The Bloody Chamber *Girl-Power*

The thing that surprised me when reading to page 26 was the calmness of the narrator when she entered the chamber itself.
She said she 'felt no fear', and quite confidently enters the chamber, but remains calm, up until she finds the Romanian countess and drops the key.

I thought it was quite surprising as the character has changed from a naive innocent teenager, to a woman. For instance she says 'Until that moment, this spoiled child did not know she had inherited nerves and will from the mother who had defied the yellow outlaws of Indo-China', which highlights the female empowerment of her mother, but also suggests that the narrator has also transformed into a courageous young woman, unlike the stereotypical girl characters in fairy tales (distinct reversal of gender-roles, as also it is the man who is evil in this story, unlike many old witches or women in fairy tales).
I don't think many people, even men would be that brave after entering the Bloody Chamber, so Angela Carter is definitely suggesting that female empowerment and is perhaps somewhat underrated.