Wide Sargasso Sea Summary
Description
Here you will find a Wide Sargasso Sea summary (Jean Rhys's book).
We begin with a summary of the entire book, and then you can read each individual chapter's summary by visiting the links on the "Chapters" section.
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Last Updated: Monday 1 Jan, 2024
Chapters
Chapters Wide Sargasso Sea Summary Overview
Antoinette Cosway, a white Creole girl, lives a lonely and isolated life on her family's dilapidated Jamaican plantation, Coulibri Estate, in the early 19th century. The financial collapse and death of her father, a former slave owner, has led to a bitter tension between the impoverished white upper class and the newly freed Black population. After her mother, Annette, remarries a wealthy Englishman named Mr. Mason, their home is unintentionally set ablaze during a protest by the freed slaves. In the chaos, Antoinette is injured and her younger brother Pierre is fatally wounded. The trauma of the fire pushes Annette into madness and Antoinette is sent to live in a convent where she is largely forgotten by her family. At seventeen, Mr. Mason arranges for Antoinette to be married to a nameless Englishman in need of money, offering a hefty dowry as incentive. The newlywed couple retreat to Granbois, an estate inherited by Antoinette, for their honeymoon. However, the husband grows increasingly wary of Antoinette and the exotic surroundings as he receives a letter revealing her family's history of insanity. Antoinette, sensing her husband's growing animosity, seeks the help of her confidante Christophine for a love potion. This leads to a heated confrontation between the couple that not only confirms the husband's suspicions of Antoinette's insanity, but also results in him having an affair with a servant girl, Amelie. The final part of the story sees Antoinette, now addressed as "Bertha" by her husband, in England, confined to a room in the attic of her husband's house under the care of Grace Poole. Having lost her sense of reality, Antoinette becomes increasingly unstable, even threatening her stepbrother with a knife during a visit. She continually dreams of setting the house on fire using Graces's keys and, one night, she wakes and decides to make the dream a reality. The narrative concludes with Antoinette, holding a lit candle, making her way down from her upstairs prison.
part 1 section 1
Antoinette and her family are seen as outsiders among the white community of Spanish Town. Christophine claims that the local women disapprove of Antoinette's mother, Annette, due to her beauty and youth in contrast to her husband, and her origins from Martinique, a French colony as opposed to Jamaica, an English one. Annette's excuses for their lack of visitors at Coulibri Estate since her husband's death include poor roads and inconvenient travel. Annette's only companion, Mr. Luttrell, mysteriously kills his dog and disappears into the ocean, leaving his house deserted. This event triggers a wave of rumors. Despite her dwindling financial status and worn-out clothes, Annette continues her daily horseback rides, despite the servants' ridicule. One day, Antoinette discovers her mother's horse dead from poisoning. A local doctor visits to attend to Pierre, Antoinette's handicapped younger brother. After this, Annette's behavior alters significantly. She confines herself within the house, pacing the verandah in view of the mocking servants. As Annette grows increasingly aloof, Antoinette finds solace in their untamed garden and the company of Christophine, a servant who sings her native Martinique songs. The local women fear Christophine due to her reputed magical abilities. When Antoinette inquires about Christophine, Annette explains that Christophine was a wedding gift from her father and has been with them for a long time. Annette assures Antoinette that Christophine's presence has safeguarded them in various ways. Annette snaps at Antoinette's reminder of the loyalty of servants Godfrey and Sass, dismissing Godfrey as a dishonest, idle man and predicting Sass's imminent departure. This prompts Antoinette's concerns about Christophine possibly leaving. When Antoinette tries to comfort her weary and disheveled mother, Annette requests solitude.
