The Wide Sargasso Sea

The famous prequel to Jane Eyre.

13 Oct, 20244 min read

The Wide Sargasso Sea is a novel by the writer Jean Rhys. It was first published in 1966. Rhys lived between the years 1890 and 1979. Although she was British, she spent the early portion of her life in the Carribean. She later came to England to pursue her education and resided here for the rest of her life. The Wide Sargasso Sea is one of Rhys' most known and read works. However, one of the reasons that the novel is so well known today is actually due to another novel, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. The novel is also important for many other theories and topics it emphasizes. It is a heavily articulated book in the fields of feminism and postcolonial studies along with the subject of slavery and power relations.

In her novel, Rhys gives us the backstory of Bertha Mason who we are acquainted as 'the madwoman in the attic'. In Bronte's Jane Eyre the reader is only able to get a glimpse of Bertha Mason. We only have an idea who she is on a surface level and especially in relation to Mr. Rochester, her husband and an English gentleman. In her novel, Rhys tries to fill this gap. Although Berta isn't one of the main characters in Jane Eyre, she becomes one in Rhys' writing. With her novel, we go back in time long before the events of Jane Eyre occur.

The novel takes place in Jamaica, the birthplace of Bertha Mason. Here we see a completely different Bertha from Bronte's perspective. Even her name is different in the two novels, with her birthname being Antionette Cosway. The story is told from her point of view, starting from her childhood memories to her current marriage to Mr. Rochester. Shortly after the abolition of slavery, Antoinette and her family starts to struggle financially. This leads Antoinette's mother, Annette to marry Mr. Mason, a wealthy English gentleman. Angry at the wealthy gentleman, former slaves decide to burn his house down. Annette loses her son Pierre in this fire. Her mental health starts deteriorating rapidly. For this reason, Mr. Mason sends her away to live somewhere else where she will be abused and tortured. Antoinette later visits her but they are unable to converse.

After these events take place the narrative shifts to Antoinette's marriage with Mr. Rochester. We witness the toxic situation of the marriage from both points of view as each of them tells their own perspective. Meanwhile, Daniel, the supposed illegitimate half-brother of Antionette forces her into giving money by threatening to destroy her reputation and marriage. Mr. Rochester on the other hand is abusing and manipulating Antoinette by all means possible. He doesn't even call her by her own name, he rather refers to Antoinette as Bertha, which will become her new name up until her death. With all of these happening, Antoinette's mental and emotional well-being starts taking a turn for the worse. Antionette is now urged to take action as her life is falling apart bit by bit. She turns towards local magic and spells. With the help of her old nurse they brew a potion. While they hope that this potion will soften Mr. Rochester and fill him with love towards Antoinette the exact opposite happens and it backfires. Now, Mr. Rochester is even more unloving, harsh and abusive than ever before.

The last part of the novel coincides with the events of Jane Eyre. With their arrival to England, Mr. Rochester claims his inheritance after the death of his father and brother. However, as soon as they settle in their new home, the Thornfield Hall, Mr. Rochester locks away Antoinette to the attic. He never visits her and her only companion is Grace, who is tasked with guarding the attic. She tries to come up with ways to become free again. She writes a letter to her stepbrother in Jamaica but it turns out to be pointless as he says that he cannot legally interfere. Bertha loses track of time as days pass on end. Her mental health deteriorates even more. With the passing of time, her desire for freedom becomes an obsession. She sees a vision in which the house is amidst flames. Realizing that this is her only way of escape, she sets the house ablaze the first chance she gets.