'Wolf-Alice' Questions

1. Make a note of two/three of the most striking pieces of description.
    - 'she cannot speak'
    - 'her panting tongue hangs out; her red lips are thick and fresh'
    - 'she always runs on all fours'
    - 'in the mirror, she saw how this white dress made her shine'

2. From the description, what sort of a character does Carter create? Does the girl seem realistic to you, or not? 
From the selected quotations above, it can be described that the character creates is indefinitely both wolf and human. Throughout Carter's stories the main 'heroines' transform to embrace their bestial/lustful natures such as in 'The Tigers Bride' were she is recast as a beast. However, Wolf Alice sees the opposite of this take place. Initially Wolf Alice is described with animalistic features such as 'her panting tongue' and 'she always runs on all fours' suggesting she is intact a wolf, although this can be doubted since she is also described with human features 'red lips'. However, ultimately Carter portrays through her other stories in 'The Bloody Chamber' that there are several identifiable signs that distinguishes humans from animals which see a knowledge of morality, shame or a desire to wear clothing and a belief that we are more significant than our surrounding; all of which can be described as latent in Wolf Alice. Although, these 'identifiable characteristics' become more evident in Wolf Alice as she encounters human belongings such as the mirror and the wedding dress - 'in the mirror, she saw how this white dress made her shine', reminding the reader that we are mere beasts without a culture. From this, an inconclusive judgment can be made that Wolf Alice is neither realistic or unrealistic as whilst she posses human traits such as menstruation and a 'desire to be clothed', she also fundamentally has an animalistic, feral nature. This is because by the end of the tale, she is still recognised by her name Wolf Alice, whereas in Carter's other tale's a transformation into the realism is signified by a name change, for example, Mr Lyons.

3. Look at the name given to the character. What are the two elements with which it is made up? 
The name Wolf Alice holds connotations of both human and beast. Wolf Alice together sees the character portrayed as a wolf with human qualities, due to the personification of the wolf by the human name Alice which, as reader can make the character seem unrelatable as they are simply, not human. However, it may also be argued that the name Wolf Alice creates a connection with the reader as they are drawn to the fact that the name suggests both human and beast. In addition to this, if the name was simply to be Alice or Wolf, it would alter the story completely as it would not connect with Wolf Alice's human/beast and animalistic/feral nature.

4. Which other stories in this collection may be linked to this one because of the mixture of human and animal?
Perhaps, most significantly, 'The Courtship of Mr Lyon' can be said to be compared to this tale. The heroine in the tale of Mr Lyon transforms the half-beast by her kindness, whilst Wolf Alice pities the Duke as she sees him as imperfect, like she was as the wolves pitied her for being a human and a 'flawed-wolf'. Although, comparably, the beast in 'The Courtship of Mr Lyon' is transferred to a human which is also represented by his changed name to Mr Lyon, whereas in the tale of Wolf Alice, whilst she takes pity on the Duke, ambiguously the story is left with the mirror reflecting 'the face of the Duke' leaving the reader unsure as to whether he has changed to a human, half beast or remains the same. 

5. How do you feel towards Wolf Alice? Do you empathise with her at all? Do you like her or not? 
For a time, Wolf-Alice thinks she is another creature, whose presence is reassuring to her. She gradually becomes more restrained and therefore more human because menstruating causes her to experience both the human qualities of time and shame. Wolf-Alice's encounter with the mirror can be seen as a turning point for the character as it enables her to experience her human powers. Once she sees that her reflection is her 'shadow', she understands that she  controls it. Her perspective shifts from animal objectivity to human subjectivity. Once she is human on the inside, she is inspired to look human on the outside by the wedding dress 'tucked behind the mirror'. This allows empathy for Wolf Alice as the reader can feel an almost bildungsroman form as the character of Wolf Alice learns of herself at the same time that the reader does.

6. What is the function of the Duke? What does he contribute to the plot, and what would be missing if his character was not in the story?
Both Wolf Alice and the Duke can be seen as liminal characters which the mirror brings to fruition. The Duke can be seen as half being in two ways; firstly that he is half beast half wolf and secondly that he is  trapped between the physical and metaphysical worlds. This is most apparent as he can be seen as 'real' enough to eat and kill people, but 'not real enough' to cast a reflection in the mirror, making him appear as if dead. As the mirror witnesses Wolf Alice transform from beast into human, we also see the Duke transforming after he is shot, and is barely able to remain in the metaphysical world.