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. 

Behind the Symbols of "Wide Sargasso Sea"

In every piece of literary work, there are symbols and motifs that have certain meanings. In order to fully understand a book like "Wide Sargasso Sea," we must first try to understand the symbols in it and how it displays certain aspects of the plot, characters, and conclusion.

Fire is an element of the novel that appears regularly. From the rioting outside of Coulibri, to the candles of Granbois, and finally the to the demise of Antoinette, fire has been a major driving force of Rhys' novel. Fire could represent things in "Wide Sargasso Sea." There is the fire of several passions, which serve as motives for the characters to perform the actions that they did. The destruction of Coulibri and later the madness of Annette later seem to repeat in Antoinette as she sets fire to Thornfield. Rochester himself describes moths flying into candles and burning themselves, which is reminiscent of the burning parrot.  

               Throughout literature, fire is used to describe the death of life and the preservation of it.


The Garden described in the earlier parts of the novel can be related with many things. The garden of Coulibri is described to have become overgrown and out of care, very much like the lives of Annette and her daughter, Antoinette. (An overgrown garden usually has no order, similar to the ramblings or emotions of an "insane" person) The vibrant colors and sights of a garden is also described as overpowering to the mind. We see this occur as Rochester finds no peace with the brightness and fragrance of Jamaica and Antoinette finds desolation in the cold flowerless landscape of England. 

              Gardens tend to stand for innocence and purity, though Rhys portrays them as sinister and tempting to the senses of humanity. 


Birds make a notable impression on the book, most obvious is the parrot falling from the roof of a burning Coulibri. However, if we examine at how birds are domesticated we see a whole new relation between them and the characters. Birds are usually caged and have little freedom under human control. This reflects Antoinette's sheltered married years. Her dependency on Mr. Mason and Rochester is identical to that of a bird to a owner. Also, domesticated birds usually desire to become free, and Antoinette displays some feelings of wanting to escape from the social and skewed view of Jamaica. Finally, the burning parrot's death foreshadows that of Antoinette's.

 Birds have always been revered by humanity. They are usually seen as omens or messengers of deities. 


Forests and trees are a common theme discussed in the book. Antoinette has vivid dreams of visiting foreign and mysterious forests that are cold and lifeless, unlike the tropical forests of Jamaica. When we compare an English forest to a Jamaican forest, we can see the difference. Also, when Rochester and Antoinette are honeymooning at Granbois (Granbois itself is a name meaning "great forest"), Rochester becomes lost in a forest and stumbles onto a ruin. This makes a reference to the ruins of Thornfield after it is burned down.

         Forests have always provided an air of mystery and mysticism throughout human history.


Death has always remained an important literary topic throughout the ages. In "Wide Sargasso Sea," we see death at every corner. Annette's dead horse that was poisoned is mentioned in the first pages, we also have the deaths of Annette, Antoinette, the parrot, and others. While physical death is most dominant in the book, we can also take into account that insanity at the time was viewed as a death of the human mind.

                 Death is commonly viewed as Man's worst enemy. Yet, it is still an unknown entity of life and literature. 

The Wonderful Characters of "Wide Sargasso Sea"

Antoinette Cosway (later Mason): She is our troubled protagonist. From a less than splendid childhood to an arranged marriage, she struggles to deal with the problems created by family legacy, social stature, gender roles, race, and a volatile society.

Edward Rochester (The Unnamed Englishman): He can serve as our antagonist. From the start he displays pride and selfishness. Rochester can also be extremely controlling and is unsympathetic to the woes of others.

Christophine: A servant of Antoinette. She is loyal to the Cosways and the Cosways only. Christophine as a deep resent of English colonizers, as she views them to be greedy scoundrels that caused the mental degradation of Annette and Antoinette.

Annette: The mother of Antoinette. Annette is the second wife Alexander Cosway, and later the second wife of Mr. Mason. She seems aloof and more concerned about the preservation of pre-emancipated slave life.

