Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys - Assignment Example

The second section explains the experiences during her marriage life to her ruthless husband. The third section, on the other hand, is speaking about the life of Bertha who replaces Antoinette. Wide Sargasso Sea was earlier written by Bronte as Jane Eyre and was revised by jean Rhys. The biggest difference is between the two writings were that wide Sargasso Sea transformed the madwoman into a striking and vibrant woman, Antoinette. The novel was largely based on the colonialism and the effects that it had brought about.

Rhys investigates the complicated relationships between the white Indians, the West Indian people, the slaves and the English colonists (Angier). The black people of the Caribbean faced discrimination and racial inequality. The women were most victims who were vulnerable. The women in this text were seen to be having relationships with their former superiors, the English men. This issue of slaves having relations received a lot of criticism. However, the wide Sargasso Sea is a masterly piece of text that explains the history of the Caribbean colonialism.

The rewriting of texts during the colonial period was exceptionally common as it displayed the urge of the writers to close the left gaps and explain the left out details. Rhys attempt to close gaps in Bronte’s text was exceedingly successful, and her novel was a success. Writing has always been closely associated with culture and a form of cultural control. It acted as a form of discharge from colonialism and their evil ways of leadership. This text critiques the aspect of colonialism and the issue of capitalism instilled by the white culture.

It tells the story from the view of the mad woman who in Bronte’s was left out of the limelight (Angier). Her revision is set to give a voice to the silenced characters that have been imposed to colonialist discourse, and are of considerable relevance in the text. Subversion in this novel is extremely evident; any writing that distresses the regularity of the recognized arrangement in the community is termed as dissident. It describes the character of men who are always seeking power and appear to be more privileged than the opposite sex.

This is the same way in which the colonialists acted and attempted to display their masculinity in everything they did. Bertha’s past shows how the characters in the text are ensnared by discourse by its original ideologies (Angier). Despite the fact that Bronte displays that slaves are powerless victims, Rhys tries to evade from this ideology and establishes that slaves had powers too. The slaves had relations with their previous owners showing that they had attained some influence. Antoinette cannot be able to control her life and occurrences, but this is the same case with her husband who does not have the right to do as he desires.

Both of them are sufferers of circumstances and culture. They are also victims of discourse governed by principles, and this leads them to their disastrous occurrences. Rhys intention was to make the evils of colonialism and the history behind known to everyone. Most of the characters in the text end up committing suicide because of the problems that they are facing during the colonial period. The ex-slaves viewed themselves as extremely superior and even dismissed other poor people. This is against the common culture as the ex-slaves were supposed to help the other slaves.

Antoinette in the text was not seeking for identity, and, in the end she loses her personal identity, this is in contrast with Jane whose purpose is to