Insanity in Wide Sargasso Sea

The Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys revolves around a creole woman who is driven to insanity by her torn identity and skewed society that can drive any woman mad. The novel is written as a rewriting of the popular novel by Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre. The mad woman in Jane Eyre, Bertha Mason, is actually Antoinette Mason in Wide Sargasso Sea and is given a rich background that allows the reader to question the way non-Western characters are portrayed in Victorian Literature. In Victorian Literature, the concept of women and madness often go hand in hand and Rhys uses this to place the novel in the Victorian context but also through a postcolonial feminist lens. Specifically, the postcolonial feminism in the novel allows Rhys to write back to the popular notion that feminism is only for Western women. Antoinette’s gradual mental instability can be traced back to her feelings of entrapment in a patriarchal society. Through creating a character that is both female and Creole in Wide Sargasso Sea, Rhys is able to critique the universalizing tendencies of mainstream feminist ideas and argues that women living in non-Western countries are misrepresented. Examining the Wide Sargasso Sea in chronological order demonstrates the manner in which Rhys altered her narrative styles in order to emphasize Antoinette’s context to justify her mental deterioration in the end of the novel, the male colonizer versus colonized power dynamics in marriage as perceived by Rochester, and a genuine account of Antoinette’s thoughts after she has been driven to madness. All this allows Rhys to redefine the concept of insanity that is portrayed not only in Jane Eyre, but in Victorian literature, thus allowing an effective critique of the literature of the time.    

Part 1 of the novel sets a rich background and childhood for Antoinette that allows the reader to build a connection with her and later justify how she is portrayed as insane as shown later in the novel and in the novel of Jane Eyre. Firstly, Antoinette’s interactions with secondary characters develop her characterization and allow the audience to understand the internal and external conflicts she faces as not only a woman, but a Creole woman. Rhys makes it clear in the beginning of the novel that Antoinette and her family do not belong to one racial sector, specifically, nor the white or the black community. Following the emancipation act, Antoinette’s family lost much of their money and power and were looked at as lower than slaves. Through her interactions with Tia, it is clear that Antoinette has a longing for belonging to the black community. The black community often attacks her and her family verbally, calling them “white cockroaches”, and showing that they have no intention of allowing Antoinette and her family into their community. From this, Antoinette has an external conflict with both racial groups and an internal conflict with a torn identity. After her family’s home burns down and she is rejected by her mother, the reader begins feeling sympathy for Antoinette. In this way, it takes away from her moral ambiguity as a character because Rhys places Antoinette in a position that makes it difficult for the reader to label her as insane. In fact, as her mental state deteriorates towards the end of the novel, the reader cannot simply declare her insane because of the sympathy built in part 1 of the novel. In this way, it forces the reader to question her external conflicts, specifically her husband, Rochester, and his role as a double oppressor. This also allows for the reader to question the portrayal of Antoinette in Jane Eyre. In Jane Eyre, “Bertha Mason” is shown as a mad Creole woman. In Wide Sargasso Sea, the background that is given in part 1 of the novel is a direct attack at Bronte’s novel because the reader realizes that external conflicts drove Antoinette mad, rather than her Creole blood. This questions the supposed concept of madness and craze in non-Western women. By using madness, something common in the Victorian context, Rhys places her Creole character in that Victorian context, thus questioning the concept that feminism only considers Western women. Part 1 allows the reader to heavily consider the external conflicts and realize that the madness that was portrayed in later parts of the novel and the novel of Jane Eyre was portrayed through a Western lens. Antoinette was not only portrayed as insane because of the fact that she is a woman, but also the fact that she is a Creole woman. It is important to recognize that Rhys makes the clear distinction between being insane as a result of her racial identity and being driven to insanity as a result of patriarchal and colonial oppression.