Pierre: The sickly younger brother of Antoinette. He dies after Coulibri is set on fire by angry black Jamaicans.

Aunt Cora: One of the only positive figures in Antoinette's life. She cares for Antoinette after the destruction of Coulibri but later sends her off to a Creole convent. Aunt Cora is does not support the union between Antoinette and Edward Rochester.

Tia: Antoinette's only childhood friend. She throws a rock at Antoinette when she runs towards her in the midst of the chaos of Coulibri's destruction.

 Mr. Mason: Annette's second husband. He insists on staying at Coulibri Estate despite protests from his wife. After Annette's death he spends most of his time elsewhere in the Caribbean and away from Spanish Town, Jamaica.  

                                             Antoinette Mason in her later years as "Bertha"

"Wide Sargasso Sea Summary"

                A map of the Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic. It would have been in the naval routes from Jamaica to England and  from Europe to the Caribbean. 

We start our adventure in the mid  to late 1840s, on a family estate known as Coulibri located on the British colony of Jamaica in the Caribbean. Here, we find a young girl named Antoinette Cosway, who is coming to womanhood against a crumbling white aristocracy (emancipation was recently given to the black slaves of Jamaica, this will later cause tension in Antoinette's life). Her mother, Annette Cosway, is a penniless widow, and the family estate that was once sprawling and prosperous has fallen into decay.

From the beginning, it is obvious that Antoinette has experienced an unloved childhood, a similarity shared by her and Jane Eyre from Bronte's book. However, Antoinette's early stresses result from a neglecting mother, who seems more upset about loosing her old life then providing for her children.

The Cosway Family has managed to keep some slaves as new "servants." There is Christophine, a Martinique woman that was a wedding gift to Annette when she married Alexander. Others include Godfrey and Sass. Annette herself is not from Jamaica, but is of Martinique descent, which causes the other white nobles of Jamaica to shun and ostracize her along with her children, Antoinette and Pierre, the younger and sickly brother of Antoinette. Other figures in Antoinette's childhood include Aunt Cora, Tia (Antoinette's only friend for some time), and Sandi, a half-brother of hers.

After some time, Annette meets an Englishman known simply as "Mr. Mason." They elope and eventually get married, bringing new life and energy to Annette and Coulibri. Throughout their time together, Annette constantly urges Mr. Mason to take the family and leave the estate, though Mr. Mason declines and instead renovates and cleans up the grand house.

One night, a large group of newly freed black slaves approach Coulibri carrying pitchforks and torches. Discontent with the large economic gap between blacks and whites (this includes the Creoles, whom Antoinette is considered one). The rioters then set the estate on fire while Antoinette, Mr. Mason, Annette, Aunt Cora, Christophine, and Pierre flee. While the house is set ablaze, a burning parrot falls dead out of the house. In Caribbean culture, this is considered a bad omen, and after witnessing the death of a parrot many rioters leave. It is later revealed that Antoinette was taken to Aunt Cora's home, where she was ill for nearly six weeks. Pierre, due to his already critical condition dies before the ordeal is over.

Annette, who had already showed signs of mental instability, becomes demented and mad. Mr. Mason leaves her in the care of a black couple (who torment and abuse her). When Antoinette visits her mother, she is violently swung to the ground by Annette. Later, Antoinette enrolls into a convent and stays there until the age of seventeen. By that time, Mr. Mason has already made arrangements to have her married to an Englishman (Edward Rochester, though he is unnamed in the book).

                                 Coulibri may have been inspired by Rhys' family estate in Dominica


After Antoinette leaves the convent, a shift in narration occurs. We now hear from the Englishman who is to be married to her.

The Englishman, who is most likely Mr. Rochester, is marrying Antoinette out of desperation for money. A deal made by Mr. Mason's first son promises that Rochester will receive 30,000 Pounds and the rights to Antoinette's inheritance. The two have only met but a few times before the ceremony, and they decide to honeymoon at Granbois, an estate inherited by Antoinette. Unfortunately, Granbois is located near  a town by the name of Massacre.

