Painful Pasts


Our pasts can shape us into who we are in the future.  Sometimes the past can define us, but other times we can choose to ignore it and pave the way for the future we do want.  Painful experiences can either make or break a person, but it is how that person deals with it that will determine their future.

In Wide Sargasso Sea, the trauma that Antoinette endured would definitely leave some emotional scars.  As a child, being taunted and mocked for her race and status can hurt a developing mind.  Self doubt, self loathing, etc. can all be a factor in the future.  We see that Antoinette combats this bullying by fighting back to Tia, her black friend, after she calls her hateful names.  She calls Tia hateful names in return.  When her house was burned to the ground and Tia was there with the mob, she throws a rock at Antoinette.  Antoinette could have fought back, but instead cried at the sight of her friend physically abusing her.  This is an example of how painful events can be handled in various ways.

After the fire, her mother's sanity fell and Antoinette took the brunt of her blame for the fire and death of her brother, Pierre.  Being sent to the convent, Antoinette found religion as an escape from her past.  She had something to believe in and trust, but this newfound hope was damaged when she visited her mother who was living with an older couple.  Her mother cursed her and wanted nothing to do with Antoinette.  Her relationship with her mother ended a year later with her death.  Her stepfather, Mr. Mason acted as an absent father and she was left with basically no one.  In her vulnerable state, she was married to Rochester under questionable circumstances that were not fully explained.

Her marriage to Rochester was filled with a lack of trust, love, and support.  Even months after their wedding, they still didn't know much about each other's background.  Antoinette had trouble opening up to him about her feelings as she was always standoffish towards him.  This is another example of how the past can haunt a person's future.  A bad relationship can influence the stability of future ones as seen through Antoinette and Rochester's marriage.

Sadly, Antoinette did not have the strength or support of friends and family to pave a different path for her future.  She let her past trauma dictate her life, which led her towards insanity and desperation as her marriage with Rochester was falling apart.

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