How is the father represented by Carter? What values does he stand for and how far do they contribute to the development of the plot?


Carter represents the father as being somewhat superficial, shown through the way in which he chooses to spend the money he gains with the Beast's help on things such as 'the opera, theatres and a whole new wardrobe for his darling'. This also reinforces how unreliable he is with money, having already been 'ruined' twice in the past.The father is also represented as being of a lower social class than the beast, evident through the description of his 'squirearchal' sheepskin jacket in comparison to the Beast's 'smoking jacket of dull red brocade'. Carter highlights this difference to show that, from a Marxist perspective, the Beast has all the power. This is further enforced through the description of the father as a 'doll', as the beast is controlling him, both physically and through society and social status.The father stands for the typical values of Capitalism, again shown through the fact that he spends his money on typically capitalist things, such as going to the 'theatre', which in the long term are of no real use to him.