Rhiannon Hendricks
In the novel Wide Sargasso Sea, Antoinette Mason Rochester and her husband, Edward Rochester, travel to Granbois, Dominica, for their honeymoon. The couple, accompanied by a servant named Amelie, journey to Antoinette's mother's summer estate, located in the Windward Islands near a town called Massacre. The novel, written by Dominican-British author Jean Rhys, serves as a prequel to Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, exploring the power dynamics between men and women and themes of race, Caribbean history, and assimilation.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Honeymoon destination | Granbois, Dominica |
| Location type | Remote, pristine area of the West Indies |
| Climate | Tropical |
| Landscape | Lush, wild, mountainous |
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What You'll Learn
Antoinette and Rochester's honeymoon is in Granbois, Dominica
Antoinette Mason Rochester and Edward Rochester travel to Granbois, Dominica, for their honeymoon. Granbois is a small estate in the mountains belonging to Antoinette's mother, Annette, located near a town called Massacre. The estate is described by Rochester as "more awkward than ugly, a little sad as if it knew it could not last". He finds the house awkward and run-down, and the lush, colourful, and fragrant landscape overwhelming.
The couple's relationship is strained, and Rochester is critical of Antoinette, suspicious of the servants, and rejects the culture. He feels out of place in the strange tropical climate, and his privilege as a white Englishman is diminished. Rochester begins to question his decision to marry Antoinette, a woman he barely knows, and whose Creole heritage and interactions with the Black servants he silently disapproves of.
Antoinette, on the other hand, is warm and enthusiastic in her interactions with the servants, including Christophine, her old nurse, Baptiste, and his daughter, Hilda. She is comfortable in the Granbois estate, having spent time there before her marriage.
The honeymoon in Granbois sets the stage for the couple's deteriorating relationship and the subsequent events in the narrative, including their return to Thornfield Hall in England, where Rochester imprisons Antoinette in an attic room.
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They travel to a small estate near Massacre
Immediately after their wedding in Jamaica, Antoinette and Rochester travel to a small estate near Massacre. The estate, called Granbois, is located in the Windward Islands and used to belong to Antoinette's mother, Annette.
On their way to the estate, Antoinette, Rochester, and their half-caste servant Amelie are caught in a downpour. They take shelter under a mango tree, where Antoinette sees a Black woman named Caroline standing outside a hut on the far side of the road. Ignoring Rochester's protestations, Antoinette bolts across the street in the rain to speak to her friend. Rochester watches her critically, questioning his hasty decision to marry a woman about whom he knows nothing.
After the rain stops, the caravan continues on its way to Granbois. Rochester, feeling ill at ease in the strange tropical climate, concludes that "everything is too much"—too lush, too green, too fragrant. He reflects on the financial transaction that precipitated his marriage: the £30,000 that was unquestioningly paid to him. This money allows Rochester to be financially independent of his father and older brother in England and saves him from financial disgrace.
When they arrive at Granbois, Rochester finds the house awkward and run-down. Antoinette introduces him to the many servants, whom she greets with warmth and enthusiasm. Among the servants are Christophine, Antoinette's old nurse; Baptiste, a dignified man; and Hilda, Baptiste's perpetually giggling daughter. Despite Antoinette's attempts to make the best of their marriage and please her husband, Rochester is critical of her and the surroundings.
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Antoinette's family estate
Antoinette and Rochester's honeymoon takes place at Antoinette's family estate, called Granbois, in Dominica. Granbois is a small estate that previously belonged to Antoinette's mother, Annette, and is located near a town called Massacre.
The estate is described as a summer estate, and is situated in a lush, tropical climate. Rochester, who is English, finds the climate and surroundings unfamiliar and overwhelming. He is ill at ease and finds the house awkward and run-down. The vibrant colours of the flowers and mountains are described as "too much", and the red dirt is compared to that found in England. Rochester also notes the poor quality of the lawn and the house.
Antoinette, on the other hand, is more comfortable in this environment. She greets the many servants with warmth and enthusiasm, and tries to make Rochester feel comfortable and safe. She shares her feelings about the land and the house with him, hoping that he will come to appreciate them as she does. She brings him water, tells him to put on his coat, and wipes his forehead when he is sweating.
