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In using Antoinette as her novel’s protagonist, Rhys is able to candidly expose madness as a consequence of patriarchal oppression and negligence, and not mental illness. As with the central character of any narrative, readers are inclined to fall for and sympathize with the plight of Antoinette' person. Antoinette's characterization - her vulnerability and innocence - lead readers to believe that she could not possibly be prone to fits of hysteria or rage. An example that corroborates this sentiment would be that of Antoinette’s nightmares. An integral part of the novel, Antoinette’s nightmares served as a precursor for her eventual demise. Be that as it may, an important note concerning these night terrors is that Antoinette never tried to embrace or keep them to herself; instead, she sought to actively expose them to those around her so as to distance herself from the future they implied. On one such occasion, Antoinette told Sister Marie Augustine that she dreamt she was in Hell and another time, asked Sister Augustine why terrible things happened in the world. On both occasions, Antoinette tried to call out the darkens that sought to envelop her, but those around her, Sister Augustine and the patriarchal order she submitted to, told her to suppress these thoughts, and instead let them fester so that the “devil might have his little day.” Rhy's inclusion of these scenes ultimately serves to highlight the inadequacy of religion (and by extension the failure of inclusion in a religious group) to provide closure for Antoinette’s mental state, instead cultivating a culture of compromise and ignorance that would propagate madness. What’s more, Rhys’ use of analepses would substantiate the belief that insanity was not an inherent quality, unique to Antoinette’s character, but a byproduct of the world she was brought up in, both her parents beset with similar life occurrences.