Assignment 203: Unveiling Patriarchal Oppression: Antoinette's Struggle in "Wide Sargasso Sea"

Academic Information

• Name: Rajeshvariba Rana

• Roll No: 16

• Semester: 3 (Batch 2022-24)

• Enrolment number: 4069206420220023

• Paper No: 203

• Paper name: Postcolonial-Studies

• Paper code: 22408

• Topic: Unveiling Patriarchal Oppression: Antoinette's Struggle in "Wide Sargasso Sea"                                         

• Submitted to: Smt. S.B. Gardi, Department of English, MKBU

• Email Address: rhrana148@gmail.com

• Submission Date: 27th Nov 2023

Unveiling Patriarchal Oppression: Antoinette's Struggle in "Wide Sargasso Sea"

Introduction:

Jean Rhys wrote the novel "Wide Sargasso Sea" in 1966 as a response to Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre." In Brontë's novel, the character Bertha, Mr. Rochester's foreign wife, is portrayed simply as a "mad ghost." Rhys wanted to give Bertha a more complete life in her own narrative. In Rhys's novel, the main female character is named Antoinette, representing Bertha before her arrival in England.

Mr. Rochester and Antoinette's Role:

(I will refer to him as Mr. Rochester, even though his name is not mentioned in the novel. The reader becomes aware of his name through the connection to Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre.)

In the book "Wide Sargasso Sea," Mr. Rochester is portrayed as a man who wants to be in control and maintain his position of power in a patriarchal and colonial system. On the other hand, Antoinette is described as an innocent person seeking love and appreciation. Geert Hofstede, in his study about masculinity and femininity, defines the typical man as active and strong, while the typical woman is seen as passive and weak.

Geert Hofstede in his Masculinity and Femininity: The Taboo Dimensions of National Cultures, defines the male stereotype as active and strong while the female stereotype is passive and weak.

According to Hofstede, a masculine society is tough and aggressive, with men focusing on material success, while women are considered to be modest and caring about the quality of life. These ideas can be applied to both Mr. Rochester and Antoinette. Some critics argue that Mr. Rochester is more active compared to the passive Antoinette. They even suggest that Antoinette's innocence is a reason for the failure of her marriage to Mr. Rochester.

Defining "madness" is challenging because it can be understood in different ways. It might be seen as a disorder of the brain, but it is also a social phenomenon. Cultural variations in norms and values can be labeled as madness, and it can also result from societal oppression, like patriarchal oppression.

David Cooper writes that “one does not go mad but is driven mad by others”. (Foucault)

What we mean by "madness." Should we call someone mad if they behave differently from what society expects? By using feminist theories and Foucault's work called "Madness and Civilization," I aim to show how the structure in "Wide Sargasso Sea" is influenced by a patriarchal system. This supports the idea that Antoinette becomes "mad" due to her husband's oppressive behavior.

This work is about how Mr. Rochester purposely makes Antoinette go "mad" by suppressing her with his patriarchal male superiority and dominance.

The goal is to demonstrate that Mr. Rochester perceives Antoinette as "mad" because she doesn't conform to his English Victorian standards of repressed female sexuality. He attributes qualities of "madness" to her due to cultural differences in norms and values, which stem from colonialism. Antoinette is colonized by her British husband, who attempts to disconnect her from her own identity and culture, leading to a sense of alienation. The term "alienation" is used to express Antoinette's feeling of not belonging. The patriarchal husband, it will be shown, separates her from her own identity. The analysis will explore how the rejection by the unloving Mr. Rochester brings misery to Antoinette. His cruel behavior diminishes her self-esteem, making it easier for him to break her down. Additionally, the examination will consider how Mr. Rochester transforms Antoinette's activity into passivity throughout the novel.

Madness:

In Wide Sargasso Sea Antoinette’s “madness” can be interpreted as a social phenomenon; she is driven “mad” by her patriarchal husband.(Wollstonecraft)

Foucault believes that madness is an invented disease; it is a disease of our civilization.

Her "madness" results from Mr. Rochester's oppression within a flawed patriarchal society that permits and tolerates cruelty towards women. Mr. Rochester's mistreatment of Antoinette is not solely a product of his patriarchal upbringing; it is also influenced by his role as a colonizer, a topic that will be explored in the following section.

Alienation :

The main cause of Antoinette's psychological breakdown is alienation. I use the term "alienation" to describe Antoinette's sense of not belonging and her disconnection from her own identity. Initially, Antoinette feels alienated from the people on her island. This feeling intensifies when her mother marries Mr. Mason, as his English presence further provokes the locals.

She experiences alienation from her husband, who uses his patriarchal power in the marriage to transform her into someone else. Mr. Rochester alienates her by erasing her identity and imposing a new one upon her.

The story is divided into three parts. The first and second parts are set in the British West Indies in the early nineteenth century, while the third part takes place in England. In the first part, Antoinette narrates her tragic childhood, marked by rejection and racial conflicts. The second part is told by her husband, Mr. Rochester, who uses his patriarchal power to dominate and control Antoinette, ultimately causing her descent into madness. The third part returns to Antoinette's perspective as she is now deemed "mad" and confined to the attic of her husband's house in England.

