Symbols and Themes
Symbol
- Birds: The bird, Coco is a living symbol of Antoinette. Coco loses his capability to fly after Mr. Mason clips his wings. When the house catches fire, Coco is burned alive because his clipped wings keep him from escaping to freedom. This is similar to how Antoinette is restrained by the unnamed Mr. Rochester and when he moves Antoinette to England and locks her up, Antoinette in essence becomes the bird. Birds symbolize flight and freedom. So therefore, the birds relate to the thematic statement about women looking for freedom and power in a restricting marriage.
- Fire: The fire motif represents death and destruction. In part one of the novel, fire is the cause of Coco’s death at Coulibri Estate and also runs the Mason’s out of Coulibri. Throughout the novell, Antoinette has a fascination with fire, which proves to be ironic because fire would end up being the cause of her death. In relation to the second thematic statement, fire represents a bit of control Antoinette has over others, especially in the end.
- Magic: Most of the the magic motif in Wide Sargasso Sea comes from the obeah practices by the black community, primarily Christophine. With her understanding of obeah, Antoinette hopes to become closer to the ex-slaves and also uses this knowledge to gain some power because in every other aspect of her life, she is powerless. Many people in the Jamaican society don't understand Christophine, especially when it comes to her obeah practices so she is alienated.
- Insanity: When the motif of insanity is highlighted, you must note that women, like Annette and Antoinette are most susceptible to this insanity. It seems as though Antoinette was predestined to become insane because both her mother and father suffered from insanity. The insanity motif causes the reader to question whether or not the narrator, in this case Antoinette, was a reliable narrator who’s written accounts were accurate.
- Death: Rather than ones hope for a peaceful death, the death motif in the novel presents situations in which every being that ends up dying, does so in a violent or unpleasant way. The recurring death motif foreshadows how Antoinette's life will end, which is also in a violent way. Every single death in the novel accumulates into Antoinette's demise.
Themes
- Isolation and alienation from the rest of the human population can lead to any one person's insanity.
- Women find freedom and power in knowledge when in a restricting marriage.
- Fear of the unknown can cause outcasting of different members of society.