Assignment 203:Racism and Colonial Oppression in Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea: A Study of Identity and Madness

Racism and Colonial Oppression in Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea: A Study of Identity and Madness

About this blog: This blog is part of an assignment for the paper 203: Postcolonial-Studies

Table of contents:

• Personal information 
• Assignment details 
• Abstract 
• Introduction 
• Abstract 
• Racism and Colonialism in the Caribbean Context
• Antoinette’s Struggle with Identity
• Rochester as a Symbol of Colonial Oppression
• Racism as a Factor in Antoinette’s Mental Deterioration
• Conclusion 
• References 

Personal information:

• Name: Jay Maruniya 
• Batch : M.A sem. 3(2023-2025)
• Enrollment number: 5108230027
• Roll No: 12

Assignment details:

• Topic: Racism and Colonial Oppression in Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea: A Study of Identity and Madness
• Paper and subject code: Paper 203: Postcolonial-Studies (22407)
• Submitted to: smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi, Department of English, MKBU, Bhavnagar 
• Date of submission:18/11/2024

Abstract:

This assignment explores the themes of racism and colonial oppression in Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea, focusing on the character of Antoinette and her struggle with identity. Set in the Caribbean during the colonial period, the novel examines how racial discrimination, cultural marginalization, and gendered power dynamics contribute to Antoinette’s psychological breakdown. Through the character of Rochester, Rhys portrays the oppressive influence of colonial attitudes, revealing the devastating effects of identity erasure and cultural control. Antoinette’s journey highlights the destructive nature of forced assimilation and racial prejudice, ultimately leading her to a tragic end. This study provides insights into the psychological impact of racism and the limitations imposed on individuals who exist between cultures, illustrating how systemic oppression shapes identity and mental health.

Keywords:

Racism, Colonialism, Identity Crisis, Cultural Oppression, Madness, Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea, Antoinette, Creole Identity, Postcolonial Literature

Introduction:

About Author 

Jean Rhys was born on August 24, 1890, in Roseau, Dominica, which is a small island in the Caribbean. Her father was a doctor from Wales, and her mother was a Creole, a person of mixed European and African ancestry, which made Jean feel both connected to and different from her surroundings. She spent her childhood in Dominica, where she went to school and learned about life in the West Indies. At age 16, she left Dominica and traveled to London to further her education. While in London, she decided to work as an actress. Later, she moved to Paris, where she met Ford Madox Ford, an English writer who encouraged her to try writing herself.

Jean began her writing career by focusing on the world around her in Europe, particularly capturing the unique experiences of women who felt alone or were struggling. Her first book was a collection of short stories called The Left Bank, published in 1927. After that, she wrote several novels, including Postures (1928), After Leaving Mr. Mackenzie (1931), Voyage in the Dark (1934), and Good Morning, Midnight (1939). These books often told the stories of women who felt lost or were dealing with loneliness in the fast-paced, sometimes harsh world of Europe during the 1920s and 1930s.

After some time, Jean stopped writing and lived quietly in Cornwall, England. For nearly 30 years, she published no new work, and people thought she had retired from writing. However, she surprised everyone when, in 1966, she published Wide Sargasso Sea, a novel that became very famous. This book told the story of Antoinette Cosway, a woman from the Caribbean who would later become Mr. Rochester's "mad" first wife in the classic novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. By writing this story, Jean Rhys gave Antoinette a voice and a background, helping readers understand her side of the story.

Jean’s later works included two short story collections: Tigers Are Better-Looking (1968) and Sleep It Off, Lady (1976). She also began writing an autobiography called Smile Please, but she couldn't finish it before she passed away on May 14, 1979, in Exeter, Devon, England. Jean Rhys is remembered for her ability to capture the feelings of people who often felt like outsiders, showing readers how they thought and felt in a world that was sometimes difficult to understand.

About Novel:

Wide Sargasso Sea is a novel by Jean Rhys that was published in 1966. It tells the story of Antoinette Mason, who is known as Bertha in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. The book explores Antoinette's life, focusing on her experiences as a West Indian woman.

Antoinette marries an unnamed Englishman and moves with him to his home in England after they get married. However, their marriage is unhappy. Antoinette feels lonely and trapped because her husband doesn’t understand or love her. As a result, she starts to lose her sanity and becomes violent. Her husband decides to confine her to the attic of their house, Thornfield Hall, where only he and a caretaker named Grace Poole know she is there.

The novel is divided into three parts. The first and last parts are told from Antoinette's point of view, while the middle part is narrated by her husband. This allows readers to see how both characters feel about their troubled relationship and the challenges they face.

Overall, Wide Sargasso Sea highlights themes of identity, mental illness, and the effects of colonialism. It gives a voice to a character who was misunderstood in Jane Eyre, showing her struggles and the reasons behind her descent into madness.

Racism and Colonialism in the Caribbean Context

Setting: 

The Caribbean’s colonial history creates a background rife with racial tension and class hierarchy. The presence of British colonizers oppresses the local populations, as well as Creole characters like Antoinette, who belong neither to the white English nor to the black Caribbean community.

Impact of Colonialism: 

Colonialism introduces rigid social divides that affect the characters. Creoles like Antoinette are often alienated due to their mixed heritage and are marginalized by both the colonizers and the indigenous communities.

Antoinette’s Identity:

 As a Creole, Antoinette faces discrimination that exacerbates her feeling of isolation. She is viewed with suspicion by both her English husband and the locals, intensifying her internal conflict and lack of belonging.