While at Granbois, Rochester begins to doubt his marriage to Antoinette, and tense relations grow between him and the new servants, including Antoinette's favorite, Christophine. While honeymooning, Rochester receives several letters from a man by the name of Daniel Cosway, a bastard child of the Cosway family. He tells Rochester of the madness that runs in the family. Rochester later schedules a meeting  with Daniel.

Soon it is obvious that Rochester possesses no real love for Antoinette, and Antoinette (whose duty as a 19th century woman is to please her husband) is trying her best to seduce and love her new husband. However, relations become tense, as Rochester gives Antoinette a new name, "Bertha." This upsets Antoinette, who knows that her name stems from her mothers and that Rochester must know about her insanity. Situations become so strained that Antoinette flees to Christophine and persuades her to use obeah, or black magic to make Rochester fall in love with her. With the plan ultimately fails.

                                     Mr. Rochester and Antoinette Mason at Granbois


As the story progresses, we find that Antoinette has inherited her mother's madness (at least from Rochester's view). Rochester, feeling embarrassed by the scandal, decides to take Antoinette "Bertha" Mason to England with him where he locks her up at Thornfield Hall. She is left in the care of a woman named Grace Pool.

At the conclusion of the story, the narrative switches back to Antoinette. Her speech and thoughts are less complete in cohesive, though they are understandable. It appears as though she is constantly haunted by dreams and visions of Coulibri and Granbois. Delusional and ill, Antoinette believes that she is not in England, that her boat must have arrived at the wrong European port.

One night, a dream comes to Antoinette. In her dream, she is stalking the halls of Thornfield when she accidentally sets it on fire by knocking over a candle. Despite her initial panic, Antoinette decides to make the fire into a blazing inferno that consumes the dreaded house. From that point, Antoinette wakes from her sleep and proceeds down the hall with a candle.

                                    Thornfield Hall as it appeared in the 2011 film, "Jane Eyre"

"The Mad Women In the Attic"

Charlotte Bronte published "Jane Eyre" in 1847, some 50 or so years before Jean Rhys was alive. In the novel, we follow the life of Bronte's heroine, Jane Eyre and love for the proud and resilient Edward Rochester. However, one obstacle remains in their odd relation - Rochester's first wife, Bertha Mason.

Little is revealed about Mrs. Bertha Mason. The way Bronte describes Mason is rather harsh and unsympathetic - she is simply what is keeping Rochester and Eyre apart. Her story does not go beyond being locked up in the attic of Thornfield Hall after Rochester deems her insane and animal like. Later, Mason sets fire to Thornfield and commits suicide by jumping off of the roof. Some time after Mason's death, Rochester and Eyre are married and move into a small cottage together.

                                                   Charlotte Bronte, author of "Jane Eyre"


And with that "Jane Eyre" concludes with no further mention of Bertha Mason.

Despite only appearing in two or three chapters, Bertha Mason has influenced classical literature drastically. Suddenly, women in books were either the innocent heroine, such as Jane Eyre, or the "mad woman in the attic," a reference to Mason. People, who are naturally drawn to the deranged and maniacal portions of literature, were forever haunted and mystified by Mason. Still, there was no life or personality in Mason. She remained a secondary character well into the mid 20th century.

In 1966, Jean Rhys decided to shed light on the "mad woman," and transformed her from a homicidal spouse to a girl troubled by racial and social tensions in the Caribbean who is then forcefully married off to a young and aloof Edward Rochester. Rhys then explains how Rochester turned the fragile Antoinette Cosway into the violent and mentally ill "Bertha." This lays the foundation for "Wide Sargasso Sea."

                                                Jean Rhys, author of "Wide Sargasso Sea"

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Hello  and welcome to The Wide Sargasso Sea Blog!!!

The purpose of this blog is to simply promote and explore the central ideas and themes of "Wide Sargasso Sea," a novel loved by any person in their right mind. Basically, if you liked the book then this website will come in handy - hopefully.