Truth In Jean Rhys Wide Sargasso Sea

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys is a prominent post-modern novel, and rather progressive at that. Taking Bronte’s crazy woman in the attic from Jane Eyre, Rhys proceeds to attack some ideas Bronte illustrated and highlight some ideas Bronte left out entirely. One of Rhys’ most tangible ideas that is rather representative of post-modern authors and that of this novel is the idea of truth and whether or not there are absolutes "truths". In Wide Sargasso Sea, Rhys demonstrates that there are no absolutes, but merely that the answer, or “truth”, depends on the situation and the one assessing or judging it. This rather lax and open definition of truth is shown in the novel in regards to whether or not Antoinette is truly crazy. Whether this craziness is defined by medical or by social norms and how this craziness …show more content…
Antoinette was normal up until her marriage with Rochester, so most likely it was something during their marriage that pushed Antoinette into such an altered state. The most glaring events during this time are Rochester changing Antoinette's name to Bertha and Rochester cheating on Antoinette. The significance of Rochester changing Antoinette's name on a whim is that it attacks Antoinette's humanity, by changing her name he degrades her to something less than human. This psychological attack may add up with her situation as a woman, leading her to be crazy. Rochester cheating on her may also have been a major cause to her state. However, her withdrawal into herself may be not out of insanity but out of spite towards Rochester due to this event. In Jane Eyre by Bronte, it is insinuated that Bertha is insane due to genetics. However, Rhys debunks this by presenting Antoinette's backstory, including how her mother became insane due to grief of losing a son. This maintains that only an event could have caused Antoinette's altered