How fragile is identity? “Wide Sargasso Sea” by Jean Rhys questions this question through the eyes of two characters, Antionette Cosway and Edward Rochester. Set in post-emancipation Jamaica, the novel follows the story of young Antionette, a girl born on a deteriorating plantation. Despised by locals for her Creole heritage and by her slave-owning father, Antionette struggles for her sanity in an unjust and patriarchal society. Many readers can relate to the novel's coming-of-age concept. However, “Wide Sargasso Sea” differs from other stories in that it addresses complex and subjective subjects. Rhys writes to make the reader think, to question every aspect of the novel and, at the next level, his own existence. Most importantly, the reader must examine the delicate elements of character that connect a person to sensitivity. Throughout the book, Rhys describes the motif of fire to show how loss of identity can tear a person away from their family, from themselves, and from reality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Annette, Antionette's mother, fears that the locals will harm her, and these fears come true when she loses her son, her home, and her faith in the destructive Coulibri fire, proving that his madness was fueled by the loss of identity. Annette begs Mr. Mason to leave Spanish Town but he does not understand the extent of her desperation. On the night of the fire at Coulibri, the Cosways rushed out of the house leaving behind Annette's parrot, Coco, "everyone was looking up and pointing at Coco on the glacis grate with her feathers lit. He made an effort to descend but his clip was cut. His wings failed him and he fell screaming. He was all on fire" (24). The images in this scene serve to reinforce the effect that Rhys expects his reader to get from the text. The bird appears to be just another insignificant object destroyed by the fire. However, not only was Coco a beloved pet of Annette, but he represents the fragile balance between reality and madness. Birds are known for their wings and once hers are cut off, Coco loses the use of them and is consumed by fire. Likewise, Annette loses her identity when everything she holds dear is destroyed, and as a result, she is slowly consumed by her own madness. After the fire, Antionette wakes up under the care of her aunt Cora. She learns that her mother has been relocated to the countryside and that she must stay there. Before the inevitable meeting with Annette, Antionette understands how much her young mind can bear: "I remember the boredom we felt on our way because I didn't expect to see her. She was part of Coulibri , it was gone, so she had disappeared, I was sure of it” (28). Coulibri disappeared in the fire, and not only was he part of Antionette, but also part of Annette. It's shocking how much one relies on the material for identification, but the proof is there when Antionette's broken mother doesn't recognize her own daughter and forces her to leave. Although Coulibri is mentioned by name, the fire took away much more from Annette's identity. Pierre was the only child she truly loved and her health, already degraded, was weakened. When her world is destroyed so suddenly, Annette breaks down, which ultimately lands her in an asylum. Although the fire destroyed so much in Coulibri, it had virtually no emotional power, but it was Annette who forced Antionette to leave and drove herself truly mad. Bound by a loveless marriage,Antionette finds herself searching for absent romance while losing more of herself. his own ethics, which means that Rochester is the flame that slowly consumes his identity. Although still unsettled by the foreign environment in Granbois, Rochester enjoys a candlelit dinner with Antionette, "a large number of moths and beetles came into the room, flew into the candles and fell dead on the table" (73). Antionette finds herself drawn to the one thing that will lead to the loss of her identity, and ultimately death. Who is it ? Rochester, of course. Rochester is Antionette's flame, and while the butterflies are burned alive, Antionette's flame the predetermined destiny is not far from that. She does indeed jump from a burning roof, but not before the husk of her former self descends into madness. The moth's continued return to the flame, despite its destructive nature, represents Antionette's loss of integrity and wholeness. A continuing dependence on Rochester. The emotional torment probably upsets Antionette, so she makes the bold decision to drug Rochester with a "love potion" obeah. Angry and feeling sorry for himself, Rochester sleeps with Amélie, and even after regretting his decision, Antionette goes to a retirement home. rage, "it was like a dream in the large, unfurnished room with the flickering candles and this stranger with red eyes and wild hair who was my wife shouting obscenities at me" (77). is thrown beneath a flickering flame and red eyes. Red is a recurring color of misery, and Antionette “with red eyes” is a close portrait of the madwoman in the attic. From Rochester's perspective, Flickering Flame is a metaphor for Antionette's reality and her violent state of mind. Additionally, the surrealism of Antionette's entire identity is reinforced when Rochester describes his wife as a stranger and not the woman he married. As seen metaphorically by the moth, the flame, and the flickering candle, Antionette finds herself further and further removed from her reality and ideals. Antionette descends into a foggy existence, where the Thornfield fire haunts her lost life as well as her new one, proving that her irretrievable identity is the factor that concludes her hold on reality and herself. Locked in the attic, Antionette is gradually consumed by the madwoman. One night, she walks through Thornfield with a candle and is shocked when she sees a mirror for the first time in ten years. "That's when I saw her, the ghost. The woman with flowing hair. She was surrounded by a golden frame but I knew her. I dropped the candle I was carrying and she caught the end from a tablecloth and I saw flames shooting upwards" (111). Antionette speaks of herself in the third person, because she does not recognize the girl she sees in the mirror. She also refers to Bertha Mason as a "ghost", making it seem as if her new self is just a shell of her old self, devoid of any identity. In astonishment, Antionette drops the candle, igniting the room, and a connection is made to the original fire at Coulibri. Shortly after this episode, Antionette is caught in a dream where she describes herself burning down Thornfield. Once on the roof of the mansion, his dream sky is depicted in fiery detail: “It was red and my whole life was in it. I saw grandfather's clock, and Aunt Cora's quilt, in all the colors, I saw the orchids and the stephanotis. and jasmine and the Tree of Life in flames" (112). The color red is also an important concept, as it is often described alongside fire as a symbol of loss, and alongside flora as a symbol of renewal. In.