"The Other Side": Wide Sargasso Sea and Jane Eyre

" T h e Other S i d e " :
W i d e Sargasso Sea and Jane Eyre
MICHAEL THORPE
H E c r u c i a l question Wide Sargasso Sea, as a w o r k of
art, m i g h t seem t o pose i s w h e t h e r i t c a n stand and
be judged alone, o r w h e t h e r i n the v i e w expressed b y
W a l t e r A l l e n i t is o n l y " a t r i u m p h of atmosphere [which]
does not exist i n i t s o w n r i g h t , as M r . Rochester is almost
as shadowy as C h a r l o t t e B r o n t e ' s B e r t h a M a s o n . " J e a n
R h y s ' s o w n comment, " S h e seemed such a poor ghost, I
thought I'd l i k e to w r i t e h e r l i f e , " m i g h t seem to lend
support to A l l e n ' s generalization, suggesting as i t does that
R h y s expended h e r whole creative effort u p o n a n act of
m o r a l r e s t i t u t i o n to t h e stereotyped l u n a t i c C r e o l e heiress
i n Rochester's attic. C e r t a i n l y , R h y s ' s A n t o i n e t t e ( B e r t h a ) ,
w h o tells E d w a r d (Rochester) " T h e r e is always the other
side, a l w a y s " (p. 106), is g i v e n a passionate voice to m a k e
" t h e other s i d e " felt. Y e t hers i s s t i l l only one side and,
though i t m i g h t be argued of h e r creator's e a r l i e r novels
between the w a r s that R h y s w a s m o r e concerned to do
fictional justice r a t h e r t o h e r w o m e n t h a n t h e i r men, Wide
Sargasso Sea stands out as h e r most balanced novel i n its
even-handed treatment of the sexes. H e r i n w a r d presentation, i n t h e second p a r t of the novel, of Rochester's viewpoint — complex b u t n o t " s h a d o w y " — i s u n m a t c h e d i n
her e a r l i e r w o r k , a n d i t s strength is enhanced b y o u r cont r a s t i n g recollections of Jane Eyre.
I t is not R h y s ' s m a n n e r to spell o u t h e r characters' viewpoints, o r to eke t h e m out w i t h detailed a u t h o r i a l comment a r y o n b a c k g r o u n d o r theme. F o r her, as f o r H a r d y , a
novel is " a n impression, n o t a n a r g u m e n t . "
Though I
have seen people ignorant of Jane Eyre respond to this
novel as a self-sufficient w o r k , i t w o u l d be foolish to deny
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that m a n y average readers come to i t w i t h some recollection
of Jane Eyre and t h a t R h y s relied i n a general w a y on
t h e i r doing so. S t i l l , she d i d not assume t h a t her reader's
remembrance w o u l d be a n y t h i n g but d i m and perhaps
composed of stereotypes : Rochester recalled as a passionate,
B y r o n i c a l l y - m o o d y m a n , his life blighted by the secret
existence of the m a d w i f e i n the attic, she being l i t t l e more
t h a n a figment of the " g o t h i c " i m a g i n a t i o n — t h o u g h the
compassionate C h a r l o t t e Brontë asks t h a t we p i t y her, there
is no effort to understand. O n l y i n the brief P a r t Three,
the c l i m a c t i c passage set a t T h o r n f i e l d , is some specific
knowledge of Jane Eyre assumed. T h i s p a r t is introduced
by Grace Poole, the w o m a n readers of Jane Eyre m a y
remember as l o o k i n g after the confined heiress. Consistent
w i t h her approach, R h y s gives more credibly h u m a n substance even to t h i s m i n o r character, B e r t h a ' s sullen j a i l o r
being presented as another w o m a n as v i c t i m , s i n k i n g low
t h a t she m a y sink no lower:
A f t e r a l l the house is big a n d safe, a shelter f r o m the
w o r l d outside which, say w h a t y o u like, can be a black and
c r u e l w o r l d to a w o m a n , (p. 146)
T h i s passage i m p l i c i t l y echoes that w h i c h closes P a r t One,
and the security A n t o i n e t t e feels i n the cold " r e f u g e " of
her convent is contrasted w i t h " o u t s i d e " (pp. 47, 50) : the
m a d w o m a n a n d her j a i l o r are, u n w i t t i n g l y , sisters beneath
the s k i n .
