Study Questions & Essay Topics
Study Questions
1. Consider the
role of parent-child relationships in
Wide Sargasso Sea, examining
themes of power, identity, and abandonment.
2. How do the
characterizations of Antoinette and her mother restructure the way
we think of "madness"? Does the downfall of these two women seem
more related to a genetic trait or the cruelty of others? Is Antoinette's
"madness" really
caused by Rochester, or does his
treatment of her merely exacerbate her condition?
3. Why does Christophine
turn Antoinette on to liquor? How do we account for the fact that
Antoinette seems on the verge of madness
after she
has gone to Christophine for help? Is her old nurse complicit in Antoinette's
sudden decline?
Suggested Essay Topics
1. Compare and contrast Antoinette
and Rochester's religious and spiritual beliefs. How do their ideas
regarding fate, death, and salvation shape their actions and behaviors?
Do they feel empowered by or at the mercy of a divine order?
2. Does Rhys's ending serve as
a subversive rewriting of Brontë's fiction? Does Wide Sargasso
Sea pay homage to Jane Eyre or does it
aggressively critique the literary classic? Can Rhys's novel truly
be appreciated as a work on its own?
3. Compare Antoinette and Rochester's
attitudes towards servants. How do questions of social class shape
the power dynamics operating between characters?
4. Compare and contrast the characters
of Rochester and Antoinette. How are they different, and in what
ways are they similar? How do their different cultural and social backgrounds
account for the failure of their relationship?
