You've considered and agreed or disagreed with Booker and Juraga's opinion about the shortcomings of Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea. Tell us now what you think are the novel's shortcomings and also its strengths, and why.
The biggest shortcoming in this book for me is the portrayal of Antoinette as a victim who loses her mind (to me she does) because of a man who she is barely connected to from the onset. However, I do understand that, that was and still is a truth for some women. A man comes into their lives and if he leaves, all is lost. I think viewing this as a weakness is a personal bias because I think women are strong enough to prevail but that is also the strength of the book, that it tells a story that not all wish to hear (sympathetic to the creole etc.) and un-apologetically so.
I think that a major strength of Wide Sargasso Sea is that we are presented with the perspectives of both Antoinette and her husband. The reader is able to view the both sides of the story and make his/her own judgement.
A major shortcoming of the novel for me is that the novel does not challenge the perspectives of the blacks. I think that this would have made the novel complete.
I guess it depends on how we choose to view the novel. I think that if we consider the author, who she was, the time she lived in it will be hard to see Booker and Juraga's points as shortcomings, but rather (as Nadja was saying in class), its strengths.
Miss Rhys was writing completely from her own worldview as a Creole White living in a post-Slavery society. It's not a stretch that she writes sympathetically about white planters etc. However, if we kill off the author and read the text on its own merits, then of course Booker and Juraga's points would have some merit. But what do we really demand of Rhys as an author? Do we demand sincerity or some kind of carefully-orchestrated, politically correct treatise on gender and race relations?
In my opinion, the strength of Wide Sargasso Sea lies in its narrative style. Like Shelly observed, as readers we get two contrasting viewpoints on the situation and it is up to us to choose a side, but what sells it for me is Rhys’ presentation of the story. Antoinette and her husband are extremely different and yet when the perspective changes the narrative also changes to suit. Of course this is the mark of any good writer but I like how the characters are set up via this- Rhys’ manipulation of language to convey the differences in gender and character is remarkable. For example, Antoinette’s narration consists of longer sentence structures than her husband’s- this gives a sense of romanticism and nostalgia (in Antoinette’s case) as opposed to the rough, distant and almost journalistic prose of her husband’s narration. Even more excellent is that despite this, the text is still identifiable as Rhys’ own because there are still characteristic elements of her writing style embedded in both narrations.
Interestingly, Booker and Juraga saw Antoinette as a passive victim and I never saw her as such- this was another strength of the work. I see ‘madness’ as resistance, something which never comes up in Voyage in the Dark (where the protagonist Anna is clearly a passive victim). In her state of ‘madness’ Antoinette moves beyond the reach of her husband and finds a space where he is unable to command or control her-madness as resistance also occurs in Cereus Blooms at Night (and I’m just saying, I think female writers ought to be given a lot of credit for re-conceptualizing, re-working and re-presenting this issue of madness.)
Finally-Oswyn, I like your questions, especially: “what do we really demand of Rhys as an author?”
What do we really demand?
She tells her story and she sees it; "unapologetically so" as Dhanika says. It is her personal vision, not another’s- and because of this I can’t say the book has any shortcomings.
One of the main shortcomings about the novel that Booker and Juraga stated that struck was that the novel " doesnt give the perspective of the blacks in the story" I disagree with this statement because I do see it coming out in the rumours and the ''hearsay' as well as the letters. The black tongue is important in the novel and it is this method of narration that helps us to understand their views more clearly. I also dont agree that the novel excersises sympathy towards the white planters" but considering the context in which the book was written, readership as well as the historical connection , the novel would have to fit into these spaces so it is not exactly sympathy in my belief but simply conforming to particular rules at that time. In summary Just like Booker and Juraga are readers of the novel so too are we , each reader brings to their reading and understanding of a text beliefs, views and biases there is no one interpretation of the text, simply agreements or disagreements with other persons views. Each view can be argued and therefore supported with examples from the text. Your opinion belongs to you therefore how you see the novel is your personal belief.