Antoinette’s Struggle with Identity

 

Identity Crisis:

Antoinette's mixed heritage is central to her identity crisis. Born to a white father and a Creole mother in Jamaica, she embodies a complex cultural duality. This duality is reflective of Jean Rhys's own life experiences, as Rhys herself struggled with belonging in both Caribbean and English societies. Antoinette is caught in a liminal space, feeling rejected by both the English colonial community and the local black population. Her inability to fully align with either group leaves her feeling fragmented and alienated, emphasizing the theme of hybrid identity. This struggle is compounded by societal expectations and prejudices, leading her to question her worth and place in the world.

Isolation:

Antoinette's childhood is marked by profound isolation, which further complicates her identity formation. Growing up in a crumbling estate, Coulibri Estate, she lacks the nurturing familial bonds that could provide her with a sense of security and belonging. Her relationship with her mother is strained, and her father is absent, leading to a lack of emotional support. At school, she faces bullying and exclusion, heightening her feelings of loneliness. This social isolation fosters her introspective nature and emotional vulnerability, which are pivotal in shaping her later experiences. The isolation she endures foreshadows her eventual psychological decline, as her disconnection from others deepens her sense of hopelessness.

Emotional Vulnerability:

Antoinette’s emotional vulnerability is intricately tied to her identity crisis. Her sensitivity to cultural rejection—stemming from her mixed heritage and social isolation—leads to a pervasive sense of melancholy. This emotional turmoil manifests in her relationships, particularly with Rochester, who exploits her fragility. Her inability to assert her identity makes her susceptible to manipulation, as she craves love and acceptance from those around her. This vulnerability culminates in her mental breakdown, symbolizing the tragic consequences of her fractured self-concept. Her struggle embodies the broader themes of colonialism and gender dynamics, illustrating how external forces can impact individual identity and psychological well-being.

Rochester as a Symbol of Colonial Oppression

Colonial Mentality: 

Rochester embodies the colonial power structure. He arrives in the Caribbean with little respect for the land or its people, viewing them as inferior. This view justifies his oppressive treatment of Antoinette, whom he sees as someone he can control.

Renaming as Control:

 Renaming Antoinette as “Bertha” is a symbolic act of erasure. Rochester uses this new name to distance her from her Caribbean heritage, attempting to reshape her identity to fit his English ideals. This renaming also represents the broader colonial practice of imposing names and identities on colonized individuals.

Loss of Identity: 

Rochester’s actions erase Antoinette’s sense of self, symbolizing the erasure of the native identity by colonial powers. His dismissal of her background and traditions reveals his lack of empathy and highlights his role as a cultural oppressor.

Racism as a Factor in Antoinette’s Mental Deterioration

Psychological Impact of Racism: 

The article implies that Antoinette’s mental health is severely impacted by the racial prejudice and rejection she faces, both in her community and in her marriage to Rochester. The constant devaluation of her Creole identity plays a significant role in her emotional distress.

Rochester’s Influence: 

Rochester’s refusal to acknowledge Antoinette’s culture and his oppressive behavior drive her toward madness. By changing her name, isolating her from her homeland, and dismissing her voice, Rochester’s actions reinforce the racial and cultural barriers that trap Antoinette.

Madness as Resistance: 

The article argues that Antoinette’s madness can be viewed as a response to Rochester’s colonial control. In her final act of rebellion, she sets fire to the house, symbolizing a last effort to reclaim power over her own life and reject the identity forced upon her by Rochester.

Conclusion:

Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea offers a powerful critique of colonialism and its harmful effects on personal identity, particularly through the character of Antoinette Cosway. The novel explores themes of racism, colonial oppression, and identity struggles, showing how Antoinette, a Creole woman, faces discrimination because of her mixed heritage. Growing up in the Caribbean, a place with a history of colonial rule, she feels caught between two worlds and struggles to find her place in society.

Antoinette’s identity crisis reflects Rhys's own experiences, as she deals with feelings of loneliness and a lack of support from her family. Her emotional struggles are made worse by her husband, Rochester, who represents colonial power. He renames her "Bertha," which symbolizes how he tries to erase her Caribbean background and impose his own identity on her.

The constant rejection and disrespect Antoinette faces take a toll on her mental health. Rochester’s controlling behavior drives her to the edge of madness. In her final act of rebellion, she sets fire to the house, which symbolizes her fight to regain control over her life.

Through Antoinette’s tragic story, Rhys highlights how racism and colonialism can destroy individuals, especially those who are already marginalized. The novel's themes are still relevant today, as they reflect ongoing issues of racial and cultural discrimination. By exploring Antoinette's struggles, Wide Sargasso Sea tells an important story about the impact of colonialism and the search for identity in a world filled with prejudice.

References:

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Wide Sargasso Sea". Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Mar. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Wide-Sargasso-Sea. Accessed 4 November 2024.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Jean Rhys". Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Aug. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Rhys. Accessed 4 November 2024.

Gilchrist, Jennifer. “Women, Slavery, and the Problem of Freedom in Wide Sargasso Sea.” Twentieth Century Literature, vol. 58, no. 3, 2012, pp. 462–94. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24246943. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Gowher Ahmad Naik, Kaneez Fatima. “(PDF) the White Creole in Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea : A Woman in Passage.” International Journals of Psychological Rehabilitation , Apr. 2023, www.researchgate.net/publication/301571350_The_White_Creole_in_Jean_Rhys’s_Wide_Sargasso_Sea_A_Woman_in_Passage. Accessed 04 Nov. 2024. 

Patel, Ripal. “Racism in Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea.” Racism in Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea, Mar. 2016, ijsi.in/pdf-viewer/?id=755. Accessed 04 Nov. 2024. 

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