The Company of Wolves

The Company of Wolves

Page 1 - "howls in the woods by night" - This is typical of both the Gothic and the fairytale genre, as the woods is usually portrayed as being a forbidden and dangerous place in Fairytales as well as the Gothic.

Page 1 - "The wolf is carnivore incarnate, and he's as cunning as he is ferocious" - Reference to Lycanthropy from the off. Interesting that the wolf is referred to using the pronoun "he", she has specified the gender to be male. This shows the male as predatory as he is "carnivore incarnate", but also sneaky and conniving.

Page 1 - "catch the light from your lantern to flash it back at you" - The wolves take something you see as safe and helpful (the light), and give it back to you in a more sinister and deadly way.

Page 1 - "terrible sequins stitched suddenly on the black thickets" - shows the stealth and speed of the wolf, emphasises how dangerous it is as it can appear extremely fast. Use of the colour black as well, referencing the fact that typically wolves come out at night as well as being a typical colour related to the Gothic.

Page 1 - "but those eyes are all you will be able to glimpse" - Again the darkness typical of the Gothic, but also she addresses the reader directly as "you", engaging the reader and making you feel more empathy for the characters and become more involved in the feelings that the characters feel.

Page 1 - "the wolfsong is the sound of the rending you will suffer, in itself a murdering" - places emphasis upon the dread the wolves can instill, and acts as a foreshadowing for what will happen to most people who encounter a wolf; the howl will be a sign of the horror that is to come.

Page 1 - "the rime of saliva on the grizzled chops" - foreshadows the saliva that catches itself on the young mans teeth when he laughs, a signifier for what's to come.

Page 2 - "ghosts, hobgoblins, ogres that grill babies upon gridirons, witches that fatten their captives in cages for cannibal tables, the wolf is the worst for he cannot listen to reason.

Page 2 - "shaggy branches tangle about you, trapping the unwary traveller" - personification of the tree, and it's like nature is ganging up on the humans, as the wolves, the environment and the weather are all trying to work together to wipe out the humans in the area it seems. Nature is on the side of the Wolves.

Page 2 - "acrid milk and rank, maggoty cheese" - shows that there is poverty and famine amongst even the humans, the entire area is sparse of food and has harsh conditions for all. Like a dog eat dog idea. Also is very Gothic with the rotting and decay idea in mind.

Page 2 - "Fear and flee the wolf; for, worst of all, the wolf may be more than he seems" - Extremely Gothic idea of things not being as they appear, as there being something hidden and mysterious.

Page 2 - "he weighed as much as a grown man" - foreshadowing of the event just further on, the wolf actually is a man.

Page 3 - "a witch from up the valley" - again more typical Gothic and fairytale characters appearing

Page 3 - "And she waited and she waited and then she waited again" - reminiscent of fairytale stories again, rule of three. Like The Three Little Pigs.

Page 3 - "the long-drawn, wavering howl has, for all its fearful resonance, some inherent sadness in it, as if the beasts would love to be less beastly if only they knew how any never cease to mourn their own condition" -  suggests that even men who choose to become werewolves may regret it because of the misery it causes them. Ultimately, it is the child's pity for the werewolf and his "company of wolves" that moves her to join them.

Page 3 - "so the sensible girl dried her eyes and found herself another husband not too shy to piss into a pot" - Oh Angela. Does however show the harsh nature of the environment, no time to mourn, life must continue.

Page 4 - "but if you burn his human clothing, you condemn him to wolfishness for the rest of his life" - burning the clothes is symbolic, severing all ties that connect you to the civilised world; become a beast and animalistic entirely.

Page 4 - "the eyes alone unchanged by the metamorphosis" - eyes are the gateway to the soul; maybe the soul is still there and the same, only the physical shape changes, shows the primal instinct within all of us still.

Page 5 - "she has been too much loved ever to feel scared." - this child is not hardened like her counterparts because she is...

Page 5 - "so pretty and the youngest of her family" -  her family has coddled her and protected her from life's harsh realities. In doing so, they have 'civilized' her, made her into the gender ideal of a sheltered, sweet and trusting girl. Not one of the children who are described as "not staying young for long in this savage country.

Page 5 - "red shawl...blood on snow" -  an advertisement of her sexual readiness. Its red colour symbolises both her new menstrual blood and the blood she will presumably shed when she loses her virginity.