Firstly, what I view as the novel's single greatest strength is that it gives voice to Bronte's voiceless "Bertha". Rhys' develops the story of Rochester's crazy white-creole ex-wife and at the same time abolishes or I should say challenges the sterotypical images of the lustful Caribbean woman. (reminiscent of first film preview) Some may view Antoinette's desperate need for Rochester's affection as a weakness, however looking at the novel in its entirety it is clear that far from simply portraying a woman's dependence on a man, Rhys masterfully develops a vicious cycle of betrayal and abandonment throughout Antoinette's life (Her mother, then Tia) so much so that one can all but understand her desperate need for a COMPANION and not necessarily a man.
A great strength of the novel is Rhys’ representation of a previously alienated or underrepresented voice in Caribbean literature of the (white) creole. Another strength may be Rhys’ atypical construction of Christophine as a black woman of choice. Christophine, in contrast to Antoinette, is secure enough to say that she needs no man to bind or support her. She has her children, has reared them to the best of her considerable abilities by herself and now owns freedom of movement and thinking. As a central character, her actions are prescribed only by the invocation of “the law” in all its bias. She occupies a nebulous yet powerful position within the novel: feared by both the insider and the outsider, an unconventional position given the setting of the novel during an era within which females were neither taught nor given the developmental opportunities and resources to realise self-hood? Antoinette's character owes her dependency to the reality of the time which limited female self-realization and economic independence. Rhys’ representation of the black voice is necessarily supportive of the stereotype since the black masses are presented as one raucous voice, a terrible wall of hatred, where they are unable to escape their own narrative of hate and frustration.
One of the major shortcomings of the novel is the fact that "the story is told through a sequence of first-person narratives" (McKenzie 2009). Although this aspect gives the characters autonomy, it leaves room for doubt in the reader's mind as to who really is telling the truth, or whether either of them is withholding truth. This also seems to be causing some critics to want to hear a first-person narration from the black side of the novel. It is said that there are three sides to any story: my side, your side, and the truth. Wide Sargasso Sea only provides two sides. This shortcoming limits the reader, and also influences the reader into having to decide whose side to really believe, without getting all the facts. I would have rathered that the novel be written from a third-person omnicient point of view.
Sylvern, wouldn't that be the reason why Rhys chose to write in first person? I think it is very clear who Rhys wants the reader to side with just by the very decision to use first person narrative perspectives which is often Antoinette's as she also interjects when Rochester speaks. Rhys would have done this deliberately so that as D. Samlal said, she would have been able to give voice to the voiceless Bertha in Bronte's novel. We cannot read Wide Sargasso Sea without acknowledging it as a counter-discourse in most ways to Bronte's book. This being said, I cannot say that the first person perspective was a shortcoming but rather a deliberate choice made by the author to achieve a particular response.
I think one of the greatest strengths in the novel is the different narrative points of view, that of Antoinette and then the flip side, that of her husband.However, in her husband`s narrative one can understand his feelings of isolation, strangeness and unfamiliarity with his new environment. We as Caribbean people always view the lush tropical environment as beautiful and calming, but to another, this vast array of color, wildlife and naturalness may seem quite intimidating. One of the strengths to me is that the narrative of Antoinette`s husband allows the reader into the mind of the foreigner so to say, and likewise into the mind of how a colonial master may have viewed our tropics and the natives.One weakness of the novel is the representation of Antoinette as the helpless victim to the emotional turmoil between her husband and herself. However, her apparent decline may also be viewed as a strength in the novel because situations of this nature occurs rampantly but is not explored or understood in Trinbagonian society. Many view the decline of women, be it mental, social or emotional to the general 'weakness' of the gender, however one rarely questions the extent of the man`s responsibility for this decline. Can it be that as women we love so much that when we give all , we are left with nothing.I think one of Rhys intention was to educate women about themselves and their emotional attachment to men and how easily a women can be shredded emotionally.However, with the inclusion of the character of Christophine, how women can also be strong and independent, not necessary alone, but independent of mind and thoughts about their own well-being.