Part 2 of the novel is significant in the portrayal of insanity because it allowed Rhys to show that Antoinette was labeled as mad through the narration of Rochester and that it was a way for the double oppressor to assert a position of power. When Rochester’s narration begins in the novel, it directly shows the way the colonizer viewed the oppressed and the way men viewed women. Rochester makes it clear that he does not respect Antoinette and looks at her as less of a woman as a result of her hybrid race. This is seen through his confusion in her love for the West Indies and his general remarks condemning Antoinette’s actions and ways of living. The only way he is able to stay in the relationship is by mentally and physically asserting dominance and power over her. He does this by making her insecure and making her question her reality, thus driving her into a state of madness. Part 2 was significant because it allowed Rhys to establish the fact that Antoinette was labeled insane by Rochester, rather than actually being insane. His physical incarceration of her later in the novel mentally destroys her but in part 2, he justified his actions and gained power through thinking that she is mad. One way he labels her as mad is through moral madness. Specifically, through her sexuality and promiscuous nature.   In fact, Daniel Cosway finds her sexuality as a way to taunt Rochester and declare her insane. Rochester begins looking down at Antoinette as a result of the idea in his head that a proper woman should not be as promiscuous, thus allowing him to use this moral dominance he has to justify his declaration of Antoinette’s madness. Similarly, racial dominance is also significant in allowing Rochester to portray Antoinette as insane. Because he believes the English are superior, Antoinette’s hybridity is looked down upon from the beginning of his narration. In his head, the fact that she is Creole automatically gives her a genetic predisposition to being insane. Rhys plays on the dynamic of post colonialism and feminism by showing Rochester as the powerful male and the powerful colonizer. These two things feed into his need and supposed justification for dominance over Antoinette. Rhys does this for two reasons. Firstly, Antoinette’s entrapment in the patriarchal society also justifies her mental corrosion later in the novel. Secondly, and more importantly, Rochester’s skewed and tyrannical tone in his narration allows for Rhys to force the reader to question his reliability as a narrator and further question his position as a dominant male and colonizer. Combined with the sympathy that the reader has for Antoinette, Rhys shows that Antoinette being portrayed as insane by secondary characters was not a result of a real mental illness, but rather a slanted perception on the roles of women and colonized people in non-Western countries. This then directly argues back with the portrayal of insanity in Jane Eyre with Antoinette (Bertha) and shows that she was not mentally ill, but rather was driven into a state of hysteria.

            Antoinette’s narration in part 3 of the novel allows Rhys to use the stream of consciousness technique to show the reader the mentally unstable mind of Antoinette and show how she was driven into insanity. Part 3 is the shortest part in the novel, often with shorter sentences and fragmented breaks in narration. Antoinette often has flashbacks and has narration that shows a tone of mental instability. For instance, her belief that there is a ghost shows the reader that her mental state may have gone down. Ironically, this ghost is a reversal of roles in Jane Eyre, as Jane Eyre believes she saw a ghost. As a result of the reader knowing that Jane is in the household, Antoinette thinking there is a female ghost inhabiting the house may be justified. In this case, Rhys shows that Antoinette’s insanity may not be how Rochester portrayed it in part 2 of the novel. With that being said, there is a quickened pace in the novel and certain things that show that Antoinette may be slightly broken from reality. With that being said, the difference in narration between part 3 and part 1 shows that Antoinette was not always mad but was driven into madness by her husband’s role as a patriarch and a colonizer. By doing this, Rhys criticizes the insinuation in Jane Eyre that madness and insanity is an innate and a result of racial upbringings. She reverses the concept of insanity by showing it to be a result of a patriarchal social construct. Rochester drives Antoinette into insanity in order to help him gain victimization, justification, and innocence.

