly finite as any object that is intended to be seen, not handled. Look! Hands off! Look at me!" (Carter 15)] makes her all the more unusual and intriguing. This again links back to her childhood with Ma Nelson. "Ma Nelson, contemplating the existence of my two arms, all complete, now puts her mind to the question; what might the Winged Victory have been holding in 'em when the forgotten master first released her from the marble that had contained her inexhaustible spirit? And Ma Nelson soon came up with the answer; a sword" (Carter 37). The sword is a symbol of Fevvers' self-certainty, as well as her sense of security. When she holds it, she knows herself to be the freed "Winged Victory", who no one can touch nor harm. However, as her journey continues, Fevvers' loss of the sword, her innocence, and Ma Nelson all at the same time, pushes her further into the world of feminist thinking. "When she lost her weapon to the Grand Duke in his frozen palace, she had lost some of that sense of her own magnificence which had previously sustained her trajectory. As soon as her feeling of invulnerability was gone, what happened?" (Carter 273). Through this loss, Fevvers shifts from her previously care-free personality into a more vulnerable, distrusting female. However, by letting go of this symbol from her past, she becomes capable of fully growing into a strong woman. Melanie also clings to a relic of her past, which gives her a sense of safety and security. "'Excuse me,' she said, and opened her case to retrieve Edward Bear. She felt better when he lay on her pillow. She had lived with Edward Bear for ten years" (Carter 44). However, when Uncle Phillip sets the toyshop on fire, she discovers that she no longer finds comfort in innocence, but instead finds her safety in the presence of a male. "'Keep me safe,' said Melanie, holding Finn's coat as if she were drowning." (Carter 196). Then, as the Toyshop is finally destroyed, Melanie comes to truly realize the loss of her childhood innocence. "'My bear. He's gone. Everything is gone.' 'Nothing is left but us.' At night, in the garden, they faced each other in a wild surmise" (Carter 200). As the novel ends, Melanie's last thought is of the loss of her bear. By losing this childish innocence, she is able to finally begin to reconstruct herself as a new, more mature and independent person, and marriage (a once-abstract, very mature idea for her) suddenly seems much more conceivable for her because she’s truly no longer a child. 

            The use of time as a symbol throughout the novels also parallels the characters’ growth into independence, which aids in the development of a magical-realist setting.  When Fevvers begins to lose her sense of time, she starts breaking away from the restraints of performance life and the boundaries of society.

"'Something's going on. Something we wot not of, my dear. Remember we have lost our clock; remember Father Time has many children and I think it was his bastard offspring inherited this region for, by the length of Mr. Walser's beard and the skill with which he rode his reindeer, time has passed- or else is passing- marvellous swiftly for these woodland folk. 'Perhaps,' she mused, 'their time is running out" (Carter 272).

This loss of perception of time parallels Walser's break away from the boundaries of his former life into a new one. The fact that Fevvers doesn't have a clear grasp of time in this moment foreshadows her escape from societal restrictions as well. "Vera Anderyevna tentatively identified the figure of that of Father Time. 'But, wherever we go, we'll need no more fathers,' she pronounced. So they threw it away" (Carter 221). The fact that the murderesses also deny the concept of time after escaping from the House of Correction further supports the idea that in order to truly escape the restraints of traditional society, the idea of time must be thrown away. When Uncle Phillip is gone in The Magic Toyshop, Finn destroys the clock that Uncle Phillip made, and this destruction parallels the destruction of Uncle Phillip's tyranny.  "The stuffed cuckoo belted out thirty-one calls and then jerked back into the clock. The door slammed behind it with a dithering shudder. The ticking stopped. 'There goes the time,' said Finn, wiping his eyes. The day stretched before them with nothing to do" (Carter 185).

            Fevvers’ physical transformation in Nights at the Circus is also a direct representation of her change in character. The final aspect necessary for Fevvers' escape from traditional feminine roles is the loss of the portion of herself that she's uncertain about. When she loses her innocence and denies the concept of time, she also breaks her wing; something that previously defined who she was.  "Why, she broke her wing. Now she was a crippled wonder. Put on as brave a face as she might, that was the long and short of it" (Carter 272). At this point in the novel, Fevvers is finally beginning to come to terms with her new self. She knows that she's changed, but she's beginning to grow more confident in her acceptance of the woman she has become.

"She was ashamed to admit it; all the same, she felt as though her heart was breaking when she looked in the mirror and saw her brilliant colours withering away. But there was more to it than that. She knew she had truly mislaid some vital something of herself along the road that brought her to this place" (Carter 273).

 The loss of her hair dye, colors, and feathers reflects the final transition from the woman she was before to the stronger, more confident woman she is now.

Melanie's transformation is also symbolized by the destruction of wings. The swan puppet, made by her repressive uncle, had held her back from freedom. But when Finn chops up the puppet and buries it, Uncle Phillip goes missing the next day. "She brushed her hair, removed the daisies and the feathers and put on her everyday skirt and her new sweater, which put friendly arms around her" (Carter 168). However, unlike in Nights at the Circus, the heroine in The Magic Toyshop isn't the only one strongly affected by the loss of a swan's presence.  "'You broke up his swan' said Francie in awe. His lips opened on all his teeth like a broken wall. He laughed hugely, rolling in his chair, and cried out again and again; 'He done it! Finn done it! Good on Finn! Good man!'" (Carter 184). Francie, who was normally a fairly quiet man, finds his voice when the suppression of the swan is destroyed. In his case, however, the swan does not represent the repression of males. Instead, it represents the repression of societal expectations; now that Uncle Phillip is gone, he and Aunt Margaret can freely practice the incest that they've kept hidden all of this time. "Aunt Margaret gradually softened amid the laughter. The sun came out in her face. For the first time since Melanie had known her, she seemed to be examining the possibility of her own tomorrow, where she could come and go as she pleased and wear what clothes she wanted and maybe even part her locked lips and speak. Or sing" (Carter 184). Aunt Margaret is also freed from the boundaries of society when the swan is destroyed. In addition, she, along with Melanie and Fevvers, is given the chance to escape from the chains of cruel men, and through the destruction of the wings of a swan, she can begin a new life of independence and freedom.  

            In Carter's novels, the women's journeys lead them to break free of the social norms of society, and by doing so, they are able to accept the feminine independence that they gained through their experiences. Though there was loss on their journeys, the loss aided them in growing more certain of who they are. They, as well as their companions and acquaintances, find freedom and strength in breaking away from the restraints of time and authority. These books conclude with "the possibilities of birth through death" (O'Brian), in which the characters, once free from their former suppression, are allowed to begin a new life of independence. Nights at the Circus, in the spirit of feminism, shows the start of a new age of independence for women by concluding with the word "begin".