part 1 section 2
Antoinette's life is centered around her mother, Pierre, Christophine, Godfrey, and Sass, the servant boy who eventually leaves them just as Antoinette's mother had anticipated. Antoinette is haunted by a young girl who labels her a "white cockroach" and urges her to "go away." She finds solace near an old garden wall where Christophine discovers her after several hours. Christophine's friend, Maillotte, introduces her daughter Tia to Antoinette, and they begin to meet every morning and play at the bathing pool till noon. Their whereabouts remain unknown to Antoinette's mother. During one of their meetings, Tia challenges Antoinette to perform a somersault underwater for three pennies. Despite successfully performing the stunt and choking afterwards, Tia takes the pennies anyway. The girls exchange insults, with Tia accusing Antoinette's family of being poor and trashy. Tia runs away, leaving Antoinette in her dirty dress and taking Antoinette's clothes. Antoinette, feeling sick and angry, is forced to wear Tia's dress and return home. Upon reaching home, Antoinette is startled to find visitors and rushes off to her room to hide until they depart. Antoinette is then questioned by her mother who, upon discovering that she's wearing Tia's dress, orders Christophine to burn it. In the absence of any clean clothes, Antoinette is dressed in an old muslin dress. Christophine informs Antoinette that the recent guests were their new neighbors, the relatives of Mr. Luttrell, whom she refers to as "trouble." That night, Antoinette feels ignored by her mother and believes her mother is ashamed of her. The following day, Antoinette's life takes a new turn. Her mother manages to get money to buy new dresses for them both. Annette, her mother, begins to attend social functions, returning home exhausted, while Antoinette spends most of her time exploring the Coulibri Estate, preferring solitude over the company of people.
part 1 section 3
Attending her mother's marriage to Mr. Mason, Antoinette sees guests who had previously criticized the union. They make disparaging comments about her mother's financial status, previous marriage, and peculiar children, although they admit her beauty. Antoinette knows that Mr. Mason moved to the West Indies for financial gain. While her mother is honeymooning, Antoinette and her brother stay with Aunt Cora. Upon their return, they find Coulibri transformed. New staff are employed, whom Antoinette distrusts due to their discussion about Christophine's voodoo practices. A year later, Annette and Mr. Mason quarrel about relocating from Coulibri due to the intensifying hostility. Mr. Mason, being English, dismisses her fears and the concerns of the Creole people. One night, Annette and Aunt Cora insist on leaving Coulibri due to safety concerns, but Mr. Mason trivializes their fears. Later, a panicked mother wakes Antoinette and they descend to the gathering household. When Mr. Mason opens the door to the outside, a mob of angry servants confronts him. As the situation escalates, they notice smoke coming from the children's rooms. Annette rescues her son, Pierre, with her hair partially burned. She accuses Mr. Mason of blindly trusting the servants. The riot intensifies, forcing the family to flee the burning house. Annette risks her life to save her parrot, Coco. The spectacle of the burning parrot falling from the roof hushes the crowd. As they prepare to depart, a servant confronts them but backs off when Aunt Cora curses him. Antoinette spots her former friends, Tia and Maillotte, and runs towards them, only for Tia to throw a rock at her, leaving her injured and horrified.
part 1 section 4
After a lengthy bout of fever, Antoinette finds herself in Spanish Town under the guardianship of Aunt Cora. Pierre, her brother, perished in the fire and her mother has moved to the countryside. On a visit to see her mother with Christophine, Antoinette struggles to recognize the woman before her, and is forcefully pushed away by Annette when she tries to approach her. Antoinette then begins to attend a convent school in Spanish Town where she is bullied and threatened by two boys. Her half-brother Sandi, one of her father's illegitimate children, comes to her rescue. Upon reaching the school, she breaks down and is comforted by the nuns, who assign her under the care of Louise de Plana, a fellow student. Her days in the convent are spent cross-stitching and learning about saintly women from Mother St. Justine. Despite the efforts of the nuns to instill the values of purity and femininity, Antoinette often finds her mind wandering to thoughts of her mother. No one provides her with news about her mother's condition: Christophine has left to live with her son, Aunt Cora has moved to England, and Mr. Mason is frequently away due to his international travels. Antoinette adjusts to the simple routine of the convent life. Mr. Mason occasionally visits Antoinette, bringing her gifts of clothes and jewellery. On her seventeenth birthday, he informs her she will be leaving the convent to live with him and make her debut in society. Following this news, Antoinette has a haunting dream about a man leading her into a garden, which she interprets as hell, causing her to wake up in fear. A nun offers her hot chocolate to calm her down. As she sips the hot chocolate, Antoinette's mind wanders to her mother's funeral a year ago, which was attended by only her, Mr. Mason, and Christophine. The memories of her mother and fragments of her nightmare blend together in her mind.