A g a i n i n P a r t Three, i t is perhaps u n l i k e l y that even
readers of Jane Eyre w i l l recognize that the passage i n
w h i c h Antoinette, h o l d i n g her r e d dress against herself,
asks if it makes h e r " l o o k intemperate and u n c h a s t e " as
" t h a t m a n " said, c a l l i n g her " i n f a m o u s daughter of an
infamous m o t h e r " (p. 152), closely echoes Rochester's words
i n his self-exculpatory account to Jane of his relations
w i t h his first w i f e ( C h . X X V I I ) .
T h i s is not only an u n usually explicit attempt to humanize o u r understanding of
B e r t h a , but also that of Rochester, for his words are
transferred i n R h y s ' s novel to " t h a t m a n " , Antoinette's
step-father M r . M a s o n i n his v i r u l e n t disapproval of her
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relationship w i t h her half-caste cousin, Sandi. The rem a i n d e r of P a r t T h r e e allows us to see Antoinette's i n cendiarism, not as a m a n i a c ' s melodramatic finale, but as
the inevitable tragic sequel to w h a t we have learnt, not
only of her embittered relationship w i t h E d w a r d , but also
of her e a r l y life and trials.
A n unexpected consequence of re-reading Jane Eyre i n
search of l i n k s w i t h Wide Sargasso Sea is f i n d i n g Bronte's
novel a more " d a t e d " w o r k , m a r r e d b y stereotyping and
crude i m a g i n i n g s at points where a v a u l t i n g imagination
such as E m i l y possessed was needed. I do not refer to the
crude " g o t h i c " of B e r t h a ' s characterisation, w h i c h has been
often enough deplored since the novel appeared, but to the
coarse assumptions about madness, m i n g l e d w i t h the racial
prejudice inherent i n the insistent suggestion t h a t "the
f i e r y W e s t I n d i a n " place of B e r t h a ' s u p b r i n g i n g (Ch.
X X V I I ) and her Creole blood are the essence of her
l u n a c y : " H e r mother, the Creole, was both a m a d w o m a n
and a d r u n k a r d " ( C h . X X V I ) . L a t e r she is " m y Indian
M e s s a l i n a " ( C h . X X V I I ) , a b y w o r d for debauchery, while
Rochester's o w n confessed peccadilloes go under the milder
name of " d i s s i p a t i o n " . Of course, the blackening of the
dehumanized creature f r o m the W e s t I n d i a n past readily
serves B r o n t e ' s purpose of w i n n i n g s y m p a t h y for the deceived and deluded Rochester f r o m both J a n e and those
of the V i c t o r i a n audience prone to r a c i a l prejudice.
R a d i c a l t h o u g h she undoubtedly was i n her f r a n k port r a y a l of passion i n t h i s novel, C h a r l o t t e Brontë observed
certain righteous l i m i t s , w h i c h she spelt out to a correspondent — not w i t h o u t m i s g i v i n g s :
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It is true that profound pity ought to be the o n l y sentiment
elicited by the v i e w of such d e g r a d a t i o n [as B e r t h a ' s ] , and
e q u a l l y true is it t h a t I have not sufficiently dwelt on that
f e e l i n g : I h a v e erred i n m a k i n g horror too predominant.
M r s . Rochester, indeed, lived a sinful life before she was
insane, but sin is itself a species of i n s a n i t y — the t r u l y
good behold and compassionate it as s u c h .
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E v i d e n t l y Brontë herself felt t h a t she h a d not sufficiently
realized B e r t h a ' s h u m a n i t y : i t was easier to m a k e a mere
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figure of a character w h o was, u n l i k e Rochester a n d Jane,
w h o l l y i m a g i n e d as a means to a n end. Jane Eyre itself is
contradictory o n the issues the letter touches u p o n : i n
his account Rochester complains that B e r t h a ' s descent f r o m
" i d i o t s a n d maniacs t h r o u g h three generations" was concealed f r o m h i m , but also that her "gross, impure, d e p r a v e d "
vices " p r e m a t u r e l y developed the germs of i n s a n i t y " ( C h .