The novel concludes with Antoinette dreaming of burning down her husband's house and committing suicide. The central themes of patriarchy, madness, and colonialism are explored throughout the narrative, shedding light on the challenges faced by the female protagonist in a male-dominated society.

Colonialism :

The themes of colonialism and racial antagonism in Wide Sargasso Sea are important in order to explain the cultural differences between Antoinette and her husband. (Wollstonecraft)

Since Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea is set in the period right after the abolition of slavery, her novel deals with the confusion of the post-slavery area. (Howells)

Jean Rhys's "Wide Sargasso Sea" is set in the period following the end of slavery, dealing with the uncertainties of the post-slavery era. The slavery issue led to significant conflicts between the white and black communities in the West Indies. Antoinette's mother, Annette, a white Creole from French Martinique, married an old slave-owner in Jamaica. This connection with a family involved in slave ownership makes Antoinette feel isolated from the other people on the island. She doesn't feel like she belongs anywhere, facing rejection and disdain from both the black and white populations.

Mr Rochester’s role as a colonizer makes Antoinette oppressed in two ways; through her patriarchal marriage and her husband's colonial values.

Violation of Victorian Norms:

Mr. Rochester deems Antoinette "mad" because she openly expresses her feelings and sexuality, deviating from English Victorian norms of oppressed female sexuality. Her attempts to educate him, contrary to patriarchal expectations, further fuel his fixed ideas to destroy her.

Social Hierarchical Order:

The link between cultural conflicts and gender lies in the shared hierarchical order. In a patriarchy, men or fathers are at the top, while women and their children are at the bottom. Similarly, in a colonized setting, the colonizers (like the British in "Wide Sargasso Sea") are at the top, and the colonized (such as the West Indians in "Wide Sargasso Sea") are at the bottom.

This hierarchy establishes a power structure where those at the top are considered superior to those at the bottom. During colonial times, the British held superiority over the West Indians they colonized. A similar power structure exists in a patriarchy, where men are seen as superior to women and children. Consequently, women, children, and the colonized all face oppression from the higher hierarchy.

In Jean Rhys's "Wide Sargasso Sea," Mr. Rochester acts as a dual oppressor. As someone from England, he represents British colonialism, and being male, he occupies the top of the patriarchal hierarchy. This means that Antoinette, with her Creole heritage and being a woman, faces double oppression from Mr. Rochester.

Economic Challenges in a Patriarchal Society: Annette's Struggle in "Wide Sargasso Sea"

In a patriarchy, economic inequality is evident in the story of Antoinette's mother, Annette. After the death of her first husband, Annette faces economic hardship, struggling to support her family. Her financial situation improves only when she marries Mr. Mason.(Olaussen)

According to Maria Olaussen, Annette represents the gender ideology within the patriarchal economic system. Annette, being economically dependent on men, uses her beauty as her primary tool to compete with other women in the quest for English protection and financial support This highlights the challenges women like Annette face, relying on men for economic stability in a society where such dependence is common.

Name Matters:

By calling Antoinette “Bertha”, Mr Rochester takes away part of who Antoinette is and turns her into someone she cannot identify with. In Part Three of Wide Sargasso Sea, Antoinette reflects about names: “Names matter, like when he wouldn’t call me Antoinette, and I saw Antoinette drifting out of the window with her scents, her pretty clothes and her looking-glass”. (Rhys)

Names hold significance because they are a part of a person's identity, allowing them to be recognized within a community. Mr. Rochester demonstrates his colonial power by erasing his wife's identity; as a colonizer, he attempts to impose a British identity on her.

Conclusion :

Here, I would like to conclude with some key points of the topic.

• Antoinette's descent into "madness" is a result of her oppressive patriarchal marriage and the challenges of growing up in a colonial and patriarchal society with racial tensions.
• The patriarchal norms of her society restrict Antoinette from leading an independent life, subjecting her to control by various male figures.
• Using the social definition of "madness," Antoinette's condition is interpreted as a consequence of her husband's oppressive behavior in their patriarchal environment.
• Mr. Rochester serves as a dual oppressor, symbolizing British colonialism and occupying a superior position in the patriarchal hierarchy.
• Antoinette is labeled "mad" by Mr. Rochester due to her defiance of English Victorian norms, expressing her feelings and sexuality openly.
• Throughout the novel, Mr. Rochester transforms Antoinette from active resistance to passive submission; however, she regains control by choosing death as a final act of liberation from patriarchal oppression.

In summary, Antoinette's descent into "madness" is a complex interplay of her colonial and patriarchal upbringing, dependence on oppressive men, societal definitions of madness, and Mr. Rochester's double oppression. The essay delves into the dynamics of power, gender, and societal expectations that shape Antoinette's tragic narrative in "Wide Sargasso Sea."

(Word Count 1738; Images 03)

Works Cited

Foucault, Michel. Madness and Civilization (Routledge Classics). Routledge Classics, 2016.

Howells, Coral Ann. Jean Rhys. Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1991. Accessed 27 November 2023.

Olaussen, Maria. Three Types of Feminist Criticism and Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea. vol. 8, Institute of Women's Studies at Åbo akademi University, 1992.

Rhys, Jean. Wide Sargasso Sea. W.W. Norton, 2016.

Wollstonecraft, Mary. “Patriarchal madness.” DiVA portal, 2005, https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:16322/fulltext01. Accessed 27 November 2023.