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.