Race and Gender in "Wide Sargasso Sea"

                 Literature has always been fixated on the human obsession with skin and sex. 


Race and gender have always influenced man's thinking since the beginning of written history. These two forces have been the driving cause behind many events - Society, government, culture, and war. Though race and gender may seem to have disappeared in the modern world, Jean Rhys craftily exposes the hardships of racial and sexist biases. Despite having the story take place in the 1840s, Rhys wrote "Wide Sargasso Sea" in the 1960s, against the backdrop of a radically changing racial mindset created by European colonialism, which by now was deteriorating as England, France, and others were giving up their Territorial possessions.

It can not be argued whether or not race and gender dominate the story more than the other. However, we first take a look at the impact of racism in the novel's development.

During the mid 1800s, race determined your social class, occupation, and domestic life. By the time "Wide Sargasso Sea" begins, Jamaica is already embroiled in racial tensions caused by the recently passed Emancipation Act of 1833, which ruined most white slave owners and opened a huge economic gap between the white aristocracy and black natives. Antoinette, who is a Creole, is denied acceptance by both the white English and black Jamaicans. It appears as though the only thing worse than race was to be a foreigner. Though generally not accepted by the white majority, Antoinette and her family are considered "white" by the Jamaicans. It should be noted that Antoinette and her mother, Annette, do share the sole racist view of other whites in Jamaica, for they know that they are completely dependent on Christophine and other black servants.

However, Antoinette explains that there is a difference between the "white" that once was Jamaica's colonists, and the "white" that the Jamaicans consider Antoinette. She is often ridiculed and denounced as a "white nigger." Antoinette further reveals that it is better to be a "black nigger" then a "white nigger." In fact, this confrontation occurs when Tia, a so-called friend of Antoinette, announces that there are "real" white people in Jamaica, those who have gold money and are poor like the Cosway House.

Later, we see race boil up again. Both Mr. Mason and Mr. Rochester, both of whom are English, show prejudices and bias towards the black population of the island. Mr. Mason tells Antoinette not to acknowledge her black relatives (being Sandi, an illegitimate child of Alexander Cosway and a female slave). Mr. Rochester believes that Christophine and most ex-slaves are simply superstitious people after his money. This despite the fact that Rochester himself married Antoinette only to receive her inheritance and 30,000 Pounds. Gradually, the theme of race recedes in the later part of "Wide Sargasso Sea," only to be replaced by a skewed view on human gender.

                    Slavery was a common practice through out the English Empire until the 1830s. The concept of Slavery still remains a dark streak upon the face of humanity. 


Gender is another defining relation in "Wide Sargasso Sea." Like other books from this era, "Wide Sargasso Sea" discusses a great deal of the specified gender roles in society. Antoinette is raised to display the proper etiquette of women at the time. She is to be stately, mild-tempered, pure, and beautiful. During her time in the convent, Antoinette looks up to the nuns as figures of virtue that are to be followed and admired. This set of morals conflicted with Antoinette, who was naturally passionate and feisty. Another duty of  women at the time were to be loving wives and mothers. Annette obviously did not fulfill the honors of motherhood, Antoinette despite her best attempts, could not love nor be loved by Mr. Rochester.

At the time of "Wide Sargasso Sea," women were entirely dependent on men for financial and domestic safety. The laws of the Caribbean favored the men, and rarely did they appeal to women. Both Antoinette and Annette became dependent to their husbands. Annette clung to Mr. Mason in order to rise to the former life she once held, and Antoinette sought Mr. Rochester in order to end an unhappy life. Both mother and daughter our ultimately betrayed by their husbands and both suffer the same fate - a swift demise in mentality and life.

"Wide Sargasso Sea" revolves around a woman's dependence on societal men, a striking difference to "Jane Eyre" where Jane is a fierce and independent governess.