In my opinion the major strength of the novel is the leveling of equality in terms of identity with regards to the main protagonists' names. Just as Antoinette's husband tries to take away her identity by renaming her the author also accomplishes taking away his identity in the novel by leaving him unnamed. In addition I believe the major flaw in the novel is the fact that the book does not challenge the blacks as being portrayed as sinister or terrifying.
I think that one of the strengths of the novel is its varying perspectives. you get insight into the thoughts of the husband and of Antoinette, rather than having a single voice. This way we as readers are better able to come to conclusions on the characters. For instance, hearing the husband's voice shows Antoinette's position in his life, therefore showing that she was nothing more than means to an end. we see how she is used. Also, although, it is easy to say that the portrayal of the blacks in the novel were inadequate, I believe it it shows how they were outcast in their societies by the European population, which may have been Rhys' intention, being outcast from her own society in Europe being of West Indian background.
For me,the major strength of Wide Sargasso Sea is Rhys's ability to champion the cause of Antoinette. By being a voice for the voiceless,Rhys gives her a lead role in the novel.Here, Rhys illustrates the experiences and events that led to Antoinette's depiction as the "mad woman in the attic", "Bertha" in Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre where the negative portrayal of the the white Caribbean woman instigated Rhys to write about the afflictions facing the Caribbean woman and offer a different perspective, one in which brings forth a sense of understanding and empathy .The novel was quite captivating as the reader gains insight into Antoinette's life and almost becomes lost within the narrative as you go through her journey. The book had the ability to grasp my attention to the way in which women succumb to their own realities, accompanied by Rhys's magnificent use of the natural Caribbean landscape, where the natural and physical images work alongside the psychological landscape possessing the reader to enter the world of Antoinette. What may seem as shortcomings,are in fact purposefully written by Rhys in such a way to give more depth and meaning to the narrative. For instance, the movement between narrators and timeline, illustrates the different events that took place that subsequently led to Antoinette's physiological state, where the use of flashbacks and movement from one to the next echoes the chaos and conflict within her mind.
The biggest shortcoming in this book for me is the portrayal of Antoinette as a victim who loses her mind (to me she does) because of a man who she is barely connected to from the onset. However, I do understand that, that was and still is a truth for some women. A man comes into their lives and if he leaves, all is lost. I think viewing this as a weakness is a personal bias because I think women are strong enough to prevail but that is also the strength of the book, that it tells a story that not all wish to hear (sympathetic to the creole etc.) and un-apologetically so.
ReplyDeleteI think that a major strength of Wide Sargasso Sea is that we are presented with the perspectives of both Antoinette and her husband. The reader is able to view the both sides of the story and make his/her own judgement.
ReplyDeleteA major shortcoming of the novel for me is that the novel does not challenge the perspectives of the blacks. I think that this would have made the novel complete.
I guess it depends on how we choose to view the novel. I think that if we consider the author, who she was, the time she lived in it will be hard to see Booker and Juraga's points as shortcomings, but rather (as Nadja was saying in class), its strengths.
ReplyDeleteMiss Rhys was writing completely from her own worldview as a Creole White living in a post-Slavery society. It's not a stretch that she writes sympathetically about white planters etc. However, if we kill off the author and read the text on its own merits, then of course Booker and Juraga's points would have some merit. But what do we really demand of Rhys as an author? Do we demand sincerity or some kind of carefully-orchestrated, politically correct treatise on gender and race relations?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the strength of Wide Sargasso Sea lies in its narrative style. Like Shelly observed, as readers we get two contrasting viewpoints on the situation and it is up to us to choose a side, but what sells it for me is Rhys’ presentation of the story. Antoinette and her husband are extremely different and yet when the perspective changes the narrative also changes to suit. Of course this is the mark of any good writer but I like how the characters are set up via this- Rhys’ manipulation of language to convey the differences in gender and character is remarkable. For example, Antoinette’s narration consists of longer sentence structures than her husband’s- this gives a sense of romanticism and nostalgia (in Antoinette’s case) as opposed to the rough, distant and almost journalistic prose of her husband’s narration. Even more excellent is that despite this, the text is still identifiable as Rhys’ own because there are still characteristic elements of her writing style embedded in both narrations.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, Booker and Juraga saw Antoinette as a passive victim and I never saw her as such- this was another strength of the work. I see ‘madness’ as resistance, something which never comes up in Voyage in the Dark (where the protagonist Anna is clearly a passive victim). In her state of ‘madness’ Antoinette moves beyond the reach of her husband and finds a space where he is unable to command or control her-madness as resistance also occurs in Cereus Blooms at Night (and I’m just saying, I think female writers ought to be given a lot of credit for re-conceptualizing, re-working and re-presenting this issue of madness.)
