Antoinette the Outsider

In what ways does Jean Rhys characterize Antoinette as an outsider in Part One of the novel and to what effect? 
Consider the significance of theme and context.

In Part One of her novel ‘Wide Sargasso Sea,’ author Jean Rhys introduces her readers to the wild and turbulent world of her novel’s protagonist, Antoinette. A young and seemingly naive girl, when we first meet her, Antoinette’s character undergoes drastic alterations as the story progresses. One such aspect of her being that is significantly developed on, would be her sense of otherness or alienation, towards all those around her.  Rhys is able to elaborate on this sentiment and characterise her protagonist in such a manner through her depiction of Antoinette’s social standing, ethnicity and relationships with other characters in the novel, most notably her mother and best friend, Tia.

At the very outset of the novel, Rhys educates her readers on Antoinette’s social standing within her society and the conflict that has been born out of that. To possess an appreciation for the role of status in shaping Antoinette’s character, one must understand the socio-political setting in which ‘Wide Sargasso Sea’ is set. The issues of conflicted cultural identity and alienation that Antoinette and Jamaican society as a whole face in the wake of emancipation from slavery in Wide Sargasso Sea mirror many of the issues newly independent nations met in their time of fledgling political emancipation from their former colonizers.  As the daughter of a former slave owner, Antoinette’s position is all the more precarious, surrounded on an island full of former slaves and thus tensions are bound to run high.

As a Creole, Antoinette can be considered neither black nor white. She may be white but she isn’t European, and she might have been born in the West Indies, but she is not Black. By establishing this distinction, Rhys makes known why Antoinette cannot find a sense of belonging in either of these two groups. This sentiment is further corroborated during the scene in which reader is providing a rough layout of Jamaica’s racial spectrum, “Plenty white people in Jamaica. Real white people, they got gold money… Old time white people nothin but white nigger now, and black nigger better than white nigger.” The dissent and animosity tangible, it should come as no surprise that such a divided landscape would fuel the flames of isolation and otherness. Taught the language and customs of a place she had never seen (England) while living and being shaped by the reality of the West Indies, Antoinette possesses a curious sense of belonging to the West Indies, and an awareness of being part of another culture. It is this ambiguity, caught up between two ways of life, being both an insider and outsider, which shape the way in which Antoinette perceives and understands the world around her.

An outsider can be regarded as one who makes a conscious effort on their part to connect with another society or people group only to be rejected by that party, and this notion rings true in the case of Antoinette. The most obvious example of this in the novel would be Antoinette’s relationship with her mother. As a young girl, Antoinette would make excuses to be at her mother’s side, for she hid her and kept her safe. However as Antoinette got older, her mother began to steadily distance herself away from her. Being neglected by a parent, that to your only one, is sure fire way to develop a sense of detachment and alienation towards those around, and Antoinette stands as no exception. Rejected by her mother, Antoinette seeks affirmation and belonging from other sources most notably her Aunt Cora and Tia, a young black girl who Antoinette befriends. However as with all the close relationships in her life thus far, her relationship with Tia gets sticky when the girl steals her clothes and later hurls a rock at her face. It seems as if in all the relationships in her life, Antoinette is always the desperate party, and that all those around her are fated to never live up to her expectations and reciprocate the love and affection that she pours out on them.