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.

The End

              

     The end of “Crime and Punishment” has left me feeling…indifferent. The book was pretty good, it told an actual story and shows the hero after he gives him up. The ending wasn’t surprising and I expected that Raskolnikov would give himself up for a long time. The book just gives me an impression of, eh.  As in, oh, I’m done with the book now. I did like how loose ends were tied up. Dunya and Razumikhin got married. R realizes his love for Sonya (I was afraid that he would mistreat her for the rest of their lives) and they resolve to live their life together after R gets out of prison. An R’s mom goes crazy dies, which is sad because she only cared for her son. My favorite part of the book is during Dunya and Svid’s scene. The scene where Svid has Dunya locked in his room and asks her whether she loves him. Of course, she replies no, and so he kills himself. Very Shakespearean in my opinion. Before he kills himself however Svid gives his money away to Sonya (for R) and his fiancé, which shows that he wasn’t a really bad guy. Although we find earlier out that he poisoned his wife. I liked the part when R confessed, he should have done it a long time ago but I was glad he just did it. This novel has taught me about many things, especially suffering. Everyone in the book seems to be suffering. It’s as if they aren’t living life until they do. And many of these characters want to suffer. Dunya wants to, because in a conversation between R and Svid, Svid comments that if Dunya were born in an earlier time she would make herself a martyr. Sonya suffers because she takes on unnecessary tasks like supporting her family and bearing R’s sins. And R just suffers from page1 to page 463; he’s the poster child for it.  But all in all I enjoyed a good majority of the book and it has taught me many things (like the physiology of criminals)

Confession Time

  Raskolnikov finally does what he's (secretly) always wanted to do: confess. After the whole Luzhin incident he follows Sonya to her flat and confesses. He tells her why he really killed the moneylender and her sister. That his actions weren't for money, it was simply because he thought of himself as an extraordinary being and thought he could kill someone. He finds out that he's wrong when he displays guilt, depression, and remorse for committing the crime. Sonya demands that he turn himself in but he doesn't want to go yet. By the way, I don't think that Sonya and R actually love each other. Sonya has a savior complex and she wants to save him. While R is lonely and needs someone to confide in. But their talk ends quickly when they get the news that Katerina Petranova has gone bat crap crazy. Not only has she gotten herself evicted and beaten, but also she's exploiting her children. This ends when she dies of consumption (tuberculosis?). Fortunately the funeral fees and the children will be taken care of. Unfortunately they will be taken care of by Svid (who I think is a real psychopath). Svid also happens to know that R has killed the moneylender and her sister (courtesy of thin walls). Also, Porfiry comes over, and knows without a doubt that R is a murder and is guilty of killing the two women. He urges R to turn himself in or, if R decides to kill himself, to leave a note saying he did it (I find that hilarious). And then R goes to visit Svid, who begins to tell him of the woman who tried to save him, Dunya (but that's in the next chapter, see i read). i tracked my symbol, Sonya, during several more scenes. Sonya symbolizes human suffering and there has been a lot of suffering in the last few chapters. The most important scenes of Sonya are when R confesses to her and when Katerina Petranova goes crazy and dies.

Confession Time

             

  Raskolnikov finally does what he's (secretly) always wanted to do: confess. After the whole Luzhin incident he follows Sonya to her flat and confesses. He tells her why he really killed the moneylender and her sister. That his actions weren't for money, it was simply because he thought of himself as an extraordinary being and thought he could kill someone. He finds out that he's wrong when he displays guilt, depression, and remorse for committing the crime. Sonya demands that he turn himself in but he doesn't want to go yet. By the way, I don't think that Sonya and R actually love each other. Sonya has a savior complex and she wants to save him. While R is lonely and needs someone to confide in. But their talk ends quickly when they get the news that Katerina Petranova has gone bat crap crazy. Not only has she gotten herself evicted and beaten, but also she's exploiting her children. This ends when she dies of consumption (tuberculosis?). Fortunately the funeral fees and the children will be taken care of. Unfortunately they will be taken care of by Svid (who I think is a real psychopath). Svid also happens to know that R has killed the moneylender and her sister (courtesy of thin walls). Also, Porfiry comes over, and knows without a doubt that R is a murder and is guilty of killing the two women. He urges R to turn himself in or, if R decides to kill himself, to leave a note saying he did it (I find that hilarious). And then R goes to visit Svid, who begins to tell him of the woman who tried to save him, Dunya (but that's in the next chapter, see i read). i tracked my symbol, Sonya, during several more scenes. Sonya symbolizes human suffering and there has been a lot of suffering in the last few chapters. The most important scenes of Sonya are when R confesses to her and when Katerina Petranova goes crazy and dies.

Why Luzhin is single.

                    Part five of “Crime and Punishment’s” chapters’ focuses mainly on Marmeladov's funeral. Everyone in Marmeladov's building is invited to the funeral dinner (which Katerina spent most of Raskolinkov's money on). This includes Peter Luzhin, who is staying with Lebezyatnikov (the guy who beat Katerina). Luzhin is still reeling about his rejection by Dunya. He still keeps hope alive that they can still be together. Which includes setting up a not so elaborate scheme to frame Sonya. After inviting her to his room and offering to help out her family financially he then proceeds to slip in money into her pocket. And then during the funeral, the funeral for Sonya's father no less, he accuses her of stealing. He wants to cast Sonya in an even more negative light so that he can make it seem that Raskolnikov is wrong about her (when R said the women were all equal). Though that plan is flawed and his reasoning is confusing, because Dunya broke off the engagement after discovering what a manipulative control freak he is. But even it his plan did work she probably wouldn't go back to him. The problem was quickly solved when Lebezyatnikov tells the crowd that Luzhin slipped the note and when R explains Luzhin's reasoning. Luzhin quickly bows out of the apartment. And the landlady, who somehow believes that everything is Katerina’s fault, kicks Katerina and her children out out. Then R chases after Sonya, probably to invite her again to run away together

Wait, If nothing matters, then doesn't the fact that nothing matters matters?

                    The concept of nihilism is very interesting. That essentially nothing in this world matters, and that things that do matter to us only matter  because they were projected onto us. For instance getting married. Why do people want to get married? It's to spend the rest of their lives with a companion, but why is such importance placed on finding a spouse? It's not a life or death situation, you can live and be happy without a life partner. So why is it so important? It's been implanted in our heads from early on that we have to spend our lives with someone. Why do we go to school? Why do we have morals. To a nihilist none of these things matter. The importance of these things don't really exist, we, humans just want them to. And in a way Raskolinikov is very much a nihilist. He shows nihilist qualities especially when he speaks to Sonya. R is pondering why Sonya hasn't killed herself yet and is shocked to discover that she is a Christian. He mocks Sonya, asking her if God really is real. He also makes the assumption that Sonya only believes in God as a higher being in order to keep herself sane. That God really doesn't exist but that she wants Him to. (very confusing) I find Nietezsche to be brilliant. He spent a long time forming his takes on life, even though they were controversial(especially the God is Dead one) , And especially when his father was a pastor. And I can see hints of his life in "Crime and Punishment" , specifically R's dream about the beaten horse.