Table of ContentsIntroductionThe Power of Naming in the Vast Sargasso Sea: SummaryConclusionIntroductionIn Jean Rhys' short story Wide Sargasso Sea, the idea of ​​cultural identity is explored through the symbolic meaning of names. Although his name is never given, it is assumed that the man Antoinette marries is Rochester, based on context clues taken from Jane Eyre in Wide Sargasso Sea. Since the name of this mysterious man is now known, the real question is: why does Rochester rename Antoinette "Bertha?" » (Rhys 88). I wish to argue that the man we call Rochester calls Antoinette “Bertha” because the act of naming places the power of the relationship in his own hands; in this way, Rochester “others” Antoinette (Tyson 420). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayThe Power of Naming in the Vast Sargasso Sea: SummaryRochester calls Antoinette “Bertha” to ensure she surrenders to her 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 very different from the ladies' personalities he is used to in England – calm, civilized and refined – he is frightened by this unfamiliar side of 'femininity.' Rochester begins calling Antoinette "Bertha" in an attempt to bury her personality and beliefs under a separate name When Rochester calls Antoinette a name distinct from his own, she takes a very strong defensive stance against that name. , Antoinette responds: “'Bertha is not my name.' Antoinette tries to shake him off by saying that whatever name he gives her doesn't matter to her. However, Rochester has already understood the intensity of his brilliance and knows that a person's name is linked to their very identity. Changing Bertha's name changes her identity, because without a name, how do humans present themselves? This proves the necessity of names, so if someone started referring to someone by a name different from their own, they might feel like they have a conflicted personality; It’s enough to drive a person crazy. Rochester believes he has the power to transform Antoinette into what he wants her to be because he grew up steeped in patriarchal ideology. From a young age, she was instilled that women are beneath men and should be used to serve their husbands. She is told that women should behave in a civilized and domestic manner, and that anyone who behaves outside of these norms is a wild animal. However, when Rochester meets Antoinette, he is surprised because Antoinette was raised by an independent woman. Therefore, she does not know the rules of the patriarchal society from which he comes as well as Rochester. She was certainly not the type of civilized, well-mannered woman he had become accustomed to in England. For this reason, Rochester considers her a wild and uncivilized creature. Rochester also calls Antoinette "Bertha" because he wants to keep her away from her mother. It is no coincidence that Jean Rhys made the first names Antoinette and Annette so similar. Rochester is afraid that the resemblance of names could lead to a resemblance of breakdowns; he is afraid that Antoinette will follow in her mother's footsteps and embark on 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 ensurethat 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 accelerated the process of Antoinette's impending breakdown. This would have created an even stronger “mother longing” as Antoinette would have found that her cultural ties had been severed because of the name change (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 linked to her name, since she is of French origin. The loss of many of these bonds strengthens his desire to be with his mother and to feel closer to her. Rochester is Antoinette’s “objet petit a” because he is the one who puts her in contact with her repressed desire for her lost mother (Tyson 28). Plus, “Bertha” is a bland name, especially when compared to the exotic title of Antoinette. While Antoinette has a flash about it – you can almost see red flames dancing around the name – Bertha is as mundane a traditional English name as Rochester wishes Antoinette to be. The blandness of this name is a cover-up for Rochester to hide Antoinette's true erratic personality from everyone, including himself. His reasoning is that if he can make her believe that she is not who she thinks she is, she risks losing herself completely. When hiding her behind a name no longer works, Rochester must resort to hiding her in his attic in England. It is proven throughout the text of Wide Sargasso Sea that "names matter" by Antoinette's consequent name change to "Bertha" (106). Despite Antoinette's defensive attitude towards Rochester, she transforms into someone she herself does not recognize because she is called "Bertha". As she begins to get more lost, Rochester brings Antoinette to his mansion in England to stay in the attic. The people staying at Rochester's mansion are frightened by a ghost haunting the mansion. They don't know that Antoinette is the ghost they are referring to. In