ESSAYS

Essay on Postcolonial and Feminist Thinking in Wide Sargasso Sea

ONLINE EXAMPLE OF ONE OF OUR CUSTOM ESSAYS

This essay will discuss the way in which Wide Sargasso Sea interacts with the ideas of postcolonial and feminist thinking. First, in looking at post colonialism, there will be a discussion of how race is used within the novel, as well as the way in which imperialism is represented. As well as this, I shall look at the hybrid nature of the text in relation to existing criticism on post colonialism and the novel. Secondly, the essay will assess the way in which feminism works within the novel, in particular the contrast in the treatment of the heroine in this book with that of Jane Eyre, which spawned it. Again, there will also be some reference to existing criticism, and how this interacts with the novel's sexual politics. Finally, there will be an assessment of the extent to which both theories are important in comprehending the novel's aims and meanings. "Post colonial" initially seems an anomalous phrase to use about a novel that is set well within the time frame of the British Empire, the 1830s to be precise. But of course it was completed in 1966, long after the tide of European imperialism had begun to recede. This breakdown of empire is observable in several themes throughout the novel, not least in the way it deals with race. Rhys' sympathy with the Jamaican first wife of Mr Rochester is an active attempt to deconstruct the often Anglo-centric nature of the Nineteenth century novel tradition of which Bronte was a part. By giving a voice to this previously marginalized character, Rhys is effectively protesting, at least in part, against the oppressive natures of colonialism, and in that sense the novel is postcolonial in that it rebels against the perceived superiority of the English.

As well as this, race in the more physical sense, i.e. colour prejudice, is an important theme. Tia's assertion that "Old time white people nothing but white nigger now, and black nigger better than white nigger,"(pg. 21) could be read as a savage indictment of the social conditions in the colonies. The suggestion here is that white people, when stripped of money and power, are the social inferiors of the indigenous population. By putting this strangely inverted form of racism, inverted because it implies a certain level of self abasement of the part of Tia, in the mouth of a very young character, Rhys is arguably suggesting that the unpleasant social and racial hierarchy of the colonies is instilled in the inhabitants from early on in their lives, and also that it demeans both the conquerors and the conquered. Of course, such deconstruction took place during the colonial period itself, but its voicing in these terms does point to a post colonial standpoint.

Interestingly, it is in this area of interaction between different social and cultural groups that the theoretical element of the novel's postcolonial aspect is strongest. Bakhtin, in discussing the novel as an art form, argues that,

"Every novel, taken as the totality of all languages and consciousnesses of languages embodied in it, is a hybrid." (Bakhtin, 1981)

The variation of language, and the resulting hybridisation in Wide Sargasso Sea functions on two main levels. Firstly, there is the variety of patois and dialects employed, as illustrated by Antoinette's description of Christophine - "though she could speak good English…and French as well as patois, she took good care to speak as they [the Jamaicans] did." (pg. 18) As well as this, there is of course the variation in narrative voices. Antoinette's voice tends to be more emotionally charged and perhaps more contemporary than Mr Rochester's. Compare Antoinette's "I was tired, and the water I had swallowed made me feel sick,"(pg 21) to Rochester's more measured description of the wedding - "I played the part I was expected to play…I must have given a faultless performance." (pg 64)

But how does this relate to post colonial theory? In discussing Bakhtin, one critic argues,

"Bakhtin believed that novelistic discourse…continued to thrive in the marginal reaches of societies because it is at those margins that different cultures interact and breed new forms."(Guneratne, 1997)

So, the variety of language does not merely add colour to the narrative, it is part of the novel's artistic structure. Indeed, one of the more conspicuous features of Wide Sargasso Sea is its linguistic and narrative variety, and Bakhtin's theory suggests that this is directly linked to its postcolonial origins. Even the practice of rewriting an established novel from the cannon has been deemed "a common colonial practice" (Page, 1997), and this act of artistic deconstruction can be read as a deconstruction of the values behind nineteenth century imperialism. In this respect we can read Wide Sargasso Sea not just as a protest against colonialism, but also as an artistic by-product of it.

In addition to its postcolonial leanings, the novel is, of course, a feminist text. Its attempt to empower a marginalized voice is not merely a rejection of certain cultural and racial preconceptions, it is also giving audience to a previously almost ignored female character, originally almost more of a plot device than a fully rounded individual. Given the nature of the original text, one could argue that Bronte's heroine is already feminist, a female who succeeds in male-dominated Nineteenth century England, and so any further feminist deconstruction might seem redundant. However, it is important to note the difference in the way in which the heroine is dealt with from a feminist perspective. Jane Eyre is effectively a female bildungsroman, progressing toward a better lot in life. Antoinette Cosway, on the other hand, represents a more modernist view of the heroine.

"Jane can assert notions of female individuality and self respect because she operates in a society based on Christian virtues…Rhys, however, defines the world as a rotting paradise, literally a place where the values of Jane's world fail to exist." (Burns, 2004)

Read other essays

All of our sample essays were written by students and then submitted to us to display and help others. Thanks to all the students who have submitted their work to us.