The novel is divided into three subdivisions by Jean Rhys. The first portion of the fresh trades with the background of the chief character ; Antoinette and scene of the West Indies. In this subdivision we read about the character of Antoinette and her feelings about her background ; most of the clip she a baffled small kid who is seeking to happen her existent individuality. In the book we read that Antoinette and her female parent, are both victim of the society at Coulibri Estate and they have n’t got anybody who they can portion their ideas with. Antoinette compares the Garden of Eden in the Bible with her garden at Coulibri. Like Eden, Antoinette ‘s garden is a symbol of corrupted artlessness and it is in this ambiance of dross. Jean Ryhs uses the imagination of flowers to demo the character ‘s attitude. The first and most of import flowered symbol in the novel is the garden at the estate of Coulibri. “ But it had gone wild. The waies were overgrown and a odor of dead flowers assorted with the fresh life odor. Underneath the tree ferns, tall as forest tree ferns, the visible radiation was green ” Antoinette describes her emotional province and how she feels about the society she ‘s life in ; how this topographic point has grown into wilderness “ one time I saw a serpent ” .
Jean Rhys makes his narrative unconsciously uncover his ethnocentric and stiff disposition. Rochester ‘s attitude shows that he does n’t suit in this society and does n’t experience comfy with the people around him “ A gaudy old animal ” shows that he does n’t hold regard for Caroline and is rather dismissive. The character of Antoinette and her patterned advance into her ‘zombie-like ‘ province make Rochester dying “ she ne’er water chickweeds at all it seems to me ” and we sense that he ca n’t trust on these confidences. Subsequently Rochester describes the dark the twosome spent in Massacre, underscoring that he lay awake all dark listening to pricks gloating ; a symbol of misrepresentation. In the Bible Jesus says to Judas, ‘before the prick crows, you shall deny me thrice ‘ , and this line, interestingly, appears in the novel further on when Rochester confronts Antoinette about her history.
Jean Rhys emphasises the sense of disaffection that Rochester feels about the ambiance “ non merely wild but endangering ” this suggests the disaffection of the landscape itself that he feels. He ‘s concerned about the extremeness of the landscape “ Everything is excessively much, I felt as I rode tiredly after her. Too much blue, excessively much purple, excessively much viridity. The flowers excessively ruddy, the mountains excessively high, the hills excessively nigh. ” suggests that everything is excessively utmost about this topographic point and nil about this topographic point is right or it does n’t experience right from Rochester ‘s position. Jean besides shows us the images of alien aromas in Jamaica through her composing “ I could smell and cinnamon, roses and orange flower. And an intoxicant freshness as if all this had ne’er been breathed before. ” Again the West Indian environment is full of sense experiences that are perilously intense. Rochester ‘s feelings are ambivalent in malice of his disaffection and there are the really enjoyable sense experiences, but intense animal pleasance is frequently experienced as unsafe, perchance perverting
Jane besides shows that Rochester ‘s character is carrying “ I tell hapless Richard that it was a error? ” this shows that he ‘s really manipulating and he can cover Antoinette really easy ; alter her head. But at the same clip he poses to be really caring and understanding “ rocked her like a kid and American ginseng to her ” this is an illustration of Rochester being supportive, caring and fostering towards his married woman ; he recognises her exposure and solitariness. At the same clip he mentions his committedness ” My half-serious cajoleries and promises ” suggests a glib in tone and he was n’t serious about taking attention if his married woman ; now Antoinette ca n’t even trust on him for support. This adds to the poignancy of the book and they could hold been happier but this is all lost. At times his character is rather pitiless when he ‘s covering with the ambiance and characters like Christophine ; at times he ‘s loving and caring towards his married woman.
Subsequently Antoinette shows her exposure “ I ne’er wished to populate before I knew you ” we as readers feel commiseration for her and she expresses such utmost dependence and she relies on him a batch ; we know that he ‘s non traveling to take attention of her. However, Rochester besides feels left out “ Baptise saysaˆ¦.. Christophine wantsaˆ¦.. ” suggest that she would take their sentiment into history and non worry about her hubby and his dismissive tone of irritation. He besides expresses a splanchnic racialist disgust “ I would n’t embrace and snog them, I could n’t ” propose that he still ca n’t acquire utilize to the topographic point and does n’t experience comfy with the people around him. The incident when Rochester gets lost in the wood sums up his experience of a hostile and disorienting environment. When he is rescued from the wood, Baptiste appears as a menacingly foreign figure “ The easy swing of ( Baptiste ‘s ) matchet ” . We think that he ‘s ne’er satisfied with anything ; his married woman, her comparative, and the topographic point “ if she was a kid she was non a stupid kid but an stubborn 1 ” which suggest that she ‘s obstinate and will ne’er alter her head. He besides inquiries himself “ how can one discover truth I thought and that idea led me nowhere ” he feels that everything is being hidden from him and none will state him the truth. Besides, he thinks that everything is false and this adds to the whole subject of epistemology explicit. Furthermore, at the pool their treatment of serpents and whether they are toxicant touches on the subject of truth “ untasted with an alien-disturbing, secret comeliness ” suggests he wants to categorize the universe in a factual, scientific manner. He besides goes on to talk of “ what it hides ” shows his sense of the topographic point and people as close.
Finally, in my sentiment Jean has presented Rochester ‘s experience as close and alienated. His narrative tends to obstruct or disregard the fact that he really benefitted from the matrimony and he is in fact materialistic as Christophine subsequently says. He ‘s really Europocentric which suggests that he sees things from European ways and is n’t able to suit foreign values.