X X V I I ) . T h u s , B e r t h a m u s t be both congenitally insane
and yet depraved before that madness shows itself — a
s h a k y diagnosis but convenient o r else i t w o u l d have been
possible to p i t y her, as indeed before she knows a l l J a n e
once beseeches h i m to do. E s s e n t i a l l y , of course, our p i t y
is needed for Rochester.
I n getting behind B e r t h a ' s insanity, eschewing the catcha l l dismissive generalization — " s i n is itself a species of
i n s a n i t y " — R h y s joins those m o d e r n w r i t e r s , novelists
especially, w h o have sought to w i n t h e i r readers' understanding and compassion for those whose m e n t a l state is
often, a n d for deeply complex reasons, just t h e w r o n g side
of a t h i n d i v i d i n g l i n e f r o m " n o r m a l i t y " . T h i s concern
was foreshadowed i n h e r e a r l i e r novels, especially Good
Morning, Midnight (1939). T h e r e her heroine, Sasha, is
one of R h y s ' s " w e a k " , to w h o m the whole w o r l d is alien
and menacing; her passions are a c l i n g i n g to security, her
fears of others' c r u e l t y " i m a g i n a t i o n " to the strong. A
passage i n w h i c h one of her lovers, Serge, relates an encounter w i t h a d r u n k "half-negro — a m u l a t t o " w o m a n
w h o lives caged w i t h her " m o n s i e u r " i n the attic of his
P a r i s b o a r d i n g house prefigures the p l i g h t of Antoinette,
everywhere a n e x i l e :
She told m e she hadn't been out, except a l t e r dark, for
two years. W h e n she said this I had a n e x t r a o r d i n a r y sensation, as i f I w e r e l o o k i n g d o w n into a pit. It was
the
expression i n her eyes. I s a i d : " B u t this m o n s i e u r y o u are
l i v i n g with. W h a t about h i m ? " " O h , he is v e r y A n g l i c h e ,
he says I i m a g i n e e v e r y t h i n g . "
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T h i s brief episode holds the seeds of the E d w a r d / A n t o i n e t t e
relationship, as R h y s was t o treat it twenty-five years
later, i n w h a t was t o be her most f a i r l y and f u l l y realized
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analysis of that f a t a l w a n t of i m a g i n a t i v e and emotional
understanding repeatedly presented i n her earlier w o r k as
" v e r y A n g l i c h e " . If it m a y be argued that she shows some
bias i n that w o r k , i n Wide Sargasso Sea she rises above
any temptation to blacken Rochester i n h i s t u r n . Clearly,
she set herself, not only to h u m a n i z e the West Indian
exotic, but also to p o r t r a y subtly and s y m p a t h e t i c a l l y its
effect upon E d w a r d (an aspect I shall develop l a t e r ) . She
does not for her purposes need J a n e E y r e , not merely because t h i s is the story of E d w a r d and Antoinette, but because i n a bold departure she d r a w s i m p l i c i t parallels, not
only between A n t o i n e t t e and Jane, so u n d e r l i n i n g t h e i r
common plight as women, but also draws out hidden affinities between A n t o i n e t t e a n d E d w a r d , affinities w h i c h are
the substance of t h e i r tragedy.
T h e development of R h y s ' s n a r r a t i v e , where it centres
upon Antoinette, bears s t r i k i n g resemblances to Bronte's
p o r t r a y a l of the younger Jane. B o t h heroines g r o w up
fatherless and e m o t i o n a l l y threatened b y those w h o take
charge of t h e m ; they l i v e m u c h w i t h i n themselves and i n
t h e i r imaginations, made fearful b y e m o t i o n a l a n d p h y s i c a l
insecurity. J a n e is a n o r p h a n : A n t o i n e t t e v i r t u a l l y one,
losing her father i n childhood and seeing her m o t h e r m a r r y
again, infatuated, only t o become insane after the b u r n i n g
of t h e i r estate b y the emancipated negroes ( i n the disturbances of the late 1830's). T h e r e a l life of both, as
children, is d r i v e n i n w a r d b y m a l t r e a t m e n t o r indifference.
