Perspective in Wide Sargasso Sea

In Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys maintains a static form of narration. In the novel, her tendency is to write from the perspective of the stranger. In part one, she writes in Antoinette’s point of view in which Antoinette seems estranged from everyone, somewhat even from her mother. As one enters part two, one notices that the perspective moves to someone (Mr. Rochester) who is even more of a stranger. In part two, Antoinette is portrayed as in her element while it is Mr. Rochester’s turn to feel distant. In part three, the narrative voice returns to Antoinette who has been moved to England. She feels so out of place that she doesn’t even accept the environment she is in.

For what purpose does Jean Rhys write in the voice of a stranger as opposed to staying consistent? I believe Rhys is attempting to portray the transformation of each character through multiple perspectives in order to set-up the final connection to Jane Eyre. There is no way for me to verify this until I read the other book, but I can reasonably guess that Rhys wants to provide a new perspective to Jane Eyre readers by taking minor characters from the other book and giving them a greater role in both novels.

By speaking from an isolated perspective in each part, Rhys gains the ability to heighten the reader’s understanding of both the narrating character and the characters to which the speaker relates. For example, in part two, by narrating through Mr. Rochester, the reader learns a lot about the way Mr. Rochester thinks and feels, and what Antoinette looks like from the outside rather than from what she says she is.

On the other hand, the reader is also able to experience Antoinette’s transformation on a greater level. One can see the way she changes from a child to an adult from the perspective of both herself, and from others. As a child, she says she is an adult, but I feel she retains many childlike tendencies. In part two, one can see how she changes and becomes more adult-like in her manner. In part three, she seems to grow even older, losing faith amongst other things.

I feel that Rhys’ writing style helps the reader see aspects of characters that would have otherwise been invisible. For me, this is both enlightening and saddening. I appreciate having novels hide small things for me to openly interpret and imagine, but it is also very interesting to be able to fully understand a character’s perspective and image without being unsure.