Wide Sargasso Sea is an awesome read. The start was disorienting, but amid the confusion there was a fantastic, beautifully depicted world. By process of rereading, asking questions, and plenty of dictionary checks, this book became an engrossing and masterful piece. Needless to say, there are few unsealed cracks in this legendary fanfic. However, it seemed towards the end that Rhys' world grew a bit too much for it's own good, leading to a rushing scramble to connect the loose ends to the story of Jane Eyre. Although the main points and flow of the novel glue well to the parent piece, certain details aren't fully developed during the premise, and they stick out like a sore thumb in the tight narrative Rhys has constructed.
The first object in the narrative that is set up but never fully explored is obeah. In the early sections of Antoinette's perspective we witness Christophine's Cool Crazy Cabinet with a slowly bleeding rooster and some other mysterious objects, and we're like "Wow! How Cool and Crazy!" (28) I was looking forward to development of this plot point, and despite it's treatment in the closing scenes with the "love potion" the finer points are never elaborated. Is it legit? Do all the characters in the story believe in it? Perhaps the quality of the novel is positively affected by these informative omissions, but it definitely doesn't warrant setting up a potentially novel concept.
A slightly less mentioned, but nonetheless important detail I found underplayed was the whole "Bertha Mason" deal. As nitpicky as it sounds, especially knowing all along that this Antoinette has to become Bertha by the end of the novel, the seed of this dynamic seems to be planted far too late. Rhys pulls off the emotional side of this concept very well; the name is used to further encase Antoinette in her shell and her madness, and reflects the passive ways that she is driven insane. The actual reasoning for it is left sort of ambiguous and inexplicable. I might be reading into it too far, but having Rochester just suddenly start calling her this name he likes and ignoring her statements to stop is very weird, and reflects my feelings on the sudden meltdown of Rochester.
This might be unorthodox for a blog post, but I'm curious to see what you guys think: Do you agree that these mentioned developments are "plot holes" that are left untended? Do you feel the ambiguity of these concepts is key to the novel? Or do you think I'm just nitpicking and the story is entirely well constructed? Please, let me know!
The novel overall was very well done, but I agree with you that the ending seemed a bit rushed. There are some things that bother me, but probably the biggest one was the whole "her name is now Bertha" thing. It was really odd in the way it was introduced and seemed too forced trying to tie this book back to Jane Eyre, but Rhys added so much symbolism to it, like you said, that it sort of makes up for the ambiguity. In my opinion, there are some plot holes, but in the scheme of things, they are considerably small and Rhys makes up for it through her great writing.
ReplyDeleteIn large part, I sort of enjoyed the mystery about the things like obeah that weren't well-explained. I thought this worked especially well in the sections narrated by Rochester, as the ambiguity and lack of information about some things reflected his complete disorientation and confusion in the new environment. The only thing that really didn't make sense was "Bertha," as it seemed to be sort of thrown in there to have continuity to Jane Ayre. The explanation that it's symbolic of their marriage seems a bit weak to me, and I think it would have been better if Rhys had just named her Bertha.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you that the whole renaming thing was weird...I saw it as being forced to tie up things with Jane Eyre. I'd think of a renaming as being a new chance at life, when Rochester is just taking her life and throwing it away by locking her up in the attic in England, rather than actually letting her have a new life by letting her and Christophine live on their own. Also, Rochester forces this new name on Antoinette, which I saw as being really weird and not even happening in the worst of relationships out there...while it's absolutely cruel, it's a rather unusual way to mistreat one's spouse.
ReplyDeleteWith regards to the obeah, I agree with Will. Adding on to that, I think that the power of obeah is based in its mystery and intrigue. If a lot about it was explained, it'd lose a lot of that mystery/intrigue revolving around it, and then'd it not only be less interesting, but seem less powerful and have a lesser impact on the novel as a whole (or so I think it would). There's a reason that a magician's not supposed to reveal his tricks...the power is in the illusion, the intrigue and the mystery.
I was very intrigued by obeah when it was brought up the first time. I do understand what other people are saying about how its power relies on that intrigue, that lack of understanding, and of course it's not like I automatically assumed that the book would turn into some paranormal story. That being said, I guess I did expect some things to resurface (the screaming girl that Rochester encountered in the woods, the road that supposedly didn't exist, etc) and couldn't help but be a bit disappointed when they didn't. I suppose if anything it was a way to get the reader thinking more about obeah, since the climax of the book is based on Antoinette trying to use it on Rochester.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Will here, in that I think the mystery added a really important element to the story. In the West Indies, Rochester feels this sense of hostility, is constantly reminded of his oustider-ness, etc. We begin to feel that same feeling of "woah, this is weird... I've never seen this kind of stuff before," even before Rochester is introduced. I think that Rhys, by planting this seed of discomfort and mystery and kind of eerie, they-know-something-I-don't type dynamic with the people in the West Indies within US, the reader, makes it very easy for us to sympathize with Rochester when he's first introduced. That way, once he begins to decline into the place he is at the point of the voyage to England, we see how far he falls from understandably lost and confused to psychotic and possessive.