part 2 section 1
Post their wedding in Jamaica, Rochester and Antoinette spend their honeymoon at a small property in the Windward Islands, previously owned by Antoinette's mother, near Massacre town. On their journey, the couple and their mixed-race servant, Amelie, get caught in heavy rain and take shelter under a mango tree. Antoinette spots a Black woman named Caroline, a familiar face, on the other side of the road. Despite Rochester's objections, she runs across the street to her. Watching her, Rochester begins to question his rushed decision to marry her, a woman he hardly knows. After spending a month in Jamaica and three weeks being sick, he finds himself married to a Creole woman. When Antoinette comes back to the tree, she asks Rochester to join her at Caroline's place, but he declines. After the rain subsides, they continue their journey to Antoinette's ancestral estate, Granbois. Rochester finds the tropical climate overwhelming and reflects on the £30,000 dowry he received, that not only made him financially independent but also saved him from ruin. Upon reaching Granbois, Rochester sees the property as dilapidated. Antoinette introduces him to the servants, including Christophine, her childhood nurse, Baptiste, a respectable man, and Hilda, Baptiste's incessantly laughing daughter. Rochester feels Christophine's resentment towards him. Antoinette shows Rochester around the vacant, uncared for rooms. He finds solace in a private dressing room, earlier occupied by Mr. Mason. After the tour, Rochester pens a letter to his father, assuring him that "all is well and has gone according to [his father's] plan" with regard to the wedding.
part 2 section 2
Rochester remembers playing an unloving suitor to Antoinette, his deception unnoticed except by the Black servants. The wedding ceremony is a cold, distant memory, followed by suspicious glances from servant women at the post-wedding celebration. After reminiscing, Rochester eats dinner with his elegantly dressed wife, captivated by her beauty. As they dine, insects die in the candle flames. They discuss life in England versus the West Indies, referencing a quote that London "is like a cold dark dream", and debate which is more "unreal" and "dreamlike". Later, they take a night walk, where Antoinette shares her fearful memory of finding rats on her windowsill at Granbois. The morning after, they have breakfast in bed served by Christophine. Rochester criticizes Christophine's outspoken nature, but Antoinette defends her. He touches a rose petal which falls off, making him think of the fleeting beauty. Weeks of good weather distract Rochester from his concerns. He spends his days by the pool and Antoinette joins him in the afternoons. They watch sunsets from a shelter. Antoinette talks fondly about Granbois' history and its overseer, Baptiste. Rochester wisely keeps his misgivings about the servants to himself. Rochester spends his nights observing Antoinette, who shares stories about her sad childhood when she awakes. During the day, she's cheerful, singing Christophine's songs. But at night, she becomes fixated on death and says that if he wished her dead, his words alone would be enough. She becomes sexually submissive and develops a strong sexual desire. After sex, she appears more distressed and cries when Rochester reassures her with the words, "You are safe." Rochester feels no affection for her, only sexual desire, and tries to disregard her grim obsessions and her obliviousness to life beyond the islands.
