Bluebeard Essay Questions

Essay Questions

  1. 1

    How does the story Bluebeard present curiosity?

    Alongside many text written at the time, Bluebeard suggests that curiosity can have dire consequences. Bluebeard deliberately gives his wife his keys in order to test her, and she seemingly 'fails' this text and is punished for it. As Bluebeard is a fairy tale and is directed towards children, we can see this story as being a lesson about breaking rules. Another dimension to curiosity in the text is the fact that the curious characters are female. As such, this story may be an invocation of female obedience to their husbands, warning against overstepping boundaries.

  2. 2

    What does the closet represent?

    In this text, the closet is a symbol for Bluebeard's past and his wrongdoings. Although people are suspicious of the disappearance of his previous wives, nobody knows for certain what has happened to them. Bluebeard's wife is not able to enter the closet, meaning she is not allowed to discover his past or what he has done. When she does enter the closet, she discovers bloodstains, that reveal what happened to Bluebeard's previous wives.

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