Page 5 - "She stands and moves within the invisible pentacle of her own virginity. She is an unbroken egg; she is a sealed vessel; she has inside her a magic space the entrance to which is shut tight with a plug of membrane; she is a closed system." -  sexuality protects her from harm, Her cape and her hymen which the cape could possibly represent, protect her from knowing or experiencing too much and from being harmed by the wolves. Her innocence and naiivity will supposedly save her.

Page 5 - "her father might forbid her, if he were home, but he is away in the forest, gathering wood, and her mother cannot deny her." - Stereotypical gender roles, male is the strong and fearless provider and the mother is the push over. Shows the child's self sufficiency.


Page 5 - "There is always something to look at...of last years bracken" - typical heightened and overaggerated language, helps create a tense atmosphere and an almost makes the forest function in parallel to reality; like a subversive world.

Page 6 - "but he laughed with a flash of white teeth" - gives us a hint as to his real nature. although he is described as "handsome", there is something mysterious and threatening about him.

Page 6/7 - "Shall we make a game of it? What will you give me if I get to your Grandmother's house before you?...A kiss."

Page 6 - "he laughed at her again; gleaming trails of spittle clung to his teeth" - this motif occurred earlier when describing the werewolf, gives us a clue as to his true identity.
Page 6 - "As the day darkened, it began to snow again" - A reminder of her purity, could be like a warning of her impending defilement.

Page 7 - "but she forgot to be afraid of the beasts" - against her better judgement, this boy has distracted her from the dangers that could easily befall her; shows her naivety
Page 7 - "There is a faint trace of blood on his chin; he has been snacking on his catch." - Animalistic nature. Could be the animals he caught in the woods earlier or a human he found.

Page "Aged and frail, granny is three-quarters succumbed to the mortality" - Granny is the wise older woman figure. Typical of fairytale.

"he rapped upon the panels with his hairy knuckles" - hairy, like a wolf, is beginning to fall into place. This entire passage is all reminiscent of the original red riding hood

"now call on Christ and his mother and all the angels in heaven to protect you but it won't do you any good" - Could this reflect Carter's view on God? No one is there to save you, no matter how pious you are. The beast always wins.

"...and quickly dressed himself again" - disguise and deceit

Page 9 - "What big eyes you have." "All the better to see you with."  - clear textual allusion to Little Red Riding Hood.

Page 9 - "Those are the voices of my brothers darling; I love the company of wolves" - the true nature of the boy is revealed, he too is a wolf.
Page 9 - "It is very cold, poor things, she said; no wonder they howl so" - The heroine knows she is in danger of death, but she still feels sympathetic to the wolves. Embraces the company of the wolves.

Page 10 - "the colour of poppies, the colour of sacrifices" -  Sacrificing usually is giving something up for the better of others, this certainly can be applied here. Giving up her human qualities for sexual desire to the wolf man.

Page 10 - "She bundled up her shawl and threw it on the blaze" - she rejects purity in favour of sexual enlightenment. She also renounces her townsperson identity of categorical superiority to beasts. The townspeople burn werewolves' clothes in order to "condemn them to wolfishness," and so the heroine burns her own clothes in order to become one with the werewolf and his kind.

Page 10 - "The girl burst out laughing; she knew she was nobody's meat" -  Bacchilega interprets this phrase to mean that, "by acting out her [sexual] desires, the girl offers herself as flesh, not meat." Usually a sacrificial victim's body is not seen as being his or her own; it belongs to the deity or other being in whose honour the ceremony is given. So too is it with Carter's women, who 'give' themselves to men even though, because they are objects, men already own them. Since the heroine claims her sexual desire and her flesh as her own, she can give her "immaculate flesh" wilfully to the werewolf and also take of him. She is empowered by her sexuality." -

Page 10 - "the old bones under the bed set up a terrible clattering but she did not pay them any heed" - ignores the wisdom of her Grandmother in favour of this sexual desire and pleasure.

Page 11 - "It is Christmas day, the werewolves birthday" -  comparison of a werewolf's transformation to the birth of Christ. Although the townspeople are convinced that werewolves make a pact with the Devil, Carter suggests that they are really connected to God in this way.

Page 11 - "See! Sweet and sound she sleeps in granny's bed, between the paws of the tender wolf" - Only sex can tame the beast.

In a way, Carter tells us through this story that we are all part "beast," and are only authentically ourselves or close to Christ-Christianity's ideal being-when we claim our "bestial" desires.