Finally-Oswyn, I like your questions, especially: “what do we really demand of Rhys as an author?”
What do we really demand?
She tells her story and she sees it; "unapologetically so" as Dhanika says. It is her personal vision, not another’s- and because of this I can’t say the book has any shortcomings.
One of the main shortcomings about the novel that Booker and Juraga stated that struck was that the novel " doesnt give the perspective of the blacks in the story" I disagree with this statement because I do see it coming out in the rumours and the ''hearsay' as well as the letters. The black tongue is important in the novel and it is this method of narration that helps us to understand their views more clearly. I also dont agree that the novel excersises sympathy towards the white planters" but considering the context in which the book was written, readership as well as the historical connection , the novel would have to fit into these spaces so it is not exactly sympathy in my belief but simply conforming to particular rules at that time. In summary Just like Booker and Juraga are readers of the novel so too are we , each reader brings to their reading and understanding of a text beliefs, views and biases there is no one interpretation of the text, simply agreements or disagreements with other persons views. Each view can be argued and therefore supported with examples from the text. Your opinion belongs to you therefore how you see the novel is your personal belief.
ReplyDeleteT.Luke
Firstly, what I view as the novel's single greatest strength is that it gives voice to Bronte's voiceless "Bertha". Rhys' develops the story of Rochester's crazy white-creole ex-wife and at the same time abolishes or I should say challenges the sterotypical images of the lustful Caribbean woman. (reminiscent of first film preview)
ReplyDeleteSome may view Antoinette's desperate need for Rochester's affection as a weakness, however looking at the novel in its entirety it is clear that far from simply portraying a woman's dependence on a man, Rhys masterfully develops a vicious cycle of betrayal and abandonment throughout Antoinette's life (Her mother, then Tia) so much so that one can all but understand her desperate need for a COMPANION and not necessarily a man.
A great strength of the novel is Rhys’ representation of a previously alienated or underrepresented voice in Caribbean literature of the (white) creole.
ReplyDeleteAnother strength may be Rhys’ atypical construction of Christophine as a black woman of choice. Christophine, in contrast to Antoinette, is secure enough to say that she needs no man to bind or support her. She has her children, has reared them to the best of her considerable abilities by herself and now owns freedom of movement and thinking. As a central character, her actions are prescribed only by the invocation of “the law” in all its bias. She occupies a nebulous yet powerful position within the novel: feared by both the insider and the outsider, an unconventional position given the setting of the novel during an era within which females were neither taught nor given the developmental opportunities and resources to realise self-hood? Antoinette's character owes her dependency to the reality of the time which limited female self-realization and economic independence.
Rhys’ representation of the black voice is necessarily supportive of the stereotype since the black masses are presented as one raucous voice, a terrible wall of hatred, where they are unable to escape their own narrative of hate and frustration.
One of the major shortcomings of the novel is the fact that "the story is told through a sequence of first-person narratives" (McKenzie 2009). Although this aspect gives the characters autonomy, it leaves room for doubt in the reader's mind as to who really is telling the truth, or whether either of them is withholding truth. This also seems to be causing some critics to want to hear a first-person narration from the black side of the novel. It is said that there are three sides to any story: my side, your side, and the truth. Wide Sargasso Sea only provides two sides. This shortcoming limits the reader, and also influences the reader into having to decide whose side to really believe, without getting all the facts. I would have rathered that the novel be written from a third-person omnicient point of view.
