SYMBOLS IN WIDE SARGASSO SEA
Mirrors…
• Mirrors and representations of reflections recur
throughout the text. They are linked to identity and
images of the past.
…at Coulibri…
• Annette is reminded of her poverty and
vulnerability everytime she [passes] a
looking glass.
• Antoinette’s favourite picture, The
Miller’s Daughter, acts as a sort of
reflection. It is possibly a projection of
who she wishes to be- a proper English
girl- so when it is destroyed readers can
assume that this is the closing of this life
to her.
…in the attic…
• There is no mirror to reassure Antoinette of her
existence. There is no looking-glass here and I don’t
know what I am like now. I remember watching
myself brush my hair and how my eyes looked back
at me. When she does finally encounter a
reflection at Thornfield, she does not know how to
interpret it. As she dreams of burning down the
house, Antoinette, encounters a ghost in a gilt
frame. She vaguely knows herself, claiming but I
knew her, yet she cannot give the ghost (or herself)
a name.
• Ultimately, the mirror’s reflective surface represents
Antoinette’s inability to reconcile the different parts of
herself. This expands upon the idea that there are two
very separate parts to Antoinette’s personality- the side
that acts rationally and the side that lashes out as
illustrated in her ability to recall attacking Richard Mason.
• Long ago when I was a child and very lonely I tried to kiss
[my reflection]. But the glass was between us- hard, cold,
and misted over with my breathe. Now they have taken
everything away. What am I doing in this place and who am
I?
• Society cannot allow her to exist as an independent
married woman, or as a proper English woman with her
own desires.
Birds…
• As Coulibri burns Coco fruitlessly searches for
a way to safety. In his final moments he falls
to the ground below on fire- a death that is
later paralleled by Antoinette (at least in her
dream and in the details given in Jane Eyre).
• Coco, a bird of paradise, has his wings clipped
by Mr Mason (an Englishman) and the bird is
shackled- this is ultimately mirrored by
Antoinette’s own incarceration by Rochester.
• [Coco] made an effort to fly down but his
clipped wings failed him and he fell screeching.
He was all on fire.
…at Granbois…
• A second incident that includes a bird signals
betrayal, a warning to Antoinette. The symbol is
meant as a warning, a signal that danger is
imminent.
• That is for betrayal, but who is the traitor?
Fire…
• Oh my god, they get at the back, they set fire to the back
of the house.
• The fire motif begins with the fire at Coulibri. The fire
helps us explore the ideas of slavery and dependence
that are connected to the theme of racism. In an
attempt to rid Jamaica of the relics that represent the
old ways of slavery, the ‘black’ Jamaicans come
together- their anger is heard as they set fire to the
homestead.
• At the end of the novel Antoinette dreams of
setting fire to Thornfield Hall. Readers with prior
knowledge of Jane Eyre know that she does this
very thing. As readers we assume that fulfilling her
dream is Antoinette’s intention- something she
accomplishes.
• I dropped the candle I was carrying and it caught the
end of a tablecloth and saw flames shoot up.
• Some critics suggest that Antoinette’s leap from
the roof of Thornfield is her taking back control of
her life, her freedom. What do you think?
• Fire is seen to represent enlightenment and the
movement toward action- the flame flickered and I
thought it was out. But I shielded it with my hand
and it burned up again to light me along the dark
passage.
• Within Part Two of the novel Rochester describes
the use of candles at night. At times the flames of
these candles are seen to draw moths towards
them. The moths helpless to resist the flame burn
themselves. The description of the moths draws
parallels to Coco who is killed in the fire at Coulibri.
• In Part Three we see that fire continues to hold a
fascination for Antoinette- not simply as a source of
warmth but also as something that she is able to
watch and lose herself in.
Flowers…
• The garden at Coulibri is filled with flowers. All the
flowers in the world were in our garden, and
sometimes when I was thirsty I licked raindrops from
the jasmine leaves after a shower.
• Although the descriptions of the flowers illustrate their
beauty it also suggests that they are fragile. The
fragility of the flowers allows them to be linked to the
idea of mortality. The paths were overgrown and a smell
of dead flowers mixed with the fresh living smell. They
also symbolise Antoinette expressing her beauty and
fragility. Nature is something Antoinette has a close
affinity to. As Coulibri is destroyed she notes that
nothing would be left worrying about the orchids, the
ginger lillies and the roses the very thing that makes
Coulibri familiar to her as well as her home.
• The frangipani becomes a bad omen… the first
time we come across it the delicate flower is linked
to death as Antoinette finds Annette’s horse dead
beneath the frangipani tree.
• Later, after their wedding, two frangipani wreaths
are laid on their honeymoon bed. The wreath links
Antoinette’s marriage to her eventual death.
•It is also worth noting that Rochester
carelessly tramples on the wreaths- this is
similar to the way in which Rochester
carelessly tramples on Antoinette’s fragile
hopes.
•Frangipani is also smelt on the red dress
Antoinette seeks in the final pages of the
novel.
• The two pink roses that Christophine brings to the
couple after their first night in Granbois represent both
Rochester and Antoinette, although one of them is in
full bloom (it has been suggested that the flower in
bloom symbolises Antoinette’s passion for life).
• When Rochester touches the rose one of the petals
falls off, and he instantly thinks of the poem and the
saying that all beautiful things have sad destines.
• Here the link between Antoinette and the flower is
clear- Rochester’s thoughts sadly foreshadow
Antoinette’s life- her life is destined to end in a firey
death as predicted by Jane Eyre.
• Flowers are seen to be the only colour
mentioned within the walls of the
convent.
• The link between Antoinette and
flowers is even more blatant after
Rochester reads Daniel Cosway’s letter.
As Rochester passes some orchids he
thinks of how much they remind him of
Antoinette, and proceeds to break a
spray off and tramples it in the mud.