The Consequences of Colonization: A Meaningful Convergence of Identity, Reality, and Nature in Wide Sargasso Sea

Author Information

Alyssa Aguiar

Abstract/Description

Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea provides insight into the consequences of colonization through a fractured narrative that details the life of Antoinette Conway, a multicultural white Creole woman. Antoinette is the protagonist of the tale, but rifts in her account become increasingly severe as Antoinette’s sense of self begins to dissolve. As an adolescent, she remains an outcast in the social hierarchy of Jamaica, subsequently growing up surrounded by the effects of colonialism, but belonging to no specific group. This displacement becomes deeply ingrained in Antoinette, worsening as she grows older and loses those closest to her. When Antoinette marries, she begins a gradual descent into madness and is taken to England and locked away by her husband, Rochester.

Note on the Author

Alyssa Aguiar is an English and Psychology major who graduated in 2024. Her research project was completed under Dr. Ellen Scheible for a Modern British Fiction course. Alyssa plans to pursue a master's degree after some years of travel and work. She is excited to explore post-graduate opportunities to grow as a writer and researcher.

Recommended Citation

Aguiar, Alyssa (2024). The Consequences of Colonization: A Meaningful Convergence of Identity, Reality, and Nature in Wide Sargasso Sea. Undergraduate Review, 18, 106-115.
Available at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/undergrad_rev/vol18/iss1/13

Rights Statement

Articles published in The Undergraduate Review are the property of the individual contributors and may not be reprinted, reformatted, repurposed or duplicated, without the contributor’s consent.