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Rochester gets a note from Daniel Cosway, the illegitimate child of Alexander Cosway, admonishing him about Antoinette's troubled family history. Daniel warns Rochester that Antoinette's parents were morally corrupt and asks him to meet in the town of Massacre. After digesting the letter, a shaken and sweaty Rochester returns to his house, inadvertently crushing an orchid underfoot. There, he interrupts a heated argument between Antoinette and Amelie, which ends with Antoinette tearing a bedsheet in fury. Christophine confirms to Antoinette that she plans to leave the estate to work with her son, inciting a smug reaction from Amelie. Christophine confronts Amelie before leaving the room, and Antoinette desperately tries to make Rochester empathize with her feelings of rejection from both her own people and the English, but to no avail. Rochester later ponders in the forest, suspecting he was purposely misled into marrying Antoinette. He crosses paths with a girl who screams at his sight and flees. Lost in the eerie forest, Rochester is found by Baptiste, who guides him back home and dismisses his inquiries about the supernatural. Upon finding Antoinette's door locked, Rochester retires to his own room, where he drowns his confusion in alcohol and reads about obeah from a book titled The Glittering Coronet of Isles.
part 2 section 4
Antoinette, sensing her husband Rochester's growing distance, goes to seek counsel from Christophine at her new home beyond the "Mounes Mors" rocks. Christophine's life is starkly different; she's single, self-reliant, and a mother of three children by different fathers. She counsels Antoinette to take her inheritance and leave Rochester. However, she is taken aback when Antoinette tells her that her wealth now legally belongs to her husband under English law. Unfazed, Christophine suggests Antoinette escape to Martinique, pretending to visit a cousin. Antoinette ponders going further, to England, which Christophine doubts exists. Antoinette then reveals her real motive for visiting: to ask for a love potion. Christophine warns her against meddling with magic, cautioning that the potion will only attract Rochester physically, not emotionally. She advises Antoinette to openly discuss her feelings with Rochester. Antoinette laments that he won't listen, insisting on having the potion. Unexpectedly, Christophine agrees to help. She leads Antoinette into her house to start a mysterious ceremony, which is not detailed. Antoinette observes a pile of chicken feathers in a corner, and hears a cock crowing, indicative of betrayal. As she leaves, she contemplates the meaning of these symbols, clutching the enigmatic potion wrapped in a leaf.
part 2 section 5
Rochester gets another note from Daniel Cosway, insisting on a meeting. A bothered Rochester quizzes Amelie regarding Daniel's motives. Amelie, defending Daniel, mentions that "he lives like white people" and is religious. But soon, she flips, labeling Daniel as "a bad man" who Rochester should not invite to Granbois. Instead, she suggests Rochester go to Daniel's house in Massacre. Rochester meets Daniel in his stifling, cramped dwelling. Without much preamble, Daniel starts narrating his life experiences. He paints a picture of his deceased white dad, Alexander Cosway, as a detestable womanizer who harshly refused to accept him. Upon confronting Cosway at the age of sixteen, Cosway rejected his lineage, degrading Daniel's mother as a "sly-boots" and labelling Daniel as a gold-digger, even flinging an inkstand at him. This meeting marked Daniel's final interaction with his father. Next, Daniel warns Rochester that he's been tricked, having trusted all the wrong individuals. He accuses Christophine, a practitioner of obeah magic, as the biggest deceiver. Shaken by these revelations, Rochester is about to depart when Daniel brings up Sandi, Alexander's other son. Daniel implies that Antoinette and Sandi had an intimate relationship since she was a young girl. As Rochester heads towards the door, Daniel solicits a bribe, promising to keep these scandalous stories to himself for £500. When Rochester doesn't comply, Daniel threatens to expose Antoinette's past sexual exploits. Leaving Daniel's house, Rochester hastily gets on his horse and leaves.
