Study Guide

Bluebeard's Egg

1. the fairy tale: "Blue Beard's Egg": p. 137; wizard, three daughters, forbidden room, the egg -- an important symbol
2. the fairy-tale setting and the other fairy-tale motifs: forest, sauce, playhouse, prehistoric windbreaker, games (Monopoly, Pick Up Sticks p. 145)
3. Sally, the third wife of Ed.  The previous two wives--reasons for departure unknown: pp. 117; 131
4. Ed, a heard doctor.  -->  heard, another important symbol in this story

• I. Her relationship with Ed
  1. her view of Ed, her husband: p. 116 (reversing the blonde tradition); p. 117; influenced by fairy-tales and murder mysteries
  2. insecure about her identity, but actually strong and patronizing/mothering the men around her: 122-23
  3. her relation with Ed.: 118; Ed as the center of her life
  4. worry about her being a "nothing" like Marilyn in marriage

  
  Symbolic representation of her problem with Ed:

  • the heart machine: 128

  
  II. Sally's worries, misunderstanding and misgiving in terms of fairy-tale motifs: 

  • p. 130: The women will chew him up.  (A reversal of the Bluebeard plot)
  • Ed like a Russian doll 133; wandering in a forest--like Hans or the Little Red-Riding Hood who gets lucky? 133
  • the ice-made house breaking apart 134
     
• III. Clues to Ed's hypocrisy:
  • Marilyn's remarks p. 120 (Ed as a shiny button); p. 142 (getting a seeing-eye dog for him)
  • the other women 121 and Sally's worries
  • stupidity or indifference?  p. 125; 129-- machanical love-making

  
  IV.  Turning Points:

  • take courses to interest Ed, 125; real reason: to distract herself from him 134
  • Sally is asked to revise the story of Bluebeard.
  • the party: Sally prepares the meal while thinking about Ed as the egg p. 140
  • the discovery p. 144 -- "Possibly Ed is not stupid.  Possibly he is enormously clever." (145)
  V. New Awareness at the end:
  • a heart--in black and white-- that will go on and on, over which she has no control.
  • an egg which suggests new possiblities.