L i f e is the nightmare, o n l y i n dreams a n d fantasy do they
f i n d relief. I n fact, Jane's experience is such that she m i g h t
have recognized m u c h i n B e r t h a ' s suffering at T h o r n f i e l d
H a l l : her agonies i n the red-room, where h e r aunt confines
her, correspond t o B e r t h a ' s incarceration, w h i l e her temptation t o a superstitious doubt of her o w n r e a l i t y , as when
she peers i n the l o o k i n g glass ( C h . II), is counterpointed
i n R h y s ' s novel b y t h e looking-glass m o t i f l i n k e d w i t h
Antoinette, w h o constantly needs one to be reassured of
her identity. A n o t h e r i m p l i c i t l i n k between J a n e and
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A n t o i n e t t e is i n the oppressed Jane's search for escape i n
the " c h a r m " of exotic f a r places conjured up for her b y
Gulliver's Travels — but her i m a g i n a t i o n m o r e often torments t h a n consoles her, inflamed b y her d a i l y struggles for
s u r v i v a l . Those a r o u n d her set her down as " a m a d c a t "
subject to " t a n t r u m s " ; before she goes to L o w o o d she is,
l i k e B e r t h a , v i r t u a l l y confined, and treated as a w i l d , u n stable being. It is h a r d l y s u r p r i s i n g t h a t the pictures she
paints at school, w h i c h she later shows Rochester, r e c a l l
her fevered i m a g i n i n g s : one, of the " w o m a n ' s shape to
the bust . . . . the eyes shone d a r k and w i l d ; the h a i r
streamed s h a d o w y " ( C h . X I I I ) , m i g h t have been a n u n conscious presentiment of B e r t h a as she is later shown,
but Brontë c e r t a i n l y points no such l i n k .
Re-reading C h a p t e r s I to X of Jane Eyre one cannot help
but notice how m u c h i n t h e m corresponds to Antoinette's
essential experience as a solitary, unloved c h i l d i n P a r t
One of Wide Sargasso Sea. B o t h heroines seek i m a g i n a t i v e
escape, k n o w t e r r o r s beyond the common, endure the encroachment of menace t h a t threatens the v e r y soul, and
reach out for a seemingly impossible happiness. Jane's
L o w o o d , the school t h a t "excludes every glimpse of prospect" ( C h . V ) is nevertheless, l i k e Antoinette's convent, a
" r e f u g e " (p. 47) f r o m a h a r s h e r w o r l d w i t h o u t . B u t here
a c r u c i a l difference arises. J a n e finds support and inspirat i o n i n the example of the s a i n t l y H e l e n : A n t o i n e t t e can
only envy the so well-adjusted de P l a n a sisters, especially
Hélène (p. 45). A n t o i n e t t e can o n l y l e a r n f r o m her how
i l l fitted she is to enter life beyond the convent, where she
acquires no shield against r e a l i t y ; she w i l l always c a r r y
on the surface the ineradicable m a r k s of her h a r s h e a r l y
experience. Jane, however, goes f o r t h a r m e d w i t h the savi n g t a l i s m a n of Helen's C h r i s t i a n example w h i c h keeps her
proof at the centre against l a t e r misfortune and temptation.
T h e significance of this, w h i c h crystallizes c l e a r l y when
J a n e rebuffs Rochester's plea for love after he has confessed his " h o r r i b l e l i f e " w i t h the words " t r u s t i n G o d and
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yourself. Believe i n Heaven. H o p e to meet again t h e r e "
( C h . X X V I I ) , m a y easily be overlooked b y modern commentators seeking to define J a n e as a free s p i r i t . Jane's
severe m o r a l i t y reflects h e r creator's views — " s i n is a
species of i n s a n i t y . " B r o n t e ' s m o r a l forcing, despite her
c a s t i n g of J a n e as a seeker after l i b e r t y a n d self-determination, is reductive a n d c o n s t r i c t i n g — nowhere is this more
clearly shown t h a n i n t h e novel's d e h u m a n i z i n g of B e r t h a ,
the hapless creature f o r w h o m h e r o w n experience might
have taught h e r more t h a n a perfunctory plea f o r pity,
soon set aside b y Rochester ( C h . X X V I I ) . O f course, Jane
is a c h i l d of h e r author's i m a g i n a t i o n a n d of h e r t i m e :
I do n o t c l a i m t h a t Brontë could have been expected to
w r i t e the greater, m o r e complex novel potential i n the
parallel experiences of the e a r l y J a n e a n d t h e imprisoned
wife. T h i s , i n part, is w h a t R h y s has done, w r i t i n g clear
of the r a c i a l prejudices t h a t must have l i m i t e d Bronte's
reach and creating i n the affinities between h e r A n t o i n e t t e
and B r o n t e ' s J a n e a subtle, i m p l i c i t comment o n t h e shortcomings of Jane Eyre.
