"Prose fiction has its dramatic moments." A critique of "Wide Sargasso Sea" by Jean Rhys

Essay by Petra1986College, UndergraduateB, April 2004

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"Prose fiction has its dramatic moments." To attempt this question, I shall use specific examples from the Caribbean work of fiction, "Wide Sargasso Sea", which was written by Jean Rhys. I agree with this statement to a very large extent because all the incidents, which take place within the novel, are based upon themes of love, racism and personal relationships. These elements, when placed together in a novel, combine to make a very potent, interesting and essentially dramatic brew.

The above - mentioned novel contains many of these incidents. They can be found throughout the novel in places that are both obvious and of key importance. The main characters that are the instigators of these conflicts are, Antoinette, Mr. Rochester , Amelie, Christophine, Annette and the ex - slaves upon the Coulibri estate. I should think that the first extremely dramatic scene was the one in which the Coulibri estate was destroyed by the angry ex - slaves.

Here, we see many important events occurring.

Firstly, Annette's son, Pierre was killed along with her beloved pet parrot, Coco. Then she had to stand by and watch Coulibri burn, destroying her hopes and dreams in just one moment. Also, Antoinette was traumatized because the estate was the only home she knew and that was the only place in which she felt safe. The Caribbean isles were incredibly hostile in the days of slavery, amelioration and emancipation. Ex-slaves and European nationals alike, often physically and verbally abused the whites remaining on the various plantations after emancipation. The Creole whites were given derogatory names by the European - born whites. The most famous of these names was the term, "white nigger." This often caused conflict between different social classes and races, while forming a highly stratified economy.

While their house was burning to...