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Post by rileymcgrath on Nov 18, 2015 0:22:36 GMT
A part I found interesting in The Experience of Womanhood was when it compares being in the garden as a "return to the womb" in "The Wide Sargasso Sea". Antoinette's lonely and isolated childhood causes her to go back to a time before she was rejected by people, specifically her mother. The nature of Dominica is something Antoinette loves and it makes her feel safe. The gardens or "the womb" to her is a place where there are no evils, like the Garden of Eden. Also it's interesting, there is a direct quote from the novel in the article; when Antoinette is describing the gardens and she says "once I saw a snake" (16). Like the serpent in the Garden of Eden, which is representative of evil, specifically the devil. I saw this as possible foreshadowing of her being taken away from her home, but I'm not really sure because I didn't read the book. This biblical reference further clarifies the symbolism of the garden as a womb, and the womb as a pure, safe haven. In "Jane Eyre", the red room can be considered symbolic of a womb also, but not in the same way it is in "Wide Sargasso Sea". Mrs. Reed forcing her in the red room is forcing her back into the womb. Being in the red room is a representation of her reincarnation and then her rebirth. This traumatic incident causes Jane's transition from childhood to the liminal state; she grows from it. In contrast, Antoinette's troubled childhood causes an obstruction of her development which keeps her stuck in the childhood state. Being torn away from her home is a major cause of her insanity. Losing her safe haven causes her to further more mistrust people and then she completely loses her mind. It's interesting how two symbols represent the same thing in two different ways. Some questions for you guys are do you think Antoinette's insanity was Rochester's fault? Could she have had a normal life if she was never taken away from her home?
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Post by amandakaliner on Nov 18, 2015 20:10:10 GMT
I think if she had had more time to adjust to her new home and new life then maybe she would have been unpleasant, but not insane. If she had been given warning before she had to leave her home and marry an ugly stranger then she wouldn't have been shocked into insanity. I dont' think Rochester is the only one to blame, but he does play a big role in her descent into madness
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Post by Teresa Dinh on Nov 21, 2015 18:00:14 GMT
I think Rochester locking up Bertha definitely contributed to her insanity. Rochester said that he trapped her in the attic because she went insane, but there is also the possibility that she was only mildly ill before and then went even crazier as a result of the isolation he put her in. This situation would be similar to that of The Yellow Wallpaper. Bertha is labeled as "the madwoman," but let not forget the situation she was put in and everything that she had to go through. She was ripped away from her home in Jamaica and sent off to England, an ocean away from her birthplace, to marry a dominating male that didn't even show compassion for her. Later, her own husband trapped her in an attic and fell in love with Jane. In my opinion, Rochester played a huge role in causing Bertha to go insane.
Also, we need to consider the severe impact that isolation can cause a person. Jane was locked in the Red Room, and that was absolutely traumatizing for her. She was in there for only a few hours. We don't even know how long Bertha was in that attic; it could have been months or even years of limited human interaction for her. This could definitely cause even a sane person to lose their mind. Also, when Jane came out of the Red Room, she had Bessie to comfort her. Bertha had no one. In fact, Bertha didn't even know if she was ever going to get out of the attic.
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Post by hopekim on Nov 23, 2015 0:32:33 GMT
A part I found interesting in The Experience of Womanhood was when it compares being in the garden as a "return to the womb" in "The Wide Sargasso Sea". Antoinette's lonely and isolated childhood causes her to go back to a time before she was rejected by people, specifically her mother. The nature of Dominica is something Antoinette loves and it makes her feel safe. The gardens or "the womb" to her is a place where there are no evils, like the Garden of Eden. Also it's interesting, there is a direct quote from the novel in the article; when Antoinette is describing the gardens and she says "once I saw a snake" (16). Like the serpent in the Garden of Eden, which is representative of evil, specifically the devil. I saw this as possible foreshadowing of her being taken away from her home, but I'm not really sure because I didn't read the book. This biblical reference further clarifies the symbolism of the garden as a womb, and the womb as a pure, safe haven. In "Jane Eyre", the red room can be considered symbolic of a womb also, but not in the same way it is in "Wide Sargasso Sea". Mrs. Reed forcing her in the red room is forcing her back into the womb. Being in the red room is a representation of her reincarnation and then her rebirth. This traumatic incident causes Jane's transition from childhood to the liminal state; she grows from it. In contrast, Antoinette's troubled childhood causes an obstruction of her development which keeps her stuck in the childhood state. Being torn away from her home is a major cause of her insanity. Losing her safe haven causes her to further more mistrust people and then she completely loses her mind. It's interesting how two symbols represent the same thing in two different ways. Some questions for you guys are do you think Antoinette's insanity was Rochester's fault? Could she have had a normal life if she was never taken away from her home?I think Antoinette's insanity was society's fault, but hind sight is always 20/20! Rochester, can be seen as a portrayal of society, but had there not been the social norms and conforms that dominated the time period, Antoinette might not have gone crazy (just as if she was never taken from her home). Rochester's idea of a woman was not being fulfilled in addition to his immaturity, causing him to just lock her away to be isolated, just as society isolates the women who do not completely fit the molds set for them as well as shun the "mad"! |
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Post by amber soppick on Nov 23, 2015 1:25:14 GMT
I don't think her insanity was completely Rochester's fault, but instead more of society's, like Hope said above. Rochester did what he did not completely out of cruelness, but because he seemed to think it was actually the right thing to do. It's completely screwed up as we look back on it, but maybe he was a victim of society too. Back on topic though, I think Antoinette was sort of set up for madness. She had such a tragic upbringing and was brought up in such an oppressive time that, without characteristics like Jane's defiance and strength, it is not surprising that she ended up the way she did. I don't think her life would have ever been 'normal', though, not without MANY different factors (both external and internal) changed. Either way, I think you made some really good points that I definitely agree with!
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