Summary
Immediately after their wedding in Jamaica, Rochester
and Antoinette spend several weeks in the Windward Islands at a
small estate that belonged to Antoinette's mother, Annette, located
near a town called Massacre. As they travel from Massacre to the
honeymoon, they are caught in a downpour, driving Rochester, Antoinette,
and a half-caste servant named Amelie to take shelter under a mango
tree.
Antoinette recognizes a black woman named Caroline standing outside
a hut on the far side of the road. Ignoring Rochester's protestations,
Antoinette bolts across the street in the rain. He watches her critically
and questions his hasty decision to marry a woman about whom he
knows nothing. Only a month after arriving in Jamaica—three weeks
of which Rochester spends in bed with fever—he finds himself with
a Creole wife.
Antoinette returns to the tree where Rochester waits.
She invites him to join her in her friend Caroline's house, but
he refuses. Finally, the rain stops and the caravan continues on
its way to Antoinette's family estate, called Granbois. Ill at ease
in the strange tropical climate, Rochester concludes that "everything
is too much"—too lush, too green, too fragrant. He reflects on the
financial transaction that precipitated his marriage: the £30,000 that
was unquestioningly paid to him. This money allows Rochester to
be independent of his father and older brother in England and saves
him from financial disgrace.
When they arrive at Granbois, Rochester finds the house
awkward and run-down. Antoinette introduces him to the many servants,
whom she greets with warmth and enthusiasm. Among the servants are
Christophine, Antoinette's old nurse; Baptiste, a dignified man;
and Hilda, Baptiste's perpetually giggling daughter. At his first
sight of Christophine, Rochester feels her distrust.
Antoinette then leads Rochester through the empty, neglected rooms.
He finds a refuge in his private dressing room, which formerly belonged
to Mr. Mason. After viewing Granbois, Rochester drafts a letter
to his father, assuring him that "all is well and has gone according
to [his father's] plan" regarding the marriage transaction.
Analysis
Antoinette's husband remains nameless throughout Wide
Sargasso Sea, but readers of Jane Eyre will
recognize him as one of Brontë's characters, Rochester. Based on
Brontë's hero, the English gentleman narrates almost the entirety
of Part Two, giving voice to his perspective on the marriage with
Antoinette and the events that lead him to lock her inhumanely in
the attic. Rochester's villainous actions, while never condoned,
are at least somewhat explained by his own suffering, confusion,
and feelings of alienation.
