Heart of Darkness Part 2

           Archetypes are very much abound in "Heart of Darkness". In fact the title has the archetypal symbol of darkness in it. Darkness symbolizes chaos, mystery, and evil. The Africans described in the novel are all (as Marlow says) black.Associating a negative connotation towards the Africans. The river where Marlow lost his helmsman  represents death and rebirth. Even more so because Marlow dumped his body in the river. The sun represents enlightenment and wisdom, and many of the characters are told to stay out of the sun or that the exposure will make them go mad. The Africans take part in dancing, which is considered symbols of sexual pleasure. Many of the European characters look down upon their dances and customs. The wise old man could be a play on Mr. Kurtz , who is considered a god-like figure who knows all. Marlow has a somewhat typical archetypal journey. He willingly goes to Africa and has no supernatural aid. He does however have the crossing of the first threshold and the bellow of the whale experience when first arriving to Africa. He doesn't have many trial but he does see the injustices towards Africans. There is no meeting with a goddess, except his obsession with Kurtz. He does however deify or apotheosize his dead helmsman (who while in his life Marlow called him an idiot). And finally Marlow meets Kurtz.The fact that Kurtz isn't who Marlow thinks he is the rescue from without and when he finally returns to England it is the return threshold and finally the freedom to live.

Heart of Darkness

"They were conquerors, and for that you want only brute force-nothing to boast of, when you have it, since your strength is just an accident arising from the weakness of others. They grabbed......much"(9).
            The quote is said by Marlow, one the the seafaring men in the novel. I think Marlow refers to his country's (England) dominance over others. That their dominance is due to their having more brute force. And that the only way they could colonize other countries is because the countries were weak at the time. It was only chance . Also there is a sense of hate or scorn towards the mother country for taking advantage of others in their weaknesses. This relates to post-colonialism because it examines the "colonizers" ideology towards the mother country and the land that it presses. I , myself have always wondered if "colonizers" know that what they are actually doing. Do they know that when they conquer they are intruding in the lives of others and are forcing them to give up all they hold dear?  That when they conquer it is murder on a mass scale, but it is alright because it's in the name of their country? It's something I've long though about, if the oppressor expresses guilt over the wrongs they've committed.

Divorce is a very beautiful thing (Part 2 and 3 of Wide Sargasso Sea)

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Just finished reading "Wide Sargasso Sea" and I have to say the book has made me ill, as in physically ill. The book is awesome, it gives me a perspective from characters that were not featured much in "Jane Eyre", and it has good storytelling.  I personally sympathize with Antoinette (Bertha) even more after reading this. Bronte makes Rochester someone to be pitied but Rhys makes him more detestable. In the novel he had the choice, the choice, to leave Antoinette. They could have gotten a divorce and could have moved back to England or India or somewhere. Instead he chooses to isolate her, ship her to a foreign country, and lock her in a room. Mind you that while Antoinette is locked away he is out in Paris and Milan having the time of his life. And there is a part where Rochester says he hates Antoinette. If he hates her, why not divorce her and move on with life? I know divorces were not as acceptable back then but I would think that someone could endure a little shame for a lifetime and happiness. And then Rochester cheats on her! In the next room! If he knew she was mad by then why speed up the process by making her angry? Which is not to say that Antoinette is completely faultless. She did cheat on Rochester with her cousin (nephew?) Sandi, which is weird in so many ways. I think everything could have been avoided if Antoinette would have moved somewhere far away so she could have had a fresh start. And I also think that she shouldn't have married Rochester in the first place and run away with Sandi. The book made me sick, which happens after every time I read something depressing (almost every book in Lit). This ends my rant/ blog about "Wide Sargasso Sea”, which I think is a very good novel, if not so depressing it makes you want to cry.

The Wide Sargasso Sea

             

   The “Wide Sargasso Sea” is a very interesting novel. I like it so far. While reading “Jane Eyre” I wondered about Bertha's story. Who was she before she met Rochester? Why is she crazy? And how does she feel about being locked in an attic? Few things are known about her and she was taken out of “Jane Eyre” too quickly and too conveniently. I felt as if Bertha was a stock character or a plot device used in the novel. Now in “Wide Sargasso Sea” that is another story. In fact, the story is about her. From her youthful days when she was a girl to when she became a seventeen year old (a grown woman in that period). She had to endure a lot, especially because she was semi poor, had a crazy mother, and her father is dead. She's more of an outsider (similar to Jane) and has few people in her life that she interacts with. This is surprising to me; in fact, her whole nature is surprising to me. I didn't picture Bertha (how do you make Bertha into Antoinette?) being so somber and thoughtful. But I like her character so far. I do not however like her mother (she cares for her brother more) and I do not like the way she is treated by the Jamaicans. I understand why they would dislike her family but burn her house down? And even her only friend betrays her. The girl has it tough. There are some facts in the book that line up with Rochester’s story of her in “Jane Eyre”, her mother is indeed mentally ill and Bertha is from Jamestown ,Jamaica. I guess you can say that Bertha is marginalized because she is isolated from everyone. She's not black, but she's not European or white  either. She's somewhere in between.