During everyones life many journeys are taken, whether they are from place to place or a kind of mental journey that changes your perspective. Throughout Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys two different journeys are told. Jane Eyre tells the story of a trouble young orphan who eventually becomes the wife of someone who cares very deeply for her. On the other hand, Antoinette Cosway in Wide Sargasso Sea is a secluded young child who lives to become mentally crazy and a drunk after suffering through a troubled childhood and marriage. Charlotte Bronte, author of Jane Eyre, and Jean Rhys, author of Wide Sargasso Sea, portray the internal and external journeys of Jane and Antoinette throughout the two novels. At a
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She was part of a family where her mother, Anette Cosway, distances herself from Antoinette and Antoinette’s disabled brother, Pierre. All through her childhood Antoinette was neglected by her mother and the people in her neighborhood so she was cared for by the servants instead. Early in her life, Antoinette’s mom married an extremely wealthy man Mr. Mason who loved Anette very deeply. Antoinette feels very hopeful when her mother marries this gentlemen because she hopes of a brighter future for her and her family. But this all changes when her house in Spanish Town is burnt down one night by her servants who revolted against her family. Unfortunately, Pierre died in this fire that burned down Antoinette’s childhood home, “I thought, Pierre is dead. He looked dead. He was white and he did not make a sound, but his head hung back over her arm as if he had no life at all and his eyes were rolled up so that you only saw the whites (Rhys 36)”. With the death of her only sibling, Antoinette felt even more alone than she did before. Antoinette moves to live with her Aunt Cora while her mother lives under the supervision of two servants at a different place and Mr. Mason leaves his wife to travel for the year. One day, Antoinette visits her mother but when she arrives at Anette’s new home, Antoinette gets pushed away because her mother does not recognize her. After this encounter Antoinette is enrolled into a convent which becomes her safe haven for years to come, “this convent was my refuge, a place of sunshine and of death where very early in the morning the clap of a wooden signal woke the nine of us who slept in the long dormitory (Rhys 51)”. Here is where she also grieves the death of her mother after Anette passes away. Antoinette feels secure in this new place and likes the simplicity of life that is
She was part of a family where her mother, Anette Cosway, distances herself from Antoinette and Antoinette’s disabled brother, Pierre. All through her childhood Antoinette was neglected by her mother and the people in her neighborhood so she was cared for by the servants instead. Early in her life, Antoinette’s mom married an extremely wealthy man Mr. Mason who loved Anette very deeply. Antoinette feels very hopeful when her mother marries this gentlemen because she hopes of a brighter future for her and her family. But this all changes when her house in Spanish Town is burnt down one night by her servants who revolted against her family. Unfortunately, Pierre died in this fire that burned down Antoinette’s childhood home, “I thought, Pierre is dead. He looked dead. He was white and he did not make a sound, but his head hung back over her arm as if he had no life at all and his eyes were rolled up so that you only saw the whites (Rhys 36)”. With the death of her only sibling, Antoinette felt even more alone than she did before. Antoinette moves to live with her Aunt Cora while her mother lives under the supervision of two servants at a different place and Mr. Mason leaves his wife to travel for the year. One day, Antoinette visits her mother but when she arrives at Anette’s new home, Antoinette gets pushed away because her mother does not recognize her. After this encounter Antoinette is enrolled into a convent which becomes her safe haven for years to come, “this convent was my refuge, a place of sunshine and of death where very early in the morning the clap of a wooden signal woke the nine of us who slept in the long dormitory (Rhys 51)”. Here is where she also grieves the death of her mother after Anette passes away. Antoinette feels secure in this new place and likes the simplicity of life that is