# Bluebeard explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Ring Lardner.

## What happens

A woman marries a wealthy man known as Bluebeard, who forbids her from entering a small closet. While he is away, she and her guests speculate about the contents, but she cannot open it. When Bluebeard returns unexpectedly, he demands the key, and she discovers the closet contains the skeletons of his former wives. He threatens to kill her, but her brothers and former suitors arrive, shave him, and the shock kills him. The woman and her relatives divide his wealth.

## Themes in this chapter

### Marriage and Gender Roles

The story satirizes marriage as a transactional arrangement, with the wife marrying for wealth and the husband exerting control through prohibition and violence.

### Satire of Media and Business

Bluebeard's occupation as a traveling toothbrush salesman and the mention of Rotary Clubs mock business culture and commercial gimmicks.

## Character check-ins

### Kate Hayes

The unnamed wife in the story, who marries Bluebeard for his money and disobeys his command to open the forbidden closet.

### Tom Richards

One of the brothers who comes to the wife's rescue and helps kill Bluebeard.

### Alibi Ike

One of the former suitors who arrives with the brothers to save the wife.

### Hurry Kane

Another former suitor who participates in the rescue and the shaving of Bluebeard.

## Key lines

> Well children it seems they was a gal married a man named Bluebeard on acct. of he being rich.

A girl married a rich man named Bluebeard solely for his money.

_Sets up the satirical take on marriage for wealth._

> The moral of this story is if your husband don't get shaved for 3 days, somebody should ought to step in and do their duty.

The lesson is that if your husband doesn't shave for three days, someone should intervene.

_A humorous moral that ties back to the story's absurd premise._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters/bluebeard
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters