Wide Sargasso Sea

Wide Sargasso Sea Antoinette's Relationships

Relationship between Antoinette and Christophine • Christophine is supposedly a servant to Antoinette, due to the fact that she is objectified as a wedding gift from Old Mr Cosway to Antoinette’s mother Annette. • Despite the difference in races and domestic household status, Antoinette treats Christophine as though she is her mother and Christophine dotes on her. • Antoinette trusts and relies on Christophine the most, as seen from her turning to Christophine whenever she needs help. [using Obeah on Rochester/meeting her insane biological mother] • Christophine’s selflessness and willingness to lend a helping hand to Antoinette indicates her concern and fondness of Antoinette, emphasizing the close relationship between them • Christophine plays a large and critical role in Antoinette’s life, as seen from Antoinette opening the novel with what Christophine says, and toward the end of the novel where she is burning the house down, she is calling for Christophine to save her.

Antoinette And Christophine • A white Creole • Great sense of insecurity; non-independent • Vulnerable, easily influenced and manipulated [as seen from her insanity due to the control of Rochester] • Trusts others too easily, not understanding the darker side of mankind • A black from Martinique • Independent and fiercely self-willed • Despite being a commodified woman, she is not being restricted or heavily under control of others • exercises complete independence from men and implicitly distrusts their motives

Relationship between Antoinette and Tia • Initially, Tia is supposedly the only and best childhood friend of Antoinette. • The friendship between Antoinette and Tia is vulnerable; issues related to money and cultures/races are of higher priority to Tia • [page 8&9] Tia betrayed Antoinette by taking away her money and clothes, and later on [page 23] in the novel, she actually threw a stone at Antoinette. • Antoinette is sincere toward Tia throughout despite the betrayal and criticism of Tia calling her a “white nigger”, as seen from in the end when her family is forced to leave due to the burning of the house, she still possesses the naïve thought of not leaving Coulibri and staying with Tia.

Antoinette And Tia • A white Creole • Prefers a loving relationship to other issues such as financial and racial. • Loyal and forgiving • Sincere and innocent • A black • Allured by the power of money and relationships are of lower priority to her • Disloyal and not appreciative • Too pragmatic (for her young age)

Relationship between Antoinette and Annette • The mother-daughter relationship is not that of an ideal kind; they are never close, and Annette is biased and concerned only toward her son. • Annette rejects Antoinette, refraining from any physical contact with Antoinette as seen from her pushing away Antoinette who tries to “smoothen her frown” on her eyebrows. [page 5] • Antoinette is thus unable to find any comfort or love from Annette, turning to Christophine for mother love instead. • Annette’s coldness and hostility further strain the mother-daughter relationship, with Antoinette viewing her mother as a complete stranger, even insisting that Christophine must accompany her when visiting Annette. [page 25]

Antoinette And Annette • Being looked down upon and alienated because of her white Creole identity • Insecure [lack of mother love since young, undergo extreme stress and traumatic experiences since young. • Being reduced into a pitiful condition due to the patriarchy society [caused by Rochester] • Being ostracized by white Jamaican women because of her beauty and outsider status [Martinique] • Insecure [Often the subject of gossip, she feels abandoned, scared, and persecuted] • Not being well taken care of by Mr Mason [Mr. Mason leaves Annette in the care of a black couple who reportedly humiliate her and mock her condition

Relationship between Antoinette and Daniel Cosway • Daniel Cosway is a half-brother to Antoinette, and they do not really interact with each other and are never on good terms. • [page 81] Antoinette accuses Daniel of being a liar, and has no right to call himself a member of the Cosway family. Her harshness and annoyed attitudes with regard to the mention of Daniel indicates the fact that there have been conflicts between them. • [page 57-60 = letter of Daniel Cosway to Rochester] • Daniel’s letter toward Rochester suggests jealousy, and Daniel’s disapproval of Antoinette, wanting to ruin her happiness.

Antoinette And Daniel Cosway • Antoinette is the Legitimated child of Alexander Cosway • Grow up in an influential and well-off family, used to being served • Have no sense of biasness toward the blacks, treating them well and equally • While Daniel Cosway is the illegitimate child of Alexander Cosway • experiencing poverty and poorness since young • Hate the whites [as seen from Antoinette’s words to Rochester]

Antoinette and Rochester • Rochester is the husband of Antoinette whom he married for her wealth. • Their relationship is one that is driven by lust. “I did not love her. I was thirsty for her, but that is not love.” ( pg 56 ). This show that Rochester is not in love with Antoinette but that he only lusts for her and that they are physically attracted to each other. • Their relationship is also a symbol of colonialism. Rochester represents the English master and Antoinette represents the enslaved person. • After Rochester finds out that he was deceived into the marriage, he refuses to love her anymore and Antoinette also puts poison into his drink to try and get him to love her again • He is angry that Antoinette tried to poison him and makes love to the servant, Amelie, making Antoinette go ballistic. • At the end, their relationship breaks down and he tries to change her into the ideal white women by changing her name to Bertha and by imprisoning her in his home is England. At the end, she was enslaved by him and lost her identity.

Antoinette and Rochester • Antoinette is an innocent girl who does not care much for wealth and just wishes to feel loved by Rochester. ( pg 54, lines 31-32) • Antoinette being born in the Carribean, feels at ease with the locals and her environment. • Rochester is money-minded and he marries Antoinette just for her wealth as a heiress and not for love. • Rochester, being an Englishman, is suspicious of his surroundings and the locals. (pg 39)

Antoinette and Sandi Cosway • Sandi Cosway is a mulatto and he is the son of Alexander Cosway as well as Antoinette’s cousin and he is mentioned in all three parts of the novel . • In the first part of the novel, we see Sandi helping Antoinette when she is bullied by two children on her way to the school. Sandi saw it and came to her aid by picking up the textbook she dropped and he also ran after the two children.(page 27,lines21-26) • In the second part of the novel, we see Daniel Cosway telling Mr Rochester than Antoinette loves Sandi Cosway and that they had an affair in the past. (pg 79,lines 8-14) • In the last part of the novel, we see that Sandi and Antoinette did have a love relationship in the end and that they did love each other.(pg 120, lines 6-21) • However, at the end, they are broken apart as Antoinette sets sail for England with Rochester and also because they are cousins and Antoinette is an heiress, it is impossible for them to be together.

Antoinette and Sandi Cosway Antoinette Sandi Cosway • Antoinette is Creole and also an heiress. • Sandi is a mulatto and Antoinette’s cousin. Both of them truly loved each other and for Antoinette, the time she spent with Sandi were some of her happiest memories, as she thinks about them while she was locked in the house in England. (pg 120,lines 6- 22)

Antoinette and Grace Poole • Grace Poole is the woman hired by Mr Rochester to take care of Antoinette as well as to make sure she does not escape. • Grace Poole thinks Antoinette is mad but despite that she still feels sorry for Antoinette and her fate. • Antoinette is always giving trouble for Grace Poole. Eg. Grace promised Richard Mason that Antoinette will be quiet and good but instead Antoinette went to stab Richard Mason with a knife. • Antoinette does not like being imprisoned by Grace Poole and she tries to take the keys every night to let herself into the house. (pg 116, lines 31 - 33) • Grace Poole and Antoinette have a prisoner and caretaker relationship. She leaves Antoinette alone and only talks to her when necessary.

Both Antoinette and Grace Poole think the outside world is dangerous and that it can be cruel to a woman( pg 115, line 5-7) just like how Antoinette turns mad after being imprisoned and tortured by Mr Rochester. Both Antoinette and Grace Poole think the outside world is dangerous and that it can be cruel to a woman( pg 115, line 5-7) just like how Antoinette turns mad after being imprisoned and tortured by Mr Rochester. Antoinette and Grace Poole Antoinette Grace Poole • She fights to maintain her identity and questions her surroundings till the very end of her life. • Grace Poole never asked or questioned why Antoinette was being locked up. She was happy with just doing her job, as long as she got paid. Both Antoinette and Grace Poole think the outside world is dangerous and that it can be cruel to a woman( pg 115, line 5-7) just like how Antoinette turns mad after being imprisoned and tortured by Mr Rochester.

With whom is she most comfortable with? • She is the most comfortable with Christophine. • Christophine tries to be a mother figure to Antoinette giving her the love and care that she never got from her own mother, Annette. • She is the first person that Antoinette turns to for advice and help. Eg. When Antoinette is facing problems with her marriage to Rochester. • (Page 72, line 27-28)- ‘ Oh Christophine, I am so afraid..All the time. Help me.’ • This shows that Antoinette feels comfortable in the presence of Christophine and that she finds it easy to confide in Christophine.

With whom is she most comfortable with? • She praises Christophine and hugs Christophine. • (pg 50-51, from lines 22-2)- Here we see Antoinette standing and defending Christophine when Rochester criticizes her for all her bad habits and language. • The act of hugging Christophine shows that there are no barriers between her and Christophine and that they are comfortable with each other’s habits and practices.

With whom does she identify? • Antoinette identifies with Annette • Firstly, Antoinette fails to receive love of her mother Annette during her childhood, which is a critical process of her life. Annette is only concerned about the ill brother Pierre and neglects Antoinette. This results in Antoinette being insecure, having a miserable childhood. - Evidence: [page 10] where Antoinette has a nightmare, and instead of reassuring Antoinette, Annette is unhappy with Antoinette for disturbing Pierre. • Antoinette also believes that she is insignificant [page 5] in Annette’s eyes, resulting in her having a lack of confidence in herself, as well as contributing to her jealousy toward her brother. - “..as if she had decided once and for all that I was useless to her..”