            Rhys effectively writes back to Bronte’s, Jane Eyre, by redefining the concept on insanity. Giving Antoinette a background forces the reader to question the patriarchal and postcolonial Victorian era that Antoinette was placed in as a result of her powerful and dominant husband. Rhys makes the point that unlike Bertha was portrayed in Jane Eyre, insanity is a result of society, and not genetics or race. She uses Rochester as a double oppressor to enforce the idea that Antoinette is not simply victimized as a woman, but more powerfully as a Creole and non-Western woman. Rhys makes the madwoman worthy of a story, thus completely shifting the concept of madness and questioning the perception of insanity and madness in women in literature that is placed in a Victorian context.

WSS Essay Outline

Prompt A

The relationship between men and women, and the differences in their role in society, are central considerations in many works of literature. Discuss the part they plan in Wide Sargasso Sea.

Thesis Statement

In Wide Sargasso Sea, Rhys uses Rochester and Antoinette’s marriage to represent the relationship between men and women in the patriarchal and postcolonial society, showing how racial identity affected the dynamic between the two genders through portraying Rochester as an economic and moral superior. This post-colonial feminist lens allows Rhys to effectively write back to the mad character of Bertha in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and offer an opposing perspective that challenges the common misinterpretation of women in non-Western cultures.

Body Paragraph 1 – Economic Dominance

Topic Sentence: Rhys uses Rochester’s economic control over Antoinette to highlight an important aspect of how men asserted power over women during the time.

·         The only reason he marries her is for money so from the beginning, their wedding is based off of economic gain.

·         Christophine advices her to leave the marriage but Antoinettte cannot because according to English law, the man has full power over the womans finances.

·         Economic powerlessness is just another way that Antoinette lost her power in the marriage.

·         The economic power that the English man had over the Creole woman (Rochester and Antoinette) represents the role of colonialism on the minority groups.

Body Paragraph 2 – Womanhood and madness

Topic Sentence:  The relationship between womanhood and madness is highlighted in the novel as Rochester labels Antoinette as mad, thus allowing him to justify his ill treatment of her and allow Rhys to contrast her with the character of Bertha in Jane Eyre.

·         Labeling Antoinette as mad is a way for Rochester to assert his power in the patriarchal society.

·         Anything that she did that may seem odd to him (such as lashing out and throwing a wine bottle at him), he contributes to her racial identity.

·         Part 3 is the most prominent with this aspect of the novel because she is looked at and treated as an animal – such as how she is shown in Jane Eyre.

·         Giving Antoinette a rich background and deep childhood allowed Rhys to effectively write back to the Bertha in Jane Eyre that was labeled as mad. This characterization of Antoinette in part 1 of the novel justified her “madness” and mental deterioration at the end of the novel.

·         There is often a contrast between womanhood and madness. Antoinette being a creole woman allowed Rochester to come to conclusions that she’s crazy.

·         Her sexual desired were also looked at as animalistic and considered to be a result of her Caribbean culture – in that way, her moral madness is questioned. (Rochesters sexual desires are not questioned, even when he sleeps with another woman).

·         The concept of “women and madness” is often looked at in Victorian literature so Rhys takes that concept and applies it to a non-Western lens.

Body Paragraph 3 – Antoinette as an “alien” and colonial other.

Topic Sentence: By showing how Rochester looks down on Antoinette as a result of her racial identity, Rhys uses these characters to represent the post-colonial society of the time and disprove the notion of Western societies that non-Western women are often looked at as animals.

·         Her racial identity was a big contributor to the dynamic in their marriage.

·         The feminist lens in this novel incorporates post-colonialism because it challenges the concept of non-Western women that is often thought.

·         Antoinette was less than a woman in Rochester’s eyes – as seen through narration in part 2 of the novel.

·         Rochester looks at Antoinette as having limited knowledge of the world – fails to realize that she only has limited knowledge of his world.

·         In the Victorian patriarchal society, the lower power given to women was often justified due to their “incompetence” – something that Rochester accredited to Antoinettes racial identity.

·         Rochesters sense of power comes from the patriarchal and postcolonial ideologies about how men and women should interact at the time.