ReplyDeleteI definitely understand where you're coming from, I think the book definitely could have taken some interesting turns by flushing out some of the loose ends you mention. I think that the obeah aspect, as everyone has been saying, understandably wasn't fully revealed to the reader. It did play a vital role however, in making Rochester even more uncomfortable in Antoinette's home. Perhaps Rhys did not fully explain obeah because the majority of the book was from Rochester's perspective. Rochester never fully understood the power or effects of obeah. Therefore, Rhys may not have been able to use his narrative to flush out this idea. Maybe some of the disorienting loose ends of the novel were meant to make the reader feel somewhat like Rochester. We're not always sure what's going on and we may find ourselves doubtful or skeptical of the situations we encountered.
ReplyDeleteI think the role of obeah in this novel is meant to be vague. Throughout most of the story, we are left to question what is happening and why the characters are acting a certain way. While the first part is especially confusing, it's the second part that really points out the complicated atmosphere surrounding Rochester. From his arrival on the island to when he eventually leaves, Rochester is surrounded by the secrets of the island. Every time he tries to learn something about the island, the answer alludes him and leaves him frustrated. Much like the obeah aspect, it is not meant to be uncovered and fully explained. If it were, it would only detract from the story and, more importantly, ruin the reticent and tense environment that contributed to Antoinette's madness. Of course, Rochester is the main reason for her madness but I think his transition from the English gentleman into this rough controller was a result of the vagueness of the island. Being placed in an environment without definitive answers would be frustrating and could change even the most stable of people so it's no wonder that both characters go a little mad in the end.
ReplyDeleteWe might concede that Rhys had to find some way to turn Antoinette's name to Bertha. But then again, she invented the name Antoinette--she could have just made her Bertha from the start. But she establishes her French Creole identity, and so the change to an "English" name has the double effect of altering the French in her and the Creole in her, with this impossible "English girl" ideal.
ReplyDeleteIt might be weird that Rochester just starts calling her Bertha, but it's on par with locking her in the attic (also weird, right?). There's this desire to control and define her, to "turn her into someone else," as Antoinette puts it ("That's obeah, too"). And as I said in class, there's some poetic significance in the audible difference between the melodious "Antoinette" and the gruff "Bertha," and this largely reflects the novel's contrast between lush, exotic West Indian settings and cold, stark England. In the attic, she has "become Bertha," the character from _Jane Eyre_. But she still has dim memories of this "other girl," Antoinette. Implausible or not, it's a very powerful way to reflect the central theme of identity.
I also found the way Antoinette was renamed Bertha to be a little strange and I thought it was hard to believe that Rochester would just start calling her Bertha. However, as Jacob mentioned above, it does seem like it could be just an attempt by Rhys to tie up the novel and make it fit as well to Jane Eyre as possible.
ReplyDeleteI also think that Obeah was a purposefully vague concept to the reader. Many scenes involving Obeah were told through Rochester's eyes, and since everything at Coulibri is very foreign to him, it is appropriate that Obeah, a particularly strong example of differences in the new culture, is presented in such a opaque manner.
I didn't find the ambiguity of obeah annoying at all, in fact I think it works better that Rhys never quite proves whether or not it works. The mystery ties into the disorienting, dreamlike feeling of the West Indies, and it would feel jarring if it were more clearly explained. It's one of those things that Antoinette and Christophine understand, but Rochester doesn't because he's a foreigner.
ReplyDeleteI thought the "Bertha" name change made sense, but I agree that it was really sudden and not well explained. The last third of the book felt really rushed and it would have been a lot better if there was some explanation of what happened on the trip to England, what it was like when Antoinette first arrived, etc. Rochester seems to have shut her out completely really suddenly, and it felt odd.
I agree that the actions of Rochester and Christophine often seem a little unrealistic, but I think this backs up the idea that Rhys is using her characters and the novel as symbolic tools to influence the development of Antoinette into Bertha Mason.
ReplyDeleteI think that the Bertha thing is simply reflective of the weird and unhealthy relationship that Antoinette and Rochester have towards the end of the book. It makes just about as much sense as some of the other things Rochester has done... So I think it contributes to the kind of chaos and mental instability that characterizes the latter portion of their marriage together, including her time in England especially.
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