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H e l e n B u r n s , Jane's m o r a l exemplar, tells J a n e that she
cannot believe God's creatures w i l l " b e suffered to degenerate f r o m m a n t o f i e n d " a n d holds " a n o t h e r creed . . . .
[which] makes E t e r n i t y a rest — a m i g h t y home, not a
t e r r o r a n d a n a b y s s " ( C h . V I ) . Helen's creed is instinctive
and positive, a sure stay f o r J a n e a n d a vanquisher of
goblins. A n t o i n e t t e i n h e r convent w o u l d h o l d to a s i m i l a r
faith, i f she could, as t a u g h t b y t h e n u n w h o " k n e w about
H e a v e n a n d t h e attributes of t h e blessed, of w h i c h the least
is transcendent beauty . . . . I c o u l d h a r d l y w a i t f o r a l l
this ecstasy a n d once I prayed f o r a long t i m e to be d e a d "
(p. 4 8 ) . B u t t o despair is m o r t a l s i n , there is also H e l l :
w h a t has become of t h e soul of h e r m o t h e r w h o i n h e r
madness has died both of the " t w o d e a t h s " (p. 106) ? P a r t
One ends w i t h A n t o i n e t t e t r e m b l i n g on the b r i n k of "outside" (p. 50) ; dreading t h e " s e c u r i t y " of the arranged
m a r r i a g e h e r dubiously solicitous step-father, M r . Mason,
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has arranged for her, she dreams of H e l l and the menacing
male figure w h o draws her into darkness. She goes f o r t h
to meet her fate i n E d w a r d (Rochester) unsupported by
other-worldly sanctions. A l l seems prepared for a treatment of E d w a r d that w i l l redress B r o n t e ' s bias against
B e r t h a , but instead P a r t T w o , w h i c h takes us at once into
his consciousness, makes possible a sympathetic i n s i g h t into
h i m also.
I n B r o n t e ' s novel, w h e n J a n e returns to Rochester after
his b l i n d i n g i n the fire B e r t h a caused, he recognizes her
voice a n d t h i n k s i t a "sweet d e l u s i o n " ; but J a n e assures
h i m , " y o u r m i n d , s i r , is too strong for delusion, y o u r
health too sound for f r e n z y " ( C h . X X X V I I ) . W e can readily
believe this, despite Rochester's t r i a l s w i t h B e r t h a and
his losing J a n e : h i s account of his m a r r i a g e and B e r t h a ' s
" m a d " blood comes f r o m one whose reason is always proof
against the W e s t I n d i a n " h e l l " — despite the passing tempt a t i o n t o despair and suicide f r o m w h i c h " A w i n d fresh
f r o m E u r o p e " cleanses h i m ( C h . X X V I I ) . F o r Rochester's
h i g h l y coloured and, f i n a l l y , self-exculpatory account of his
hapless m a r r i a g e R h y s substitutes i n her P a r t T w o a more
complex, i n w a r d account, counterpointing it i n m a n y aspects
against o u r p r i o r insight into A n t o i n e t t e ' s w a r p e d life. She
thus achieves a poignant depiction of a m u t u a l incomprehension that rests, i n fact, on a closer identity of personal
experience t h a n E d w a r d or A n t o i n e t t e ever imagine. A s
he rides w i t h her t o w a r d Granbois, t h e i r honeymoon house,
E d w a r d broods upon his i n v i d i o u s position and composes
the f i r s t of his m e n t a l letters of reproach to his father i n
England:
I h a v e a modest competence now. I w i l l never be a disgrace
to y o u or to m y d e a r brother, the son y o u love. N o b e g g i n g
letters, no m e a n requests. N o n e of the furtive shabby
manoeuvres of a y o u n g e r son. I h a v e sold m y soul or y o u
h a v e sold it, a n d after a l l is it such a bad b a r g a i n ? T h e
g i r l is thought to be beautiful, she is beautiful. . . . (p. 59)
E d w a r d ' s dubious bought " s e c u r i t y " counterpoints A n t o i n ette's (who is bought, w h o sold? . . . " T h e w h i t e cock-
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roach she b u y y o u n g m a n " sings the half-caste Amélie
i n h i s a n d Antoinette's hearing, p. 8 3 ) , h i s i n f e r i o r position
i n h i s f a m i l y , h i s exile f r o m w h a t i s f a m i l i a r , t h e fever
he is plunged into o n h i s a r r i v a l i n J a m a i c a , these a l l leave
h i m g r o p i n g f o r some sure g r o u n d f o r self; he is sceptical
of life's promises and, l i k e Antoinette, of " h a p p i n e s s " :
" A s f o r m y confused impressions they w i l l never be written.
