The Corrupting Power of Money in Wide Sargasso Sea
20th Century Women Writers
Prof. Christa Schneider
September 16, 2009
The Corrupting Power of Money in Wide Sargasso Sea
According to Bible folklore, Jesus is attributed to have stated that “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” (1 Tim. 6:10). While it is not entirely fair to blame money for any individual’s immortal acts, the lure of money often produces desperate choices for these individuals. In Jean Rhys’s novel, Wide Sargasso Sea, the theme of money and greed are exemplified through a number of the characters. Due to the increasing want of money, many of these characters make morally ambiguous decisions to achieve their desired results – that of monetary gain. Through her depictions of the avarice nature of the characters in Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys warns against the increasing greediness found in humanity and suggests that humankind should examine their moral consciousness when dealing in monetary matters.
Arguably, the most egregious example of such materialism and corruption is exhibited in Antionette’s husband, the unnamed Mr. Rochester. Despite not loving or even truly knowing his intended bride, Rochester marries Antionette for the kingly amount of £30,000, a fortune in the mid-1800s. “The thirty thousand pounds have been paid to me without question or condition” (Rhys 41). As a second son, Rochester will only inherit his family’s wealth upon the death of his father and elder brother. He, therefore, has to take action as most second sons of British aristocracy do, which is to wed for money and not love. His desperation for money causes him to make an unfortunate choice in a wife and he eventually comes to loathe Antoinette. Through his actions and words, he mentally tortures this fragile woman and causes her madness. Perhaps if the pressure for financial gain was not so imperative to Rochester, he might have waited for his ‘Jane Eyre’ and not felt pressured into marrying for wealth.
Many of Rhys’s minor
Prof. Christa Schneider
September 16, 2009
The Corrupting Power of Money in Wide Sargasso Sea
According to Bible folklore, Jesus is attributed to have stated that “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” (1 Tim. 6:10). While it is not entirely fair to blame money for any individual’s immortal acts, the lure of money often produces desperate choices for these individuals. In Jean Rhys’s novel, Wide Sargasso Sea, the theme of money and greed are exemplified through a number of the characters. Due to the increasing want of money, many of these characters make morally ambiguous decisions to achieve their desired results – that of monetary gain. Through her depictions of the avarice nature of the characters in Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys warns against the increasing greediness found in humanity and suggests that humankind should examine their moral consciousness when dealing in monetary matters.
Arguably, the most egregious example of such materialism and corruption is exhibited in Antionette’s husband, the unnamed Mr. Rochester. Despite not loving or even truly knowing his intended bride, Rochester marries Antionette for the kingly amount of £30,000, a fortune in the mid-1800s. “The thirty thousand pounds have been paid to me without question or condition” (Rhys 41). As a second son, Rochester will only inherit his family’s wealth upon the death of his father and elder brother. He, therefore, has to take action as most second sons of British aristocracy do, which is to wed for money and not love. His desperation for money causes him to make an unfortunate choice in a wife and he eventually comes to loathe Antoinette. Through his actions and words, he mentally tortures this fragile woman and causes her madness. Perhaps if the pressure for financial gain was not so imperative to Rochester, he might have waited for his ‘Jane Eyre’ and not felt pressured into marrying for wealth.
Many of Rhys’s minor
Cited: Jean Rhys. Wide Sargasso Sea. W.W. Norton & Company: New York, 1999. The King James Bible. Ed. John Hurt. 1999. 17 September 2009.