IndexIntroductionThe power of naming in Wide Sargasso Sea: summaryConclusionIntroductionIn Jean Rhys's novella Wide Sargasso Sea, the idea of ​​cultural identity is explored through the symbolic meaning of names . Although his name is never stated, the man Antoinette marries is assumed to be Rochester based on context clues extracted from Jane Eyre in Wide Sargasso Sea. Since this mysterious man's name is now known, the real question is: Why does Rochester rename Antoinette “Bertha?” (Rhys 88). I wish to argue that the man we refer to as Rochester calls Antoinette "Bertha" because the name places the power of the relationship in his hands; in this way, Rochester is 'othering' Antoinette (Tyson 420). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Power of Naming in Wide Sargasso Sea: Summary Rochester refers to Antoinette as "Bertha" as a way to ensure that she surrenders to his idea of ​​a woman, as opposed to who she really is. When Rochester and Antoinette are on their honeymoon, Rochester begins to see a side of Antoinette that is very different from the personalities of women he is accustomed to in England - quiet, civilized and refined - he is frightened by this unknown side of Antoinette. femininity.' Rochester begins referring to Antoinette as "Bertha" to try to bury her personality and beliefs under a separate name. When Rochester calls Antoinette a name separate from her own, she takes a very strong and defensive stance towards him. In response to her new name, Antoinette responds: “'Bertha is not my name. You're trying to turn me into something else by calling me another name. I know, this is obeah too'”. Antoinette tries to brush it off by saying that whatever he calls her doesn't matter to her. However, Rochester has already grasped the intensity of his outburst and knows that a person's name is connected to his very identity. Altering Bertha's name changes her identity, because without a name how do humans present themselves? This demonstrates the necessity of names, so if someone were to start calling someone a name other than their own, they might feel like they have a conflicting personality; it's enough to drive a person crazy. Rochester thinks he has the power to transform Antoinette into whatever he wants her to be because he was raised with a patriarchal ideology instilled in him. Ever since he was a child, he had been instilled with the concept that women are subordinate to men and should be used to serve their husbands. They are told that women should behave in a civilized and tame manner, and anyone who behaves outside of these norms is a wild animal. However, when Rochester meets Antoinette, he is surprised because Antoinette grew up in the home of an independent woman. Therefore, he is not as familiar as Rochester with the rules of the patriarchal society from which he comes. This is certainly not the kind of polite, civilized woman he had become accustomed to in England. For this reason, Rochester considers her a wild and uncivilized creature. Rochester also refers to Antoinette as "Bertha" because he wants to distance her from her mother. It is no coincidence that Jean Rhys made the names Antoinette and Annette so similar. Rochester is afraid that the similarity of names may lead to a similarity of faults; he is afraid that Antoinette will follow in her mother's footsteps and go down a path of madness. He thinks that if he changes his name, he will be able to separate Antoinette from her mother and her French roots. He thinks that by disconnecting Antoinette from her mother, he can ensure that there will be no lasting bond between her and her mother. However,By attempting to sever some of the last ties between Antoinette and her mother, Rochester may have hastened the process of Antoinette's impending unhinging. It would create an even stronger “mother longing” because Antoinette would find that her cultural ties had been severed through the change of her name (Tyson 27). Her mother is now gone and one of the only ties Antoinette has to her is her inheritance; much of this heritage is connected to his name, as it is of French origin. The loss of many of these bonds strengthens his desire to be with his mother and feel closer to her. Rochester is Antoinette's “objet petit a” because he is the person who puts her in touch with her repressed longing for her lost mother (Tyson 28). Furthermore, “Bertha” is a bland name, especially when compared to Antoinette's exotic title. Although Antoinette has a flash about it – you can almost see the red flames dancing around the name – Bertha is as banal a traditional English name as Rochester wants Antoinette to be. The blandness of this name is a cover for Rochester to hide Antoinette's true erratic personality from everyone, including himself. His thinking is that if he can make her believe he's not who he thinks he is, he might just lose himself altogether. When hiding it behind a name no longer works, Rochester must resort to hiding it in his attic in England. It is demonstrated throughout the text of Wide Sargasso Sea that “names matter” by the subsequent name change from Antoinette to “Bertha” ( 106). Despite Antoinette's defensive attitude towards Rochester, she transforms into someone she herself does not recognize because she is called "Bertha". When he begins to lose himself more, Rochester takes Antoinette to his manor in England to stay in the attic. The people staying in Rochester's mansion are frightened by a ghost that haunts the manor. They don't know that Antoinette is the ghost they're referring to. In fact, she thinks there is a ghost too, because she hears whispers of a ghost from guests in the house and doesn't come to the logical conclusion that it's her. In response to the ghost, he thinks, "I didn't want to see that ghost of a woman they say haunts this place." This shows that she does not recognize the woman she has become; he sees himself differently than everyone else in the house. By the end of Wide Sargasso Sea, Antoinette has become a completely new person; she became "Bertha". She feels tamed but dead inside. The people around her have not recognized her behavior for some time now, but she no longer recognizes herself. She too is confused about her real name, her real identity: there is no mirror here and I don't know what I look like now. I remember watching myself brush my hair and how my eyes looked at me. The girl I saw was myself, but not quite myself. A long time ago, when I was a child and very alone, I tried to kiss her. But the glass was between us: hard, cold and fogged by my breath. Now they have taken everything away from him. What am I doing in this place and who am I? Now that Antoinette has finally lost herself, no one can answer her question. No person can really say who they are anymore. She was Antoinette, a woman of freedom and independence. She had the beauty of a goddess but was still humble about it, having come from quite humble origins before Mr. Mason arrived. But now, as far as she or anyone else knows, she is "Bertha." He lost his identity due to the loss of his name, because the name carried with it much more than he had imagined: it took away with it his sanity. This final scene is also reminiscent of Lacan's theory “Between two deaths”. The point at which he dies spiritually is when he gives up control of his own name. This.