There are blanks i n m y m i n d t h a t cannot be filled u p " (p.
64) — E d w a r d ' s words, n o t Antoinette's. E d w a r d , too, is
y o u n g ; and R h y s has b u i l t upon Rochester's expressed resentment, i n Jane Eyre, of h i s " a v a r i c i o u s " father: " W h e n
I left college I w a s sent out to J a m a i c a to espouse a bride
already courted f o r m e " ( C h . X X V I I ) . I n h e r p o r t r a y a l
E d w a r d (a m i l d e r name t h a n t h e formidable "Rochester")
is a n u n c e r t a i n , perhaps e m o t i o n a l l y crippled y o u n g m a n .
R h y s ' s counterpointing of A n t o i n e t t e a n d E d w a r d is deliberate a n d h a r d l y t o be missed. T h e i r shared desire
for " p e a c e " (pp. 58, 66) is disabling, f o r each demands it
of the other, neither c a n accept t h e u n f a m i l i a r as " r e a l "
(p. 6 7 ) . T h e i r potential m u t u a l dependence i s aborted by a
deeply shared v u l n e r a b i l i t y , w h i c h A n t o i n e t t e exposes and
E d w a r d conceals: " I thought these people are v e r y vulnerable. H o w o l d w a s I w h e n I learned to hide w h a t I felt?
A v e r y s m a l l boy. S i x , five, even earlier. I t w a s necessary,
I w a s told, and t h a t v i e w I have always accepted" (p. 85).
T h i s i s a n " E n g l i s h " flaw, clearly, b u t E d w a r d is n o t i n capable of feeling; only i n h i m a genuine e m o t i o n a l suscepti b i l i t y , distrusted a n d constricted b y a w i l l e d m o r a l i t y , has
gone dangerously awry. R h y s brings t h i s o u t i n various
ways, of w h i c h one becomes a persistent t h e m a t i c contrast
— E d w a r d ' s a n d A n t o i n e t t e ' s conflicting responses to the
place, Granbois, a n d its s u r r o u n d i n g s .
A t first Edward
goes often to Antoinette's b a t h i n g pool, f i n d i n g there " a n
alien, d i s t u r b i n g , secret loveliness. A n d i t k e p t i t s secret.
I'd f i n d myself t h i n k i n g , ' W h a t I see is n o t h i n g — I want
what i t hides — t h a t i s n o t n o t h i n g ' " (p. 7 3 ) . H i s early
hopes a n d promises, t o Antoinette, of " h a p p i n e s s " i n this
10
11
108
MICHAEL
THORPE
inauspicious m a r r i a g e are as fragile as his sense of his own
r e a l i t y — and l i t t l e less so t h a n hers. T h e passion they
share at first, s h a r i n g the sun, is sure to recoil upon her.