part 2 section 6
Rochester shares a night with Antoinette, engaging in conversation and rum. Antoinette urges him to interact with her more, questioning his dislike of her. He denies any hatred, but inwardly knows he's not truthful. They converse about Rochester's faith in his Christian God, juxtaposed with Antoinette's belief in "two deaths." Rochester steers their conversation to his talk with Daniel Cosway, causing Antoinette to dismiss Daniel as a liar. She insists on a different perspective of the Cosway saga, the "true story" of her lineage. She recollects her father's demise, the resulting poverty, her family's isolation, her mother's humiliation, Christophine's devotion, and her own intense melancholy. Antoinette's description of the fire and her reference to Coulibri as a place "sacred to the sun" arouses Rochester's suspicion regarding her truthfulness. Sensing his uncertainty, Antoinette switches topics. She recounts her time in her Aunt Cora's home, recovering from sickness, casually skipping details about Pierre's passing and her mother's loathing for Mr. Mason, who she blamed for the fire. Her narrative about her final meeting with her mother ends with her becoming withdrawn and laughing disturbingly, worrying Rochester. Rochester, referring to Antoinette as "Bertha," asks about her visit to Christophine's. He concedes to Christophine's advice of spending time away from each other, causing Antoinette to become contemplative. Preparing for sleep, he again uses the name “Bertha”, a name which Antoinette dislikes but implicitly agrees to. She serves wine to herself and her husband, the latter unknowingly drinking the obeah potion.
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Rochester wakes up in a terrible state, feeling as if he's been buried alive. He's sick, throwing up throughout the day, and suspects he's been poisoned. He watches Antoinette sleep with contempt and covers her face with a sheet, almost as if she's dead. He escapes to the forest, ending up near an old, abandoned house he had come across on a previous walk. After taking a nap and waking up late, he heads back to Granbois and isolates himself. The maid, Amelie, comes to tend to him. She nurses him, gives him food and wine, and then laughingly says, "I am sorry for you." They end up in bed together, with Antoinette overhearing from the next room. In the morning, Rochester hands Amelie money, which she accepts without gratitude. She shares her plans to leave Granbois for Rio in search of wealthy men. Once alone, Rochester hears Antoinette ride away. Antoinette is gone for three days. On the third day, Rochester sends a letter to his friend asking about Christophine, who had been arrested for practicing obeah. He learns she's vanished after being released, with local police on high alert for trouble. Upon Antoinette's return at dusk, she retreats straight to her room without speaking to Rochester. When he tries to go in, he finds the door blocked but manages to push it open slightly. He sees her frantic, calling for Baptiste and Christophine. Upon opening the door, Antoinette appears wild and accuses Rochester of acting like the slave-owners he criticizes by sleeping with Amelie and then discarding her. She breaks down when Rochester refers to her as "Bertha," accusing him of using obeah magic to change her. She declares her hatred for him, blaming him for ruining her beloved home. When he tries to restrain her, she bites him. As she starts crying, Christophine enters, and Rochester retreats to the veranda, where he hears Christophine comforting Antoinette.
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Christophine holds Rochester accountable for Antoinette's unstable emotional condition, having witnessed signs of his abrasive behavior towards Antoinette while caring for her post Rochester’s affair with Amelie. She accuses Rochester of manipulating Antoinette into a passionate dependency and using derogatory terms like "Bertha" and "Marionette". Rochester tacitly accepts these accusations. Christophine retorts Rochester's questioning about Antoinette's altered behavior by admitting to giving her rum for comfort, leading to Rochester blaming her for turning Antoinette into an alcoholic. Christophine counters this by insisting that Rochester should either love Antoinette genuinely or leave her in Christophine's custody while returning half of her dowry. Rochester considers her proposition until she suggests Antoinette’s possible remarriage, prompting him to throw Christophine out and plan to consult doctors in Spanish Town. Christophine fears that Rochester and the physicians would conspire to declare Antoinette insane, similar to the fate of Antoinette's mother. After Christophine's exit, Rochester pens a note to his father about his return to Jamaica due to "unforeseen circumstances", hinting at his father's involvement in the matter. He blames his father for his indifference and conspiracy to exclude him. As he writes, a crow's call outside prompts him to throw a book at it. Drowning his frustrations in rum, he sketches a simplistic drawing of a house with a stick-figure woman peering out from a window.
