It's clear to see that Antoinette and Rochester's marriage is a failure. It came crashing down in flames (literally?). In the end Antoinette's insanity is responsible for their total separation. But one could argue that their relationship was doomed from the start.
Throughout the whole novel there are themes of being displaced. The first part of the book, narrated by Antoinette, shows how much Antoinette feels like a stranger in her own home. The black Jamaicans hate her family because they are ex-slave-owners. The white people hate her family because they are left extremely poor after Antoinette's father dies. Her childhood is tormented with rumors of her mothers madness and names like "white cockroach". Antoinette is left an extremely lonely character.
The second part is mostly narrated by Rochester, Antoinette's new husband. We learn that Rochester lives in the shadow of his older brother and by the English laws of primogeniture is left without a share of his father's fortune. He resents his brother as well as his father for picking favorites. He has come to Jamaica to attain a rich wife so he can not only sustain himself but prove to his family that he is worth something.
Antoinette and Rochester's marriage stands on the extremely rocky foundation of two people that are uncomfortable with their situation. This is where the title of the book comes in. The Sargasso Sea lies in the Atlantic Ocean between the West Indies and Europe. It is known for its tumultuous waters. This represents the attempt at a connection between Antoinette and Rochester. Rhys suggests that the Sea is too wide for their relationship to work. Their backgrounds are just too different. Antoinette has money but is respected by no one. She needs an actual friend. Rochester comes from a respected family but has no money on which to stake his claim. He finds Antoinette and uses her to fill in the holes that will allow him to maintain his position in society. The only thing they have in common is that they each have a troubled past. And that is nothing to stand on.
I like that your post outlines the course of the novel from a very objective viewpoint. While I think we all dislike Rochester pretty strongly, this acknowledgment of the role that class conflict and racial tension (as well as a primitive understanding of mental illness) played in Wide Sargasso Sea is exactly what Rhys was going for.
ReplyDeleteThere still is that dim hope that they might have been able to understand where each other are coming from, once Antoinette actually talks to Rochester and makes him hear out her version of events in detail. This moment is vital--it's not just the facts, the "secrets" about Antoinette that Rochester thinks everyone else is aware of. It's how those facts were experienced by Antoinette--it's her *life*, not just a bunch of information that makes her less appealing as a marriage-mate. Just as our view of Antoinette is significantly shaped by seeing where she's coming from, quite literally, Rochester here gets a condensed version of part 1. Perhaps he could have talked to her in the same way, and they could have understood what they have in common, despite appearances. But we'll never know, because she had to go and give him that obeah potion.
ReplyDeleteWhen you say Antoinette needs an actual friend, it reminds of the discussion in class one day about Antoinette's relationships with others. While she has her friendship with Tia, that ultimately ends in violence and torn emotions. When Antoinette branches out and kinda has friendship with Rochester (at least, for a little while), we eventually see how that utterly fails as well. This brings up a new point: Is it possible for Antoinette to have a healthy relationship with another when she is so divided on her own identity? Normally, a person would say yes, but in Antoinette's case, her "rocky surroundings" have a major grasp on her social capabilities. As a result, her progression into madness is no surprise when Rochester takes advantage of her and denies her the chance to form a healthy relationship with anyone.
ReplyDeleteAntoinette is really lonely, but it does seem that she and Christophine get along really well, and she kind of has a romance with Sandi. It doesn't look like she's incapable of making any connections. The thing is, her interactions with both of them are few and far between, and not enough to keep a person socially healthy.
Delete