Historical Background of Wide Sargasso Sea

Historical Background of Wide Sargasso Sea

By Malka Hirsch

Authors background  Wide Sargasso Sea was Written in 1966 by a Dominica born author Jean Rhys.  She was born in 1894 and moved to England when she was 16 years old (1910).  Upon her arrival Jane Eyre was one of the first novels she read.

Rhys’s life difficulties  Rhys never adjusted to the move from the west indies to England.  Rhys always felt cold and removed and imagined that the character Bertha Mason from the novel Jane Eyre must have felt the same.  Rhys had chronic financial difficulties, she was marries three times and two of her husbands spent time in jail. She was also a heavy drinker

Reasons for writing her Novel  The portrayal of Bertha in Jane Eyre always disappointed her.  Since she came from the west indies and had difficulties adjusting in England the story had special significance to her.  Rhys wrote Wide Sargasso Sea as a response to stereotypes informed by Bronte’s nineteenth century English culture and social status.  Rhys’s many difficulties led her to empathize with all kinds of human suffering regardless of the cause.

 Rhys develops the complex character of Antoinette Cosway, who Bronte describes as a mere lunatic in the novel Jane Eyre.  Rhys’s empathy for Bertha/Antoinette leads her to chose Bertha Mason’s ill fated marriage as a perfect subject to explore. Rhys takes the reader deep through her psyche as a way to better understand Bertha/Antoinette and the cause of her madness.

Colonialism in Jamaica  Rhys and her character Antoinette both grew up in the British controlled colony of Jamaica.  The British Empire formally ruled Jamaica from 1670 as a result of the Treaty of Madrid.  Sugar became a luxury commodity ever since the development of large scale sugar plantations during the 1640’s.  There was a high demand for sugar after the British Empire seized control of the Island.

 By 1750 Jamaica was the most important British colony in the west indies.  In 1834 the British parliament abolished all forms of slavery in their colonies.  The sudden loss of a large slave population was devastating for the Jamaican economy.

Antoinette: Life in the West Indies  Antoinette, the narrator for the first half of the story describes the difficulties of growing up in the 1830’s in Jamaica.  There was a strong feeling of isolation and loneliness that she experienced as a white Creole child in a predominantly black West Indies.

 Antoinette’s character’s family were once rich and owned many slaves, but experienced a decline in their fortunes and status after the abolition of slavery.  One night locals surrounded her house and burnt it down leaving both Antoinette and her mother scarred.  Antoinette was so traumatized that she is forced to go to a convent to recover. On the other hand the extent of the trauma leads her mother to go insane.

Antoinette: Marriage to Rochester  Antoinette’s step father arranges her marriage to Rochester when she is 17 years old.  Rochester moves to Jamaica to be with her and early on they are happily married.  When Rochester leans about her mother's insanity he distances himself from her and their marriage deteriorates.

 As a result of a distanced marriage Antoinette begins to drink and attempts to use Voodoo to renew his interes.  Rochester tries to subdue his wife but none of his tactics work, so he decides to take her back to England and lock her in the attic.

Works Cited • Lagretta, Lenker T. "Cyclopedia of Literary Characters." MagillOnLiterature Plus. Salem Press, Feb. 1998. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. • Meyers, Linda J. MagillOnLiterature Plus. Salem Press, Mar. 1995. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. • Mikolajek, Stanley J. "The History of Jamaica: From Colonialism and Slavery to Emancipation and Independence, Page 8 of 8." Associated Content from Yahoo! - Associatedcontent.com. 4 Feb. 2011. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. . • Stiffler, Tiffany E. "Masterplots." MagillOnLiterature Plus. Salem Press, Nov. 2010. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. • Ziskin, Alan. "Identities & Issues in Literature;." MagillOnLiterature Plus. Salem Press, Sept. 1997. Web. 10 Apr. 2011.