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duomind
SITE LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
Hi! It’s me!
I’m back again to tell you about a book by Bruno Bettelheim that caught my eye the other day as I was wandering through the bookstore and decided to flip through the pages. Once I got home, I read more about it and here is what I found:
"The Uses of Enchantment" by Bruno Bettelheim is a significant work that explores the psychological and symbolic meanings of fairy tales, particularly in the context of child development. Bettelheim delves into how these timeless stories serve as powerful tools for children to navigate the complexities of their inner worlds and the challenges of growing up.
Those are a lot of words but basically, this book consists of many different fairytales of our childhood analysed through a psychoanalytic point of view.
There were many different tales in the book but today I decided to bring you one that I know really well but other people may have not heard of: Bluebeard!
In case your grandma didn’t traumatise you in your childhood with this tale at dinnertime like mine did, here is a small summary of it:
"Bluebeard" is a chilling tale that unfolds with a sense of mystery and foreboding. It begins with a wealthy but sinister man known as Bluebeard, who has a peculiar blue beard that sets him apart. Despite his ominous reputation, he seeks a wife and eventually marries a young woman who is captivated by his wealth and charm.
Bluebeard lavishes his new bride with luxurious gifts and takes her to live in his grand mansion. Before leaving for a journey, he entrusts her with the keys to all the rooms in the mansion but warns her sternly to never enter one particular room, which he strictly forbids her to unlock. Initially obedient, the young bride is consumed by curiosity about the forbidden room.
Despite her initial resolve to obey her husband's wishes, her curiosity eventually overwhelms her, and she succumbs to the temptation to unlock the door.
Upon entering the forbidden room, the young bride is horrified to discover its macabre contents: the lifeless bodies of Bluebeard's previous wives, all murdered and hidden away. Shocked and terrified, she realizes the true nature of her husband's dark secrets. In some versions of the tale, the room is filled with blood or other gruesome evidence of the murders, heightening the sense of horror.
As the bride grapples with the horrifying truth, Bluebeard unexpectedly returns home, casting her into a frantic panic. In her desperation to escape, she frantically searches for a way out of the mansion, fearing for her own life. In many versions of the tale, she is aided in her escape by her brothers, who arrive just in time to rescue her from Bluebeard's clutches.
"Bluebeard" serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of curiosity and the consequences of disobedience. It warns against the perils of ignoring warnings and disobeying authority figures, while also highlighting the importance of trust and honesty in relationships. The tale's themes of curiosity, betrayal, and escape continue to resonate with audiences, making it a timeless and enduring story in the realm of fairy tales.
Firstly, Bettelheim notes that when bluebeard gives his wife the key to his entire house, while forbidding her to go to one specific room he does this as a test of his wife’s faithfulness to his orders and to him. He even leaves his house alone to his wife to test her loyalty and when he comes back, he finds out he was betrayed.
The author also notes that the key that was stained with blood was the object that exposes his wife’s unloyalty and that, once stained with blood it cannot be cleaned, showing an analogy with the irreversible bleeding of a woman’s first sexual act.
Secondly, Bruno Bettelheim states that the wife was insanely tempted to do what was forbidden to her and, after her horrible discovery, the wife does not ask for anyone’s help, she only asked her sister to search for their other siblings.
With that, she does not choose the most obvious answer of running away or hiding. Her behaviour suggests two possibilities: that what she saw in the room was a figment of her imagination or that she betrayed her husband but hoped he would not find out.
The writer also says that part of the attraction of the story is due to the confirmation of the idea that adults have terrible sexual secrets. It also confirms what the child knows well from their own experience: it's so tempting to uncover sexual secrets that even adults are willing to take the greatest imaginable risks.
Furthermore, the person who tempts others deserves an appropriate punishment. He believes that, at the preconscious level, the child understands, from the indelible blood on the key and other details, that Bluebeard's wife committed a sexual indiscretion. The story suggests that, although a jealous husband may be absolutely convinced that he should severely punish his wife - even kill her - he is entirely wrong to think so.
Finally, The author concludes that this tale shows how seeking revenge for infidelity is wrong and ultimately harmful to oneself, making us dig our own grave.
In my opinion, one key aspect to consider is the symbolism of the forbidden chamber and the blood-stained key. In psychoanalytic terms, the forbidden chamber can represent the unconscious mind or repressed desires that are hidden from conscious awareness.
Bluebeard's insistence on keeping this chamber off-limits mirrors the way individuals often repress or deny aspects of themselves that they find threatening or unacceptable. The blood-stained key serves as a potent symbol of the violation of these boundaries and the revelation of hidden truths.
Bluebeard himself can be viewed as a complex character embodying both the tyrannical superego and the repressed Id. His desire for control and dominance over his wives reflects an exaggerated manifestation of the patriarchal Ego, while his violent outbursts and murderous tendencies represent the unleashed, primitive instincts of the Id.
The wives in the story, particularly the last one who unlocks the forbidden chamber, can be seen as symbolic representations of the Ego struggling to reconcile conflicting desires and impulses. By succumbing to curiosity and defying Bluebeard's prohibition, they metaphorically confront the repressed aspects of themselves and the harsh realities of their situation.
The tale's resolution, in which Bluebeard is ultimately punished for his crimes, can be interpreted as a triumph of the Ego over the Id and Superego. Through the exposure of Bluebeard's atrocities and the assertion of agency by the wives, the story suggests the possibility of redemption and transformation through the integration of unconscious desires into conscious awareness.
Overall, the tale of Bluebeard provides a compelling narrative through which to explore the complexities of the human psyche and the dynamics of power and control in relationships. From a psychoanalytic perspective, it offers valuable insights into the nature of repression, desire, and the unconscious mind.
In the book, Bruno Bettelheim begins comparing this tale to two other similar tales “The Sly Fox" and "The Juniper Tree” and states that this tale does not share the supernatural factors and magical elements other tales usually have.
Hope you liked this story session! See you next time!
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