Outline

Prompt B

How is prejudice in its various forms evident in Wide Sargasso Sea? How does it contribute to the novel’s tragic outcomes?

Introduction:

·         Discuss the concept of prejudice and integrate it with the time this novel takes place as well as the characters

§  Including historical context

§  Antoinette as an outsider doesn’t really understand or fit in with the other communities

·         Thesis: As an aim of voicing the identities of marginalized cultures, Jean Rhys depicts the struggle and effects of prejudice throughout the novel in forms of race, culture and gender seen by the interactions of the characters.  Providing a strong sense of time and historical context, Rhys is able to justify the prejudice used criticizes the divisions inherent in European social structures and addresses this issue by means of depicting all those typical characters and stereotype which even after the end of slavery and colonialism, decide people’s identities and values on the basis of their skin colour.

Body paragraph 1 –

v  Topic Sentence: Race plays a major role within the story as Rhys establishes that people decide other people’s identities and their values due to their skin colour which is also easily visible through their interactions.  

• ·   Antoinette maintains the racial prejudice against black and mixed race people that are characteristics of her class and culture 
• ·   Antoinette demonstrates their prejudices. She names only her black servants, the other blacks all look alike to her
• ·         At dinner, Mr. Mason speaks of importing workers from the East Indies and is warned by Aunt Cora not to speak about this in front of the black employees whom he’d be replacing. Mr. Mason again expresses his belief that black people are too childlike to be a real threat.
  §  Mr. Mason’s insulting and prejudiced remarks as potentially quite damaging to their safety
•   Rochester’s prejudice and racial superiority
  §  When he sees Antoinette’s eyes and states that she can’t be of pure white descent hence he voices his racist suspicion that her ancestry might

Body paragraph 2-

v  Topic sentence: Throughout the novel, gender is a prevalent dynamic which causes a lot of discrimination between the characters, specifically Rochester who comes from a different societal norm

·         The relationship between Rochester and Antoinette can be seen as a relationship between a colonizer and a colonized

·         Antoinette is economically enslaved and all the money left her, for now, becomes Rochester’s fortune

·         Rochester deceives his wife and commits adultery – portrays his eager desire to be in control and take the actions he wishes to

·         Doesn’t appreciate Christophine being such a highly ranked and essential life of Antoinette and his life

·         The letter from Daniel and Rochester’s suspicion of Antoinette’s madness

Body Paragraph 3

v  Topic sentence: In relation to the historical context of the novel, Rhys draws a lot of focus on the identity/culture of the characters along with the social dynamic represented by the characters.

·         Rochester marries Antoinette due to his financial state and seeking approval from his family not because he loved her

·         He views himself as higher and educated as the other he surrounds himself with

·         There is an obvious cultural difference between them and this also stems from Antoinette’s limited understanding of the world  

·         Christophine’s character is more dominant than usual female characters, she likes to be

·         “All women, all colors, nothing but fool.”…”no husband I thank my god. I keep my money. I don’t give it to no worthless man”

·         Her relationship with Rochester isn’t good because she doesn’t conform to the idea of a servant

·         He doesn’t like the broken English used by the people 

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