white beds?
Posted by Sherry on November 06, 1997 at 13:38:53:
In response to Thoughts, written by Cassia on November 04, 1997 at 15:35:32
Passion had become a tired, dingy emotion with unpleasant associations for Maud and Roland. Can they ever get back the purity? Byatt doesn't tell us.
I see the clean white beds as Rolands desire for the very purity spoken of above. I did not see it as a private space where you are neither touching or touched. Far from it, I saw it as a place of pure, untainted passion. He wanted passion unspoiled, without all the B.S. which I think is what C and A wanted too but as we see you can't have it that way, not and live in the real world. There are always consquences and in the end we must ask ourselves if we are willing to pay the price. Cristabel was (to a certain extent) and Ash wasn't.(the continued letters to Ellen) Roland and Maude don't even want to ask the question. Thus the white bed symbolism.
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