While looking for a next great read I came across Wide Sargasso Sea. I had never heard of this novel before, but I saw that it appeared quite a few times on the AP Literature exam. I looked up a description of the book and went to the library immediately. For those of you who had read Jane Eyre and fallen in love with it, have you often wondered Mr. Rochester's wife life story? Well, that is exactly what Wide Sargasso Sea does. From the beginning of her life, to her time at Thornfield Hall, Jean Rhys, from the point of view of Bertha (the crazy lady) and Mr. Rochester, tells their story.
Initially reading Jane Eyre, I completely thought Bertha was insane. Until I read this prequel, I did not even think about understanding Mrs. Rochester's point of view. And oh, how things changed. Antoinette (Bertha) grew up in the Caribbean with her mother. Her father often left them because he did not like where they lived and his peers threw insults at him for marrying Antoinette's mother, a Martinique girl. So right from the get go Antoinette grew up in a not so ideal situation. It would be reasonable to say that perhaps a psychologist could have diagnosed early on that someday Antoinette would follow in her mother's footsteps. And as you all can infer, she did. But that is not why I fell in love with this book or felt a great sense of sympathy for Antoinette.
I loved her dynamic character because she saw the world in a way that no one else did. She saw the natural beauty of the Caribbean islands, the flowers, waterfalls, the sun rising and setting. While everyone else was complaining how hot it was or how England was much prettier. She lived in the moment. Money was never important to her. Early on it was evident that she figured out that money can do nothing but create destruction. Even though everyone believed her to be crazy, she believed them to be insane because they let their thoughts reside in silly, unimportant manners. At the end of the novel, at Thornfield Hall, Bertha snuck out of her room in the attic once again and wandered into the study, noticed all of the fancy decor and said, "Then I heard a clock ticking and it was made of gold. Gold is the idol they worship," (Wide Sargasso Sea, Rhys, 111). Telling the point of view from Bertha exploited the beliefs of everyone else and maybe, just maybe Mrs. Bertha Rochester was the sane one.
Initially reading Jane Eyre, I completely thought Bertha was insane. Until I read this prequel, I did not even think about understanding Mrs. Rochester's point of view. And oh, how things changed. Antoinette (Bertha) grew up in the Caribbean with her mother. Her father often left them because he did not like where they lived and his peers threw insults at him for marrying Antoinette's mother, a Martinique girl. So right from the get go Antoinette grew up in a not so ideal situation. It would be reasonable to say that perhaps a psychologist could have diagnosed early on that someday Antoinette would follow in her mother's footsteps. And as you all can infer, she did. But that is not why I fell in love with this book or felt a great sense of sympathy for Antoinette.
I loved her dynamic character because she saw the world in a way that no one else did. She saw the natural beauty of the Caribbean islands, the flowers, waterfalls, the sun rising and setting. While everyone else was complaining how hot it was or how England was much prettier. She lived in the moment. Money was never important to her. Early on it was evident that she figured out that money can do nothing but create destruction. Even though everyone believed her to be crazy, she believed them to be insane because they let their thoughts reside in silly, unimportant manners. At the end of the novel, at Thornfield Hall, Bertha snuck out of her room in the attic once again and wandered into the study, noticed all of the fancy decor and said, "Then I heard a clock ticking and it was made of gold. Gold is the idol they worship," (Wide Sargasso Sea, Rhys, 111). Telling the point of view from Bertha exploited the beliefs of everyone else and maybe, just maybe Mrs. Bertha Rochester was the sane one.
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