Part 1 - Antoinette as an Outsider

In order to rewrite Jane Eyre from an intricate and historically accurate point of view, Bronte focuses significantly on the crazed creole, Bertha Mason, which was portrayed in Bronte’s novel. Rhys rewrites this character as Antoinette, an outsider to any social group she is around. Specifically, she does not fit in with the black community because she has white skin and she does not fit in with the white community because she is Creole. From the beginning of the novel, it is clear that Antoinette begins longing for the idea of safety and security. Being Creole, Rhys portrays Antoinette as torn between pity, hatred, and desire for the black community. Being a daughter of a cruel former slave owner and being surrounded with former slaves, she still has a longing and desire to fit in with the black community, as seen through her interactions with Tia. In fact, the character of Tia comes into extreme significance when characterizing Antoinette as an outsider in part 1 of the novel. Antoinette begins in the novel being slightly naive and believing that there is a chance that she can peacefully co-exist between both races. Following her interactions with Tia, that begins to deteriorate. When Tia throws a rock at Antoinette’s face, it shows that the black community effectively does not recognize her as a part of them, nor do they want her, despite her extreme yearning to find a sense of safety within them. When it comes to the white community, it is clear in part 1 that while the community does not recognize her as one of them, Antoinette does not have a desire to join them. This is seen when she fails to recognize any traditions that Mr. Mason attempts to help her learn. Similarly, she does not let what the white people say about her and her mother bother her. With that being said, these things show Rhys’ characterization of Antoinette as an outsider.

The purpose of characterizing Antoinette as such becomes clearer in the later parts of the novel. Firstly, this torn identity that is clear in part 1 later justifies her emotional breakdown towards the end of the novel. Unlike Said and Okonkwo in the other two novels, Antoinette has a much larger justification for her action towards the end of the novel – mainly due to her troubled childhood and unjust identity. Secondly, Rhys effectively separates the character of Bertha Mason and Antoinette and makes a character out of the silenced character in Bronte’s novel. This then extends far beyond the characters themselves as Rhys uses Antoinette to portray a larger community and highlight the social injustices and cultural tensions that many Creoles faced during post-colonialism. The fact that Antoinette is an outsider can be used to characterize Antoinette, but can also be used to extend far beyond and be used as a social criticism. 

Fate and Freewill - Sheik Al Junaydi

In The Thief and the Dogs, the reader is often conflicted in forming opinions about characters because as the protagonist, Said, evolves, how we view the secondary characters changes. With that being said, most of the secondary characters had many negative traits and were generally considered “bad” people. For example, Rauf and Ilish betrayed Said and were always portrayed as negative characters. The two characters that were portrayed to be “good characters” were Nur and Sheik al Junaydi. Good characters meaning that they could have helped Said have a more fortunate ending and help lead him away from his destruction. Sheik and Junaydi is a Sufi Muslim – Sufism being a sector of Islam that focuses primarily on the “transmission of divine light from the teacher's heart to the heart of the student”. Specifically, they focus on the mystical side of Islam – hoping to gain a sense of self peace. Sheik Al Junaydi is a Sufi Muslim and was Saids father’s mentor. When Said needed a home and food, he sought after the Sheik.  With that being said, the Sheik always attempted to give him advice on how to get better and how to move on with life – thus acting as the moral voice in the novel.

Although Said goes to the Sheik for food and a roof, it is clear that he does not go there for comfort and for advice on how to get better – showing the reader that he might not be aiming on relieving the feelings of anger and hatred that he has. In fact, although he keeps doing wrong things, the Sheik continues to give him advice. The Sheik knows that Said aims to, “seek a roof, not an answer”. When Said has access to a moral voice and someone who is attempting to help him and yet ignores it repeatedly, the reader begins questioning Saids actions. Specifically, they begin to question whether he has a positive moral agenda and the concept of whether Said is a “hero” comes up quite often. Although Said had a moral voice, his tragic flaw – being pride and the desire for revenge – were too strong to listen to it. 