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Rochester discerns the imminent hurricane season on a chilly, overcast day. He muses if anyone feels sorry for him, wed to "a drunken lying lunatic." He desires to master Antoinette, not out of love but with the intention to tame her madness. He regards her as a disgraceful madwoman "gone her mother's way," and plans to inflict pain on her by removing her from her beloved island. Plans for their England journey are already in place. On the day they leave, Antoinette is impassive. Her once passionate appreciation for the tropics has faded into indifference. The island songs and tales she used to share are replaced by silent gazes towards the sea. Conversely, Rochester feels a pang of regret leaving Granbois. He silently pleads for Antoinette's forgiveness but withdraws when he encounters hate in her eyes. His intense gaze seems to drain the life from her eyes, leaving them vacant. As they prepare to depart, a young boy bearing baskets starts crying. Rochester is taken aback by the boy's raw feelings. When he inquires about the boy's distress, the servants remain silent. Antoinette, in an unfeeling manner, informs Rochester that the boy is fond of him, and she had assured the boy that Rochester would never abandon him. This infuriates Rochester, as she pledged on his behalf. Antoinette, still emotionless, apologizes for her indiscretion. Her stoicism while bidding goodbye to Baptiste convinces Rochester of her insanity. He is eager to confine her in England, transforming her into "a memory to be avoided."
part 3 section 1
Within the confines of the Rochester estate in England, Antoinette is kept under the watchful eye of Grace Poole, a servant, in the attic. Rochester, having inherited his family's wealth, employs Mrs. Eff to ensure Grace's silence on the matter of Antoinette with an offer of double pay. Despite the strangeness of her role, Grace is convinced by Mrs. Eff of their master's kindness and his pitiful return from the West Indies. The staff in the house has been reduced to just five, the rest dismissed, with Grace speculating that it was due to gossip about Rochester and his Creole wife. Though uneasy around Antoinette, Grace finds comfort in the house. Antoinette wakes up feeling cold, puzzled by her relocation to this room. Initially, she believed it was temporary and hoped to persuade Rochester to release her. However, he has not visited her, leaving Grace, her only company, who spends her nights counting money and drinking before sleep. Antoinette's new residence is bare, with a single unreachable window. She sees a tapestry in the next room that reminds her of her mother. There are no mirrors, causing her to forget her own reflection and identity. Antoinette overhears Grace's muffled conversation with another servant, Leah, from a locked passageway leading from the tapestry room. The sound of the hushed voices disturb her. Once Grace is asleep, she retrieves the keys and ventures out into what she perceives as a cardboard-like world. As she wanders, she believes she is lost at sea rather than in England. She recalls a previous voyage, where Rochester saw her in a young man's arms who fed her, leading to her hysterical reaction, only calmed by an unknown man's drink.
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Antoinette wakes up one morning in pain with no recollection of prior events. Her caretaker, Grace, informs her that Richard, her stepbrother, came to visit the night before and Antoinette attacked him. Confused, Antoinette recalls a letter she had written to Richard, pleading for help. Grace reveals that Antoinette, who had bought a knife the previous day during an outing, rushed at Richard with it and bit him. Antoinette had mistaken her surroundings for England, not realizing she was already there. Grace had discouraged Richard from visiting, but he ignored her advice. He told Grace that he couldn't interfere with Antoinette's marital matters, provoking Antoinette's attack. Antoinette begins to remember Richard's shock when he saw her in this state. She believes he would have recognized her if she wore her red dress from Jamaica. Grace empathetically inquires about Antoinette's perception of time, who dismisses its importance, focusing instead on her red dress. Antoinette reflects on a memory with her cousin, Sandi, who visited and shared a significant kiss with her when Mr. Mason was away. She refers to this as "the life and death kiss." That night, Antoinette has a recurring dream of escaping from Grace with stolen keys, exploring a large house with candles. In her dream, she stumbles upon a red room, reminiscent of a church, and is reminded of Aunt Cora's house. Anger consumes her and she accidentally sets a curtain on fire. Fleeing from the ensuing flames and noise, she heads back upstairs in her dream and reflects on her life while observing the red sky. She hears the name "Bertha" being called out and envisions her past home, Coulibri. A vision of Tia encourages her to jump from the battlement. As she is about to jump, she wakes up in fear. Motivated by the dream, she steals Grace's keys, ready to navigate the passage with a candle.