It w o u l d have t a k e n less t h a n D a n i e l C o s w a y ' s malicious
gossip about her mother's madness and her o w n past relationship w i t h her half-caste cousin, S a n d i (of w h i c h her
step-father so v i o l e n t l y disapproved) to harden E d w a r d ' s
habit of repressed feeling into cold alienation. T h e w a r m e r
Antoinette, w h o " h a v e the sun i n h e r " (p. 130) confronts
h i m too late w i t h her t r u t h . She recalls C o u l i b r i and the
garden where she h a d been " h a p p y " : t h i s nakedlyremembered past merges into the alien place w h i c h is " m y
enemy and on y o u r s i d e " (p. 107). I n v a i n she tells h i m ,
" I t is not for y o u and not for me. It has n o t h i n g to do w i t h
either of us. T h a t i s w h y y o u are a f r a i d of it, because it
is something else" (p. 107). H e r r i s k y recognition of nonmeaning (there is no m o r a l scheme — contrived b y "people",
w h o m she has learnt to fear) conflicts w i t h that r i g i d invocation of " t h e power and w i s d o m of m y c r e a t o r " (p. 105)
w h i c h R h y s ' s E d w a r d fearfully stands upon, s h u n n i n g the
freedom of f a c i n g the world's " d a r k forest" (p. 137) —
w h i c h surely involves passionate relationship — existentially.
C o u l d E d w a r d have acknowledged w i t h A n t o i n e t t e that
dangerous freedom a n d have helped her face it, he m i g h t
have grasped the elusive "secret". A n t o i n e t t e gives h i m
passion, a self-abandon i n desire he cannot t r u s t : D a n i e l
C o s w a y ' s accusations, A n t o i n e t t e ' s foolishly countering use
of the love potion c e r t a i n l y deepen t h e i r alienation, but
are not essential. T h e i r shared tragedy is t h a t E d w a r d
has never learnt to give, n o r A n t o i n e t t e to receive securely.
T h e " s e c r e t " i s denied b y t h e i r deep, shared i n c a p a c i t y for
relationship and love. A t the moment of departure E d w a r d
is "suddenly, bewilderingly . . . . c e r t a i n t h a t e v e r y t h i n g I
h a d i m a g i n e d t o be t r u t h was false. False. O n l y the magic
and the d r e a m are t r u e — a l l the rest's a lie. L e t it go.
H e r e is the secret. H e r e " (p. 138). T h e place holds the
" s e c r e t " ; i t i s Antoinette's, s p i r i t u a l l y her o n l y stay: in
12
BRONTE AND
RHYS
109
c a r r y i n g her away to E n g l a n d he vents h i s f r u s t r a t i o n ,
rationalized as revenge for her suspected betrayal, not only
upon her but upon himself. H e acts w i t h the calculating
cruelty of the sensitive, not the b r u t a l . H i s r o m a n t i c desires for a m a r r i a g e of self a n d place — m o r e possible for
h i m , as for Antoinette, t h a n a relationship w i t h people,
for he despises her " s a v a g e " people, as she h a d learnt f r o m
her step-father's example to fear his — ends w i t h " n o t h i n g "
(p. 142).
A t the beginning of P a r t T h r e e G r a c e P o o l e remembers
" M r s . E f f " (Mrs. F a i r f a x i n Jane Eyre) r e p r o v i n g her for
her unwillingness to accept E d w a r d ' s proposition t h a t she
look after his m a d w i f e w i t h this plea for s y m p a t h y : "I
knew h i m as a boy. I k n e w h i m as a y o u n g m a n . H e was
gentle, generous, brave. H i s stay i n the W e s t Indies has
changed h i m out of a l l knowledge. H e has g r e y i n his h a i r
and m i s e r y i n his eyes. D o n ' t ask me t o p i t y anyone who
had a h a n d i n t h a t " (p. 145). A n o t h e r side, of course, and
a p a r t i a l one, but by t h i s t i m e R h y s has allowed E d w a r d
claims upon o u r p i t y ; we have seen h i m steel himself
against p i t y (p. 135), fearful of his o w n disintegration, and
thus violate his own soul i n d e s t r o y i n g Antoinette's. H i s
future does not concern J e a n R h y s (though he could have
none i n the Brontëan m a n n e r ) , but his relationship w i t h
Antoinette has been developed into a many-sided and complete study of t r a g i c incompatibilities retrieved f r o m C h a r lotte B r o n t e ' s w o r k s h o p floor.