ReplyDeleteSylvern, wouldn't that be the reason why Rhys chose to write in first person? I think it is very clear who Rhys wants the reader to side with just by the very decision to use first person narrative perspectives which is often Antoinette's as she also interjects when Rochester speaks. Rhys would have done this deliberately so that as D. Samlal said, she would have been able to give voice to the voiceless Bertha in Bronte's novel. We cannot read Wide Sargasso Sea without acknowledging it as a counter-discourse in most ways to Bronte's book. This being said, I cannot say that the first person perspective was a shortcoming but rather a deliberate choice made by the author to achieve a particular response.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the greatest strengths in the novel is the different narrative points of view, that of Antoinette and then the flip side, that of her husband.However, in her husband`s narrative one can understand his feelings of isolation, strangeness and unfamiliarity with his new environment. We as Caribbean people always view the lush tropical environment as beautiful and calming, but to another, this vast array of color, wildlife and naturalness may seem quite intimidating. One of the strengths to me is that the narrative of Antoinette`s husband allows the reader into the mind of the foreigner so to say, and likewise into the mind of how a colonial master may have viewed our tropics and the natives.One weakness of the novel is the representation of Antoinette as the helpless victim to the emotional turmoil between her husband and herself. However, her apparent decline may also be viewed as a strength in the novel because situations of this nature occurs rampantly but is not explored or understood in Trinbagonian society. Many view the decline of women, be it mental, social or emotional to the general 'weakness' of the gender, however one rarely questions the extent of the man`s responsibility for this decline. Can it be that as women we love so much that when we give all , we are left with nothing.I think one of Rhys intention was to educate women about themselves and their emotional attachment to men and how easily a women can be shredded emotionally.However, with the inclusion of the character of Christophine, how women can also be strong and independent, not necessary alone, but independent of mind and thoughts about their own well-being.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the major strength of the novel is the leveling of equality in terms of identity with regards to the main protagonists' names. Just as Antoinette's husband tries to take away her identity by renaming her the author also accomplishes taking away his identity in the novel by leaving him unnamed. In addition I believe the major flaw in the novel is the fact that the book does not challenge the blacks as being portrayed as sinister or terrifying.
ReplyDeleteI think that one of the strengths of the novel is its varying perspectives. you get insight into the thoughts of the husband and of Antoinette, rather than having a single voice. This way we as readers are better able to come to conclusions on the characters. For instance, hearing the husband's voice shows Antoinette's position in his life, therefore showing that she was nothing more than means to an end. we see how she is used. Also, although, it is easy to say that the portrayal of the blacks in the novel were inadequate, I believe it it shows how they were outcast in their societies by the European population, which may have been Rhys' intention, being outcast from her own society in Europe being of West Indian background.
ReplyDeleteFor me,the major strength of Wide Sargasso Sea is Rhys's ability to champion the cause of Antoinette. By being a voice for the voiceless,Rhys gives her a lead role in the novel.Here, Rhys illustrates the experiences and events that led to Antoinette's depiction as the "mad woman in the attic", "Bertha" in Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre where the negative portrayal of the the white Caribbean woman instigated Rhys to write about the afflictions facing the Caribbean woman and offer a different perspective, one in which brings forth a sense of understanding and empathy .The novel was quite captivating as the reader gains insight into Antoinette's life and almost becomes lost within the narrative as you go through her journey. The book had the ability to grasp my attention to the way in which women succumb to their own realities, accompanied by Rhys's magnificent use of the natural Caribbean landscape, where the natural and physical images work alongside the psychological landscape possessing the reader to enter the world of Antoinette. What may seem as shortcomings,are in fact purposefully written by Rhys in such a way to give more depth and meaning to the narrative. For instance, the movement between narrators and timeline, illustrates the different events that took place that subsequently led to Antoinette's physiological state, where the use of flashbacks and movement from one to the next echoes the chaos and conflict within her mind.
ReplyDelete