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Essay / Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea: comparison of the particularities of narrative techniques
In a first-person narrative reflecting on the past, such as Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre or Jean Rhys's expansion, Wide Sargasso Sea, the presentation memories that constitute the story greatly affect the thematic impact of the work by reflecting the narrator's feelings about his experiences. In the aforementioned novels, the memories of the two narrators are colored by their own impressions of particular moments in their lives; thus, the tone used by each speaker reflects their current situation and their respective destiny as a whole. Specifically, it reflects Jane's eventual happiness with Rochester, Antoinette's perpetual isolation, and Rochester's entrapment in her marriage. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Both novels begin when the narrator is a child trapped in an unacceptable and isolating environment. As children, they both naturally have an imperfect understanding of their surroundings. Both accounts give a somewhat disjointed and distorted account, which the reader understands is not entirely trustworthy; however, it is important to emphasize that Antoinette's narration is much more so than Jane's. His narrative shifts suddenly from one event to another, and from specific instances to generalizations of his life and descriptions of landscapes whenever relevant. As she moves into adolescence, this effect becomes less severe, but it persists. Conversely, Jane's presentation of events is more organized and flows between events without overly intrusive interruptions to the atmosphere. This disparity reflects both Antoinette's less "civilized" upbringing in the Caribbean and her disturbing fate of descent into madness like her predecessors. As Rhys highlights her protagonist's roots, she shows how Antoinette's exposure to a wilderness upbringing by former slaves gives her a more natural and disjointed notion of time than the rigid, linear notion that those as Rochester and Jane learn in England. Thus, Antoinette's notion of time seems disordered to a modern Western reader. Combined with later revealed knowledge regarding the Cosway family history and Jane Eyre's possible prior knowledge of her fate, this cements the reader's sense that Antoinette is doomed to madness. In contrast, Jane's narration is more organized and linear, reflecting, in addition to her strict and well-educated upbringing, the fact that she never strays too far from stability; even Lowood, where she is isolated and miserable, ultimately proves to be a place where she can thrive as a student and as a teacher. Fittingly, Jane finally finds happiness with Mr. Rochester. Rochester's narration in Wide Sargasso Sea is also more linear than that of his first wife; his narration flows between events with less break in the narrative - naturally, given that he is the most educated narrator of all these three. The language used by the respective narrators immediately sets the tone in each distinct section of their lives. In Jane Eyre, these treatments focus on the effect each experience has on Jane. For example, she arrives at her cousins house in a snowstorm, trudging through deep snow, and remains snowed in for a while. This circumstance makes it seem like she is trapped there. Notably, the novel begins rather darkly, reflecting Jane's mistreatment and isolation at Gateshead and the Lowood Institute. Once Jane has matured and is capable.