The secondary characters in the novel, such as the Sheik, act as static characters in order to develop the character of Said. The Sheik shows the difference between Saids fate and free will. The reader often questions whether Saids downfall is a result of his fate or freewill. It is difficult to say that it was a result of his own actions and freewill because the reader is set up to have an emotional connection to Said and spend a large portion of the novel cheering him on. But when secondary characters like the Sheik are looked at, it seems more likely that his downfall is a result of his own actions and freewill, rather than his fate. His selfishness and hatred blinded him from caring for and listening to people who attempted to guide him on the right path, such as Nur and the Sheik. 

The Thief and the Dogs Passage Analysis

Chapter 14 – Page 128

"But you go outside so carelessly. You're obsessed with killing your wife and this other man.

You won't kill them. But you will bring about your own destruction."

"What did you hear in town?"

"The taxi-driver who brought me home was on your side. But he said you'd killed some poor innocent fellow."

Said grunted irritably and forestalled any expression of regret by taking another big swallow, gesturing at Nur to drink too. She raised the glass to her lips.

"What else did you hear?" he said.

"On the houseboat where I spent the evening one man said you act as a stimulant, a diversion to relieve peoples' boredom."

"And what did you reply?"

"Nothing at all," Nur said pouting. "But I do defend you; and you don't look after yourself at all. You don't love me either. But to me you're more precious than my life itself; I've never in my whole life known happiness except in your arms. But you'd rather destroy yourself than love me."

She was crying now, the glass still in her hand.

Said put his arm around her. "You'll find me true to my promise," he whispered. "We will escape and live together for ever.”

Analysis:

Towards the end of the book, Said’s mental stability is questioned by the readers and the characters surrounding him. In this passage, Nur is preaching to Said about his destructive behavior and he is denying it. Nur seems to be the only person who knows about how he’s gone crazy and cares about it as well. This passage shows a clear internal struggle from both Said and Nur. Said almost cannot allow himself to love another woman because the emotions of betrayal and anger are so strong that he cannot feel another emotion. At the same time, Nur treats him better than anyone and he begins to have a soft spot for her. With that being said, he is not giving her the love she deserves, making the reader question him as a character.

This passage also allows for the characterization of Nur. Firstly, Nur means light in Arabic – as seen in this passage, Nur seems to be the only light in Said’s life. But he is pushing her away. So although he has a possible source of light and happiness, he’s bringing himself back into the dark, again forcing the reader to question him as a character. Similar to how Nur is telling him that he is the only reason for his own destruction, the reader begins to think similar thoughts. The reader also gets to know Nur fully. Although Said does not treat her as he should and as well as she treats him, she still longs for him – showing an innocent, lonely, and vulnerable side of herself. Said takes this vulnerability and exploits it in order to keep her in his life. With that being said, the way Said treats her foreshadows the possibility that she may end up leaving him as a result of his poor treatment of her.

This passage is significant because it is a defining moment for Nur and Said’s relationship. With that being said, this is a moment in the novel where the audience begins to question Said’s actions, morals, and emotional stability. Specifically, the question of whether Said brought on his own destruction is mentioned. Specifically in this passage, him not allowing Nur in shows that he is blocking his own happiness. His intense thoughts of hatred and revenge are bringing his moral compass down. He also is clearly exploiting Nur’s feelings. Although he doesn’t let her in, she is still a place of security for him. He needs her for a house and food and some emotional stability. Yet, he will not love her back and is using her. The relationship between Nur and Said highlights his internal struggles and shows his tragic flaw. 