Despite Antoinette's efforts, the honeymoon marks the beginning of the breakdown of their marriage. Rochester feels that he has been manipulated into the marriage by Antoinette's family, who were hoping to exploit his new wife's situation following the abolition of slavery, which had impoverished them. He is critical of Antoinette and her family, and his privilege as a white Englishman diminishes in this new setting. He becomes an outsider, feeling watched and outnumbered by a community that is indifferent and hostile towards him.
The mutual suspicions that develop between the couple during their honeymoon, as well as the machinations of Daniel, who claims to be Antoinette's illegitimate half-brother, are likely catalysts for Antoinette's downfall. Rochester begins to call her Bertha, robbing her of her identity, and flaunts an affair in front of her, causing her pain and pushing her towards breaking point.
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Rochester's discomfort in Dominica
Rochester, a white Englishman, finds himself in a position of diminished privilege and influence in this unfamiliar environment. He becomes increasingly critical of Antoinette, her family, and their way of life. He struggles to adapt to the tropical climate and landscape of Dominica, finding it overwhelming and foreign. The lush greenery, fragrant air, and vibrant colours of the island are described as "too much" for him.
The Granbois estate, Antoinette's mother's summer home, only adds to Rochester's discomfort. He finds the house awkward and run-down, a far cry from the refined English manors he is accustomed to. The numerous servants, including Christophine, Antoinette's old nurse, Baptiste, and his daughter Hilda, further emphasize the cultural and social differences between Rochester and his new wife.
Rochester's feelings of unease extend beyond the physical surroundings and manifest as a sense of powerlessness and manipulation. He resents the fact that he entered into the marriage primarily for financial reasons, feeling that he has sold his soul. The financial transaction that precipitated their union, in which he received a substantial sum of money, underscores his dependence on Antoinette's wealth and reinforces his sense of being trapped in a marriage he may not have chosen otherwise.
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The couple's relationship deteriorates
The relationship between Antoinette and Rochester in Wide Sargasso Sea is doomed from the start. Rochester's feelings of apprehension about his hasty marriage to a woman he hardly knows, coupled with his disdain for her Creole heritage and her refusal to assert rank with the Black servants, set the tone for their deteriorating relationship.
Rochester's sense of being an "alien outsider" in the Caribbean, where he feels outnumbered and hostile, further distances him from Antoinette. He constantly compares the lush and wild tropical landscape to England, seeking traces of familiarity in an attempt to comfort himself in his decision to marry Antoinette. However, his discomfort with the environment and his critical attitude towards Antoinette and her family contribute to the growing tension in their relationship.
Antoinette, on the other hand, tries to please her cold and aloof English husband and make him feel comfortable with her surroundings. She shares her feelings about the land and the house, hoping that he will appreciate them as she does. However, Rochester's belief in the rumours of her inherited insanity and his disapproval of her relationship with Christophine, her nurse, create a further rift between them.
The mutual suspicions and the machinations of Daniel, who claims to be Antoinette's illegitimate half-brother, impugn Antoinette's reputation and mental state, pushing her towards breaking point. Rochester's infidelity, where he flaunts an affair with her maid, humiliates and devastates Antoinette. Her increased sense of paranoia and the bitter disappointment of her failing marriage aggravate her already precarious mental and emotional state.
As the marriage deteriorates, Rochester takes Antoinette back to Coulibri, where her hand is clasped, symbolising slavery and the loss of freedom. The place is tainted with bad memories, and Antoinette's mental state continues to unravel. Rochester ultimately removes her to England, where he confines her in his manor, guarded by Grace Poole, further isolating her from the world.
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Frequently asked questions
They go to Granbois, Dominica, which is Antoinette's mother's summer estate.
On their way to Granbois, they are caught in a rainstorm and take shelter under a mango tree. Antoinette sees her friend Caroline and speaks to her privately. Caroline invites the couple to her house, but Rochester declines.
Rochester finds the landscape and climate of the Windward Islands strange and overwhelming. He feels out of place and is critical of Antoinette and the people around him.
