“Antoinette, where are you at?”- A Postcolonial Analysis of Wide Sargasso Sea
“The sun never sets on the British Empire” is a phrase commonly used to describe the vast range of land that Britain had under its control. Britain, like many other great nations of today, did not acquire such power by niceties. During 1815–1914, England’s primary focus was the exploration and colonization of new land, with “around 10,000,000 square miles of territory and about 400 million people” being absorbed into British control. (Parsons). While Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre depicts the wonders of Victorian England, its revisionist text Wide Sargasso Sea describes the other side of the coin in postcolonial Jamaica, one of many European colonies in the West Indies. …show more content…
In the first section of the novel, readers witness the development of an ordinary child-- Innocent, who finds tranquility in the isolated life she lives in the convent. As a child, Antoinette was often found alone and left to discover the world both tranquil and frightening. Her father, Mr. Cosway, was a former slave owner in the Caribbean, and when the Emancipation Act was passed, the Cosway family was not only ruined but also vulnerable to abuse from the local black communities. Antoinette recalls that one day a little girl followed here, chanting “Go away white cockroach, go away, go away” (Rhys, 20). The child’s chants demonstrate that the once white-supremacist thinking has turned around, and now the blacks hold the power. White Creoles, who were initially considered the top of the food chain (except when compared to a true Anglo-Saxon, of course), are now the scum of the earth, even former slaves and completely broke families are othering white Creoles from their …show more content…
However, her marriage begins to trouble her, and instinctively, she attempts calling it off. Despite her efforts, her marriage goes through, Antoinette’s instincts are proven correct when her marriage starts going downhill at an alarming rate. When Antoinette begins to believe that Rochester does not love her anymore, she chooses to opt for Obeah magic, and love-potions to regain Rochester’s affection. After finding out that Antoinette has decided to drug him, Rochester exclaims that they are letting their marriage be troubled by ghosts, and poses a question to her: “Why shouldn't we be happy?". However, he displays a very different stance towards the reader by saying “She need not have done what she did to me. I will always swear that” (73). Antoinette turns to magic and voodoo to acquisition Rochester’s love, rather than discussing their relationship with him. This is could be due to the fact that when she was younger, Antoinette led a very isolated lifestyle, being “othered” by her acquaintances, perhaps if she was allowed to live a life where it was acceptable for her to talk things out with those who hold more or less power than her, she may have chosen to speak to Rochester, rather than drugging
“The sun never sets on the British Empire” is a phrase commonly used to describe the vast range of land that Britain had under its control. Britain, like many other great nations of today, did not acquire such power by niceties. During 1815–1914, England’s primary focus was the exploration and colonization of new land, with “around 10,000,000 square miles of territory and about 400 million people” being absorbed into British control. (Parsons). While Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre depicts the wonders of Victorian England, its revisionist text Wide Sargasso Sea describes the other side of the coin in postcolonial Jamaica, one of many European colonies in the West Indies. …show more content…
In the first section of the novel, readers witness the development of an ordinary child-- Innocent, who finds tranquility in the isolated life she lives in the convent. As a child, Antoinette was often found alone and left to discover the world both tranquil and frightening. Her father, Mr. Cosway, was a former slave owner in the Caribbean, and when the Emancipation Act was passed, the Cosway family was not only ruined but also vulnerable to abuse from the local black communities. Antoinette recalls that one day a little girl followed here, chanting “Go away white cockroach, go away, go away” (Rhys, 20). The child’s chants demonstrate that the once white-supremacist thinking has turned around, and now the blacks hold the power. White Creoles, who were initially considered the top of the food chain (except when compared to a true Anglo-Saxon, of course), are now the scum of the earth, even former slaves and completely broke families are othering white Creoles from their …show more content…
However, her marriage begins to trouble her, and instinctively, she attempts calling it off. Despite her efforts, her marriage goes through, Antoinette’s instincts are proven correct when her marriage starts going downhill at an alarming rate. When Antoinette begins to believe that Rochester does not love her anymore, she chooses to opt for Obeah magic, and love-potions to regain Rochester’s affection. After finding out that Antoinette has decided to drug him, Rochester exclaims that they are letting their marriage be troubled by ghosts, and poses a question to her: “Why shouldn't we be happy?". However, he displays a very different stance towards the reader by saying “She need not have done what she did to me. I will always swear that” (73). Antoinette turns to magic and voodoo to acquisition Rochester’s love, rather than discussing their relationship with him. This is could be due to the fact that when she was younger, Antoinette led a very isolated lifestyle, being “othered” by her acquaintances, perhaps if she was allowed to live a life where it was acceptable for her to talk things out with those who hold more or less power than her, she may have chosen to speak to Rochester, rather than drugging