NOTES
New York Times Book Review, 18 J u n e 1967, 5.
i n t e r v i e w , The Guardian, 8th A u g u s t 1968.
R e f e r e n c e s to Wide Sargasso
Sea
( H a r m o n d s w o r t h : Penguin,
1968), by page number.
P r e f a c e , Tess of the
d'Urbervilles.
sjane Eyre references by chapter number.
" C h r i s t i n e Bolt, Victorian
Attitudes
to Race ( L o n d o n : Routledge,
1971), passim.
' L e t t e r to W. S. W i l l i a m s , 4th J a n u a r y , 1848: C l e m e n t Shorter,
ed., The Brontes: Life and Letters, V o l . 1 ( L o n d o n : H o d d e r &
Stoughton, 1908).
l
3
4
110
MICHAEL THORPE
»Good Morning,
Midnight
( H a r m o n d s w o r t h : P e n g u i n , 1969) pp.
79-80.
C f . D e n n i s Porter, " O f H e r o i n e s a n d V i c t i m s : J e a n R h y s a n d
Jane Eyre",
The Massachusetts
Review, 17, N o . 3 ( A u t u m n
1976), 540-551, passim;
P o r t e r stresses J a n e ' s " s t r e n g t h of
c h a r a c t e r " a n d "self-esteem" by contrast w i t h Antoinette as
passive v i c t i m , disabled b y h e r c o l o n i a l experience a n d circumstance. H e overlooks the religious aspect, v i t a l to Brontë
as to h e r heroine.
9
!«>Here a g a i n I m u s t differ w i t h D e n n i s P o r t e r , w h o r o u n d l y
states "Rochester's f a i l u r e to care enough f o r the feelings
a n d the fate of his v u l n e r a b l e child-bride is represented by
J e a n R h y s as a p a r a d i g m of m a l e c r u e l t y towards w o m e n "
{op. cit., 543): " c h i l d - b r i d e " is h a r d l y apt, not o n l y because
A n t o i n e t t e C o s w a y is 18, but E d w a r d h i m s e l f is " y o u n g " —
he reflects b i t t e r l y " a short y o u t h m i n e w a s " (p. 70). P o r t e r
reduces the novel's complexity, seeing it s i m p l i s t i c a l l y as reflecting R h y s ' s semi-autobiographical concern w i t h women's
v i c t i m a g e i n a male-dominated w o r l d . H i s p a p e r rests upon
the fashionable poles of m a l e c h a u v i n i s m a n d women's liberat i o n between w h i c h the w e a k A n t o i n e t t e falls.
C f . K e n n e t h R a m c h a n d ' s perceptive brief discussion, stressing
the " h i g h l y subjective landscape", The West Indian Novel and
Its Background
( L o n d o n : F a b e r , 1970), pp. 230-36.
" D a n i e l Cosway, not D a n i e l Mason
(the n a m e of Antoinette's
step-father), as P o r t e r m i s t a k e n l y c a l l s h i m , op. cit., p. 544:
D a n i e l claims to be Antoinette's half-brother, h e r father's
i l l e g i t i m a t e son by a b l a c k w o m a n , a n d p l a y s i n his accusations u p o n that r e p u g n a n c e t o w a r d the d a r k e r races a n d the
issue of miscegenation w h i c h was as n a t u r a l to an E n g l i s h m a n
of E d w a r d ' s t i m e as b r e a t h i n g . W h i l e it is true that E d w a r d
betrays A n t o i n e t t e w i t h the half-caste servant, Amélie, o n l y
to realize i n the m o r n i n g that " h e r s k i n was d a r k e r , h e r lips
thicker t h a n I h a d t h o u g h t " (p. 115), this is no simple case
of " m a l e cruelty towards w o m e n " (see note 10 above). E d w a r d
is r e a c t i n g f r o m his conviction that Antoinette, who h a d given
h i m a love-potion i n a foolish effort to secure h i m , h a d tried
to poison h i m ; perhaps, too, he is bitterly i m i t a t i n g the a f f a i r
w i t h h e r half-caste cousin, S a n d i , t h a t D a n i e l C o s w a y has
b r o a d l y hinted at.
1 1