I think this story is a cautionary tale about lying to a partner in marriage. At first glance, I initially felt that this was another story like Blackbeard, which casts a bad light on falling for somebody "different" (with the racist overtones of the time), but attempted to bury it with the appearance and sweetness of flowers.
However, I thought about it further and realized that the murder is brought about because the husband does not know about the nightly metamorphosis. Had she or her mother been honest with the husband, the murder would have been prevented.
Also, I noticed the reference to a reverse "Lucia di Lammermoor". I looked this up, and found out that it is an opera about forbidden love that ends with Lucia going hysterical after her wedding and killing her husband. The opera itself seems to be about marrying people for the wrong reasons and the consequences that it brings about, so I think this reference strengthens the idea.
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I also think this is a story about honesty, but if the husband had respected the mother's and daughter's wishes to remain outside the room, the murder would not have occurred. So it could also be a story about trusting your partner despite lack of information.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the daughter was mute, so she could not have told the husband about her nightly transformations. The fault, in my opinion, rests on the mother.
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