Wide Sargasso Sea and Jane Eyre present drastically different depictions of mental illness through the character of Antoinnette. Wide Sargasso Sea, which was written as a response to Jane Eyre, presents a much more sympathetic Antoinnette where as Jane Eyre portrays the same character as an antagonistic “maniac.” Antoinnette’s background and upbringing is revealed in Wide Sargasso Sea which allows the reader to better understand the circumstances that led her to become mentally unstable later on in her life.
One of the major obstacles that Antoinette faced in her childhood was being bullied by her peers for being a white person in a predominantly black community. Almost everyone she knew judged her for her appearance and even called her things like “white cockroach” (page 13). One of her friends, Tia, pointed out one day that her family is poor and that real white people in Jamaica have money, which makes her family “nothing but white nigger” (page 14). In addition to intense bullying and heavy discrimination, Antoinnette also dealt with a strained relationship between her and her stepfather, Mr. Mason. She would call him “Mr. Mason” or “white pappy” but still acknowledged the fact that he had rescued her family from poverty and misery (page 20). When it came to Antoinnette‘s mother, it was clear that her mother dealt with demons of her own- constantly wanting to leave Coulibri as she felt it was unsafe for her family. Unfortunately, her mother turned out to be correct in feeling this way, as Antoinnette’s neighbors later set fire to the house which ended up killing her beloved parrot and her baby brother, Pierre (pages 23-25). Pierre’s death sent Antoinnette‘s mother into mental shock and caused her to reject Antoinnette as her daughter (page 29). Antoinnette was teased for this and even called “crazy” herself. Ultimately, the culmination of all of these traumatic life events caused Antoinnette to become mentally unstable herself.
In Jane Eyre, on the other hand, Antoinnette is heavily antagonized and described as a “wild” animal, a “vampyre,” a “maniac,” and an “embruted partner.”She is portrayed as violent and dangerous as Mr. Rochester reveals that “she bit and stabbed” her own brother and attempted to set fire to the house while everyone slept (page 124). In addition, she is described as unattractive with “red bowls yonder” and a “bulk.” Mr. Rochester doesn’t even treat Antoinnette like a person, as he only marries her for her beauty and locks her up in a secret room when he discovers that she is mentally ill. Overall, Antoinette is treated unfavorably and is criticized for having tricked Mr. Rochester into marrying her. The depiction of Antoinnette in Jane Eyre makes her seem as something non-human and therefore makes readers feel less sympathetic for her than in Wide Sargasso Sea.
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