Antoinette is also being rejected continuously by Annette, so much so that she is used to life without her mother (page 5 and 25) plus refusal of acknowledging Antoinette. - Evidence of rejection: “..pushed me away, not roughly but calmly, coldly..” - Evidence of being used to rejection: [page7] “..but not any longer. Not anymore.” and [page 25] ..”it’s not her.” • Antoinette is also affected by Annette’s insanity to a certain extent, witnessing how her mother was being mistreated by the Blacks whom Mr Mason has arranged to take care of Annette. • This results in her distrust toward men; Mr Mason was whom Annette thought would bring the family out of the distressed state they were in, but Mr Mason just laughed at Annette’s fears [page 16] • In fact, Annette and Antoinette have similar fate and Annette’s depressing condition makes Antoinette more insecure

Power, Class, Race

Contrast: Antoinette and Christophine Passage: Pg 67 L30 to Pg 69 L1

Antoinette Christophine

Antoinette – lacks confidence • Line 30: ‘Go, go where? To some strange place where I shall never see him? No, I will not, then everyone, not only the servants, will laugh at me’ • This indicates her lack of confidence  she is very concerned about how others view her • Also shows the reason for her entrapment in her marriage: she does not leave Rochester because she is afraid of being laughed at.

Christophine: confident • Line 33: ‘It’s not you they laugh at if you go, they laugh at him’ • Christophine: She analyzes the situation, think from a man’s perspective and concludes that the person who will feel shameful should be Rochester because he cant even control his wife, and that he had been left by a woman. In a way, he is abandoned and jilted. • Not only is she smart (she can do close analysis ^^), the way she thinks also reveals to us that she is a very confident woman.

Antoinette – treasures her marriage ALOTALOTALOT X123456789 • Line 6: ‘But I cannot go. He is my husband after all.’ • Antoinette loves wholeheartedly and unconditionally  her source of vulnerability. • She is emotionally committed to her husband and socially programmed to stay in a marriage regardless of the consequences. • This will eventually lead to her own tragedy.

Additional… • Ponder: Does she really love him or love the marriage? I think, she loves her marriage more. (she is willing to practice Obeah on her husband! Would you do such a thing to someone you love? )

Christophine • Line 7 • *note: action of her spitting over her shoulder  emphasize the disregard she have in marriages, her own even • it also shows her disgust for Antoinette’s behaviour and thoughts, which so strongly contradicts her own.

Continue… • Line 8 and 9: ‘Three children I have, EACH ONE A DIFFERENT FATHER, but no husband…’ • Christophine have THREE marriages • Shows us that she isn’t committed to any of her marriage she disregards marriage, which is why she have three ex-husbands. • She sees marriage as a way to have her children, not for true love.

Antoinette: very dependent on men • Line 11 ‘When must I go, where must I go?’ • Line 15 ‘And you must understand I am not rich now, I have no money of my own at all, everything I had belongs to him’ • Line 35 ‘being so unhappy, it would kill you’

Continue… • Antoinette is doomed to be powerless and reliant on Rochester. • To leave him would leave her to be very unhappy that she would feel as though she is being killed. • The hyperbole highlights her heavy dependency on Rochester.

Christophine • Line 9: ‘I thank my God. I keep my money. I don’t give it to worthless no man’ • On the other hand, Christophine is more independent. • Line 13: ‘A man don’t treat you good, pick up your skirt and walk out. Do it and he will come after you’ • She is like the strong superwoman, especially when she advices Antoinette to leave Rochester, citing her own example to emulate • Notably, unlike Antoinette, she is constantly a threat to Rochester’s male authority.

Continue… • Antoinette is doomed to be powerless and reliant on Rochester. • To leave him would leave her to be very unhappy that she would feel as though she is being killed. • The hyperbole highlights her heavy dependency on Rochester.

As you can see, there is a direct contrast between Antoinette and Christophine. What about the other characters? Is there anyone with a character similar to Antoinette?

Antoinette & Rochester • Both fell sick before their marriage • Both are victims in the marriage • Both relates to the nature • Both wants parental love and assurance

1) Sickness (a motif as well)… Both Antoinette and Rochester suffer near-fatal fevers before their marriage, as if to mark their feelings of persecution and fear of the outside world.

2) Victims • Antoinette: the marriage was arranged by Mr Richard. She had no say in it. • Initially, she wanted to cancel the marriage  shows her reluctance in getting married and therefore, portrays her as a victim when she was coaxed into the marriage by Rochester’s patronizing tone  an emotional blackmail.

Continue… • Although Rochester is the one who uses emotional blackmail to make Antoinette agree to the marriage, we have to acknowledge that he himself was a victim too. • He fell sick and no say in the arranged marriage which would give him the wealth and independence. • In a way, he is a victim as well!

3) Nature • Both Antoinette and Richard relates their emotions according to their natural surroundings. • Both felt threatened by nature. • Antoinette: in the first part of the novel, where she describes the garden to be threatening, and later when she describes grass to be like ‘razor’ (Pg 11 Line 13) . • Rochester: describes nature as ‘suffocating’ and ‘overwhelming’ to him.

4) Parental love • Antoinette: from the beginning of the story, we already know that Antoinette is constantly seeking reassurance and love from her mother. • Pg 5 Line 14, Pg 25 Line 32 • However, she is being neglected throughout because of her sibling, Pierre.

Continue… • Likewise, Rochester is also being neglected by his father because of his brother. • Like Antoinette, he tries to seek reassurance and parental love from his father. (Pg 43 Line 23) • His postscript in his first letter: he is telling his Dad he isn’t well  wants sympathy, love, care, concern from his father

THANK YOU! (:

Wide Sargasso Sea