Heart Of Darkness

We are guided throughout Marlow’s journey by an nameless passenger listening to Marlow’s tale, as well as Marlow himself.   As Marlow starts his journey and directs his way into the Congo, the cruelness of human nature and finally understanding, we begin observe an unforgettable journey into the depths of the darkest part of our human heart. In Heart of Darkness, there seems to include the Supernatural Aid, Call to Adventure, The Crossing of the First Threshold, and the Belly of the Whale  in Marlow's journey in Africa. The Call of Adventure first appears as the snake of the Nile River with its tail "lost in the depths of the of the land." He claimed it "charmed him" (Conrad 5-6). In his journey, Africa was probably unexplored by the Europeans at this point in time that marks the beginning of his journey as he travels within the depths of Africa. 

The Supernatural Aid surprisingly comes from Marlow's aunt that aided him in his journey by getting him a position on the riverboat. Have not known the place he was traveling to, Marlow becomes embedded into the center of the Earth and becomes a savage himself, leaving his own country behind. This is known as the Cross of the First Threshold because Marlow forgets his own world as he journeys on to Africa, not knowing the dangers of what's within. 

Heart of Darkness

The one significant line that imposes power of the European that believes to be following colonialism is,

"I had no difficulty in finding the Company's offices. It was the biggest thing in the town, and everybody I met was full of it. They were going to run an over-sea empire, and make no end of coin by trade."
 

This line gives a significant impression to me because it does not just directly speak of power of the company, but it is, as well, referring to the power that Europeans possess in their hands. "The biggest thing in the town" could be portrayed as the mother country of London and that colonialism will "run an over-sea empire," which is Africa. Europeans were inspired in a mad pursuit of riches regardless to the outcome on the indigenous people and regions. The description by Marlow about the structure of the home offices and the city in general can be interpreted as a metaphor to imply excess riches. By implying that "everybody I met was full of it," Marlow tries to condemn the Europeans that every common man will at least have riches in the big city in order to expand their empire in obtaining goods.

The Fall Of Love

          As I approach Part 2 in Wide Sargasso Sea, the narrator seems to be a mysterious character of which is Antoinette's husband. However, we should already know that the narrator is Rochester from the novel Jane Eyre. This transition of point of view is to allow Rochester to explain the search for love that he spoke of in Jane Eyre. Jean Rhys tends to construct different point of views to avoid the single narrative voice like how Bronte did for Jane Eyre. She wants the readers to fully know the conflict of Antoinette and Rochester and their relationship. From Rochester's point of view, we know that his father would not divide his wealth to him and that he must undergo the marriage in order to gain wealth. To close his mouth, Richard Mason quickly gave him 30,000 pounds so that the marriage can persist. However, Rochester seems to have internal conflicts with himself of what he notices about his wife. So long after the marriage, they both had the urge for sex, but why would he even do that if he barely knew her and her backgrounds? By all means, this guy seems to be looking for lust rather than the love he constantly been seeking in his life. First, it was Bertha, the three mistresses, Adele's mother, and then Jane. So far in the novel, there is a lot of foreshadowing going on that contributes to the demise of Bertha Mason. Antoinette seems to at have a lot of doubts about the marriage that Rochester might just leave her somehow. But one thing that I noticed about the two is that the moodiness still persists from Wide Sargasso Sea to Jane Eyre. Antoinette would always act happy and cheerful during the day while she becomes abrupt at night. Same with Rochester. He would be nice and kind during the day and become aggressive during the night. If this story was to prolong, predictions will show that Rochester, when married to Jane, will become just like Bertha Mason since certain actions or traits are carried on to Rochester.

The Other Perspective..

         There is a whole new perspective upon Bertha Mason (Antoinette) as I read Wide Sargasso Sea. From the novel, Jane Eyre, Bertha has already endured madness of which we question the author as of why she has become as such. We may criticize her and her mentality, but we forgot one important factor of why Rochester would lock her up in the attic. Her brother is mental and her mother is undergoing the state of being mad, which both will eventually die at the end of Part 1. The reason why fire was mentioned repetitively in Jane Eyre was from this novel, the origin of Bertha Mason. The fire that destroyed her home followed by the death of both her relatives caused her to depict the same image in her head when she caused the fire in Rochester's mansion. Ironically, the fire that we know so much in Jane Eyre that stands for loving, warmth, and positive, is actually negative in Wide Sargasso Sea. Bertha Mason is overall, the other side of Jane Eyre, where she suffers everything that Jane Eyre does not or fully experienced. She has no friends because apparently, they betray her and also she has no one to love her because of her mentality. Antoinette, I say, is now the most pitied character in Jane Eyre now that we know how she was already placed inside the attic.