| Wide Sargasso Sea - Extract n°6 |

Commentaire Wide Sargasso Sea - Extrait 6

De "Every evening we saw the sun..." (p.52) à "they wished to see" (p.56)

[ Corrigé, note : 15/20 ]

This extract takes place right before Rochester recieved a letter from Daniel Cosway, Antoinette's half-brother, which will reveals him the terrible secrets of his wife's family. Our extract announces already this event, indeed, Rochester feels that the place « hides » something. He can't trust the people, he can't even trust the place. All the elements are gathered together to establish a romantic atmosphere, a routine has established, the landscape should open pleasant moments, for example when the couple is looking at the sunset, at last alone. But Rochester does not feel enthusiastic, on the contrary, he's fed up with the scene (« I soon tired of the display »), the landscape being not at his tastes. He's not used to the weather, and finds the rain different from the one in England, he notices « strange noises » in the night, he also uses for the second time the adjective « alien » to refer to the moon, as he used it about Antoinette's eyes, and about the place itself.

Moreover, he would not trust the people on the island. On the one hand, there are four hermits in the neighbourhood, said by Antoinette as « drunk all the time », they might evoke her future addiction to alcohol. They must also evoke the loneliness,of the place, of the people who live there, of the characters themselves. The inhabitants of Granbois are also gossiping about the newly married couple. Everybody knows everything, everybody keep an eye on everybody, but nobody tells anything : « the unfamiliar faces [appear] then [disappear] ».

On the other hand, contrary to Antoinette, Rochester distrusts the servants (« She trusted them and I did not »), and refuses to comment upon them. We had already felt this distrust in the previous extracts, he even considers Christophine like a rival, trying like him to have power over his wife.

The other important point of this extract is the relationship itself between Antoinette and Rochester. If the fact that their marriage was arranged had been mentionned previously, it is clearly expressed here, by the quotations of Antoinette's words (« No, I am sorry, I do not wish to marry you »), and also by the fact that she tried to « escape ». By her side as much as by hims, they don't love each other. Of course, this prevents them from being happy. What's more, Rochester confesses that he's just « thirsty for her ». This physical attraction is also evoked : as Antoinette does not have any love experience, she has to learn everything. She even likes what she learns about carnal contact. As a matter of fact, he plays with the word « Die », which refers to the sexual orgasm, but also, and above all, to death.
Death is a recurrent theme in the novel, an idea that has always obsessed Antoinette since she was a child. In our exract, Rochester discovers his wife's second face, the other side of the looking-glass. It comforts us in the idea that both characters are playing a part, maybe to give their marriage a chance... At night, she physically changes : her face, her voice. She talks about death, just as if night reminded her of her ghosts. The contrasts between night and day, smiling and sad face, loneliness and gossips, everything around them is part of a duality, like Antoinette, moody, a smiling side, and another one, like a zombi. When Rochester discovers her other side, he understands that they'll never be able to trust each other, playing such a part at day.

Still, if Jean Rhys is giving Rochester good reasons to justify his future actions, and more precisely his desire to bemuse his wife, the author puts the blame on him, defending her favourite character in Charlotte Brontë's novel.