Themes In Carmilla

During the late 19th century, when the short story Carmilla was published, the ideology and the meaning of being a woman were different than those of today. Women of that time period were viewed as inferior to their male counterparts. They were given no power of their own, and were required to rely solely on the men in their lives. J. Sheridan Le Fanu was clearly opposed to the status quo by the themes he presented in Carmilla. In the story, Carmilla pushes the set gender boundaries by taking on the role of the male in her relationship with Laura. Throughout the story, we see Carmilla in circumstances that often contradict her somewhat masculine nature presenting a confusion in her gender role. Behind closed doors, Carmilla is shown as a mysterious and powerful creature, similar to the men of that time period; however, when Carmilla is alongside others she transforms herself into a more sheltered young lady. In the presence of Laura’s father, …show more content…
Carmilla is often depicted as a male-like creature through her manipulative, controlling, and mysterious nature. Carmilla’s lesbian relationship that she has with Laura is the obvious situation that shows such tendencies and crosses the gender boundaries. By creating a lesbian relationship, it is obvious that one must take on a more masculine approach, clearly Carmilla is that one. Despite being a man of her relationship with Laura, Carmilla often crosses the line between masculine and feminine in her attempts to gain the trust of others, specifically, through the fathers of her past and present lovers. Carmilla is a story that was made in a time of strict gender boundaries, and is used to defy such boundaries. Whether it be through metaphorical confusion or literal actions, Carmilla takes on a gender that was strictly rejected by the time in which it was