Eva Muoz Snchez-Maroto 05704311-

THE PASSION OF NEW EVE

In this essay we are going to study a possible interpretation of the end of the novel The Passion of
New Eve written by Angela Carter. If I had to define this work with an only word, this would be JOURNEY.
Evelyn, the main character, is making not only a physical journey but also a psychological one, for example
when she travels to the desert. The journey motif is one of the most widely used elements in English
literature. It is a powerful symbol often used to represent a characters adventure leading to an epiphany, or
some sort of self-realization. It appears in stories in which each main character changes sometime between
the beginning and the end of the story and without any doubt this is so for Evelyn.
The last chapter is highly intense in spite of its shortness. These few lines describe Eves desire of
being reborn while she revisits her life and experiences. For that she starts from her conclusions she wants
to be reborn, begin again after she has learnt from her mistakes when she was Evelyn. I arrived on that
continent by air and I left it by water. She travelled to America by plane and now she is leaving on a boat
which could be interpreted as a metaphor, she left this life by the water like a baby that leaves the mothers
uterus to start a new life. Earth and fire I leave behind me Now Eve is more spiritual than earthly, she has
experimented a mythical state where her misogynistic behavior, the fire, has disappeared to give way to a
new Eve.
Carter introduces two relevant symbols: the mausoleum and the mirror. The mausoleum is a building
related to death and aesthetic since they have beautiful architecture. This place was her life and now it is
only ruins because she has leaved the past locked up. The past has gone therefore new days are waiting for
her. On the other hand, mirrors are associated with self-alienation and masquerade since Eve portrays the
role of perfect woman which is established by protocol.
He Eve is talking about Evelyn, sometimes she remembers him but not in a positive way since
according to her the misogynist appears with the fatal red hole in his breast it means, without heart. Eve
rejects the sexist Evelyn, her past. Being a woman she has learnt how horrible Evelyn was. However she
misses to be a man somehow after many many embraces. This could be crucial for her last decision about
being a man or a woman.
In her male past, she didnt want to fall in love with a woman therefore when they started to feel
something deeper, Evelyn just ran away from them. Nevertheless now as woman she has been in love it
hasnt been a pleasant experience the vengeance of the sex is love.
Angela Carter decided to finish this novel with the ocean where Eve will be reborn by means of her
own baby, she is going to resurrect as a man. Thus she tries to solve her mistakes.
During the whole story Evelyn/Eve travels from one place to another. As Eve, she suffers because of
her female gender what can be interpreted as the punishment that Evelyn has to receive because of the
chauvinistic manner towards women. These experiences have been useful in order to learn how women feel
regarding the behavior of men.