Blood Wedding Journal 3

To what extent have you found it possible in your consideration of literary works, to separate the individual from his or her public role? In your answer you should refer to any two or three works you have studied.

In Blood Wedding, the bride is seen to the public as the blushing bride. The woman who is seeing all of her dreams come true in meeting her soul mate, getting married to him and becoming his wife. Inside, the reader sees through her dialogue, she is not so sure. She seems to be pining after her lost lover, Leonardo, who married her cousin. This idea is later proved in the play when they run off together. She shows how she really feels rather than how society looks upon her. Also, Leonardo is perceived as a bad man from the start because of the information we were provided by the mother and his interaction with his wife. However, it is seen later that he may have been just a man in love, trying to figure things out. IN the end he was willing to die for the woman that he loved.

This is also seen in Wild Duck. Gina is seen as the submissive, obedient wife to Hjalmar. The woman who is completely faithful and loyal to her husband. Through her actions throughout the books, such as the way she acts when the elder Werle comes to visit her house it is seen that it may be different than it appears; that she may have something to hide. This idea is later proved when the reader discovers Gina had an intimate relationship with the elder Werle and that the child she claims belongs to Hjalmar and herself may actually belong to the elder Werle. Also, with little subtleties throughout the book it is shown that she has more power than she lets on. The reader sees that she is actually the one who does most of the labor for Hjlamar's photography business. Also, when Hjalmar asks her to let him take over the keeping of the family's finances the reader is shown that she has control over this aspect of family life as well. Through all of these things the reader is shown that Gina may not, in fact, be the submissive wife she is perceived to be at first, but actually a woman who makes decisions and keeps secrets.

This sort of difference between the inner and outer self is an important undercurrent in the books. It plays a large part of the deception that leads to the tragedy in each of the books. This deception is caused by secrets, such as the ones Gina and the Bride keep within themselves.