The Thief and the Dogs - Stream of Consciousness

        Stream of consciousness is a technique used by the writer to show inside the mind of the main character. In The Thief and the Dogs, the readers are exposed to the twisted mind of the main character, Said. Mahfouz uses stream of consciousness as a way to develop the main character and the overall theme of the novel. When going inside Said’s head, the reader is able to understand the theme of revenge and hatred on a level that could not simply be understood through the narration. From the first page of the novel, the change in text to italics signals the beginning of Saids thoughts. Throughout the novel, italics are used to go inside Said’s head. Being released from jail marks his quest for hate fueled revenge. It is important to know that the original book in Arabic did not have italics. The English translation then used the italics to switch from indirect to direct monologue, thus enriching the stream of consciousness present in the novel. Through being able to go in his head, the reader is able to sympathize with Said. With that being said, it’s difficult not to question Said’s sanity. . The stream-of- consciousness technique used in “The Thief and The Dogs,” is generally different then Naguib Mahfouz’s other work- which tends to be grounded in a more realistic fiction idea.

            The book is very fast paced and switches between several types of narration throughout. The most commonly used form of narration is indirect narration. Soliloquys and direct narration are italicized throughout then novel and go into Said’s thoughts directly. There are abrupt shifts in narration. Throughout the novel, it is clear that Said’s thoughts are evolving as he becomes more fueled by anger and hatred. There is a shift in tone after Said’s daughter rejects him. The narration switches to indirect right after he is rejected and it is clear that it marks the time that Said loses a part of his sanity. His thoughts switch from hatred and turn into anger and a desire of revenge. The one thing that kept him sane was the thought of his daughter and the loss of that drives him over the edge.

            When the reader is able to psychologically understand Said, they are able to understand his external problems that contributed to his internal struggle, thus helping the reader understand this revolutionary counter narrative and the flawed society that Mahfouz is writing about. Because it was a heavy time of censorship, Mahfouz used his characters crazed mind to skillfully explain the problems that he is facing. As Said’s thoughts become more irrational, the reader crafts an idea of his external struggles. In this way, Mahfouz used Said’s internal thoughts as a social commentary of the post-revolution Egypt.       

            With this all being said, several problems arise when and author decides to use a stream of consciousness technique. Firstly, a decay of plot is possible because writers become so entangled in the thoughts and experiences of the character that they often forget to complete a plot. Secondly, the character itself becomes so tangled in the deep psychological thoughts that the writer often disregards the outward appearance that the character is. The writer often believes that the most inner thoughts of the character is impossible to depict to the outside reader, often causing a clash of thoughts in the writer. When these things change, the theme then will change as a result and will lose its meaning.

            Overall, Mahfouz revolutionized Arab writing through his use of the stream of consciousness in The Thief and the Dogs.

            

Literature in Translation

Lately, there has been an increase in the study of literature in translation from languages that were not recognized on a global basis before. The IB requires one translated text to be studied in order to allow for an enrichment in international knowledge. In order to think about why it is important to study translated literature, it’s important to know why we study literature in the first place. Literature helps us know the world around us and allows us to be more mindful and aware of other cultures and their struggles. It allows you to empathize and sympathize with characters who are not real and yet mirror the lives of many humans around the world. Translated literature works in the same way but on a global scale. In countries where one culture dominates all other, such as most countries in the world, reading translate literature allows students and all people to be acquainted with cultures in deeper and richer ways that previously known. It is important to remember that in order for translated literature to be studied effectively, minor previous knowledge about context and culture should be known in order for people to me familiar with the cultural and linguistic devices present instead of placing the book into their own cultural schema. That way, people are able to connect with characters that come from a different culture and a different background and they can begin making connections with their own culture and the culture of the literary text being studied. With that being said, there are complications to studying translated literature. Firstly, no piece of literature can ever be fully translated. Many translators do not try to translate the text word for word, but rather use their own interpretations in order to put across the cultural message that is trying to be conveyed. This poses the risk of main ideas and cultural staples being lost. Secondly, translated books do not have an introductory chapter explaining the cultural significance of the text. This may make the book illogical and lose meaning. With that being said, if studied correctly, translated texts can provide a basis for understanding another culture in depth.