This paper analyses the liminal existence of Antoinette in Jean Rhys’ "Wide Sargasso Sea" and Bertha Mason in Charlotte Bronte’s "Jane Eyre". The paper analyses the condition of the characters, especially the creole heiress in both of these novels, under the light of Victor Turner’s theory of Liminality. In doing so, it aims to highlight the importance of a sense of belonging and a foothold in shaping a person’s identity and sanity.
Table of Contents
The document does not contain a table of contents.
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines Antoinette in Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea and Bertha Mason in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre through Victor Turner’s theory of liminality. It asks how an absence of belonging and a stable foothold relates to identity and sanity.
- Antoinette and Bertha as liminal figures
- Turner’s phases and attributes of liminality
- Colonial relationships and racial identity
- Marriage, silence and social power
- Dreams, displacement and belonging
Excerpt from the Book
The portrayal of Antoinette in Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea and Bertha Mason in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre as a Liminal persona
Liminal entites are described by Turner as “may be disguised as monsters, wear only strip of clothing or even go naked to demonstrate that as liminal being they have no status , property, secular clothing , insignia…”(359). This description of a liminal entity is easily visible in Antoinette’s character in Wide Sargasso Sea, for Rochester she behaves as a monster when she learns that Rochester slept with the Amelia when he tries to stop her she bites his wrist and throws several bottles of rum on the wall. In addition to this the incident when Tia took all her clothes away she stripped her not only of her clothes but her status, property all the illusions, about herself she had in her mind.
Turner describes the phases of a liminal experience: “ the first phase requires the child to go through a separation from his family; this involves his/her death as a child, as childhood is effectively left behind. In the second stage ,initiate, between childhood and adulthood, the child requires to pass a test to prove that he is ready for adulthood. If he succeeds , the third stage involves a celebration of new birth of the adulthood and the welcoming of the being back into the society” (qtd in. Chakraborty). If we analyse Antoinette under the light of the aforementioned theory one can make a conclusion that she got herself stuck in her own bubble of liminality as she never succeeded to the third phase of liminality but she surely experience the first two. She was never a child in her entire childhood but the specks of childhood left in her were officially robbed off her when the natives set fire to her house, killing her brother and driving her mother into insanity. The second stage is reflected, in the second part of the novel, in the form of her marriage which shows that she has ascended from childhood to adulthood, the predicament of her marriage is another entire story but the very act of marriage is reflective of the second phase of liminality.
Chapter Summary
The paper has no separately titled chapters. It introduces liminality and the relationship between the two novels, then applies Turner’s phases and attributes to Antoinette’s experiences. It also considers dreams, identity and the significance of the Sargasso Sea before concluding with the theme of displacement.
Keywords
liminality, Antoinette Cosway, Bertha Mason, Wide Sargasso Sea, Jane Eyre, Victor Turner, identity, belonging, displacement, postcolonialism, marriage, madness
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the paper about?
It examines Antoinette and Bertha Mason as liminal figures in Wide Sargasso Sea and Jane Eyre.
What are its central themes?
The paper explores liminality, identity, belonging, colonial relationships, marriage and madness.
What is its main objective?
It aims to highlight the importance of belonging and a stable foothold in shaping identity and sanity.
What method does the author use?
The author offers a literary interpretation of the characters using Victor Turner’s theory of liminality and its attributes.
What does the main discussion cover?
It considers phases of liminality and attributes such as reversals of authority, silence, submissiveness and the blank slate, alongside dreams and identity.
Which keywords characterize the paper?
Key terms include liminality, identity, belonging, displacement, postcolonialism and madness.
How does the paper relate the two novels?
It presents Wide Sargasso Sea as a prequel that gives a narrative to the woman portrayed as Bertha Mason in Jane Eyre.
Why is the Sargasso Sea significant to the discussion?
The paper interprets its position between Europe and the West Indies as relevant to the protagonist’s sense of being in between.
- Quote paper
- Inbisat Shuja (Author), 2017, The portrayal of Antoinette in "Wide Sargasso Sea" and Bertha Mason in "Jane Eyre" as a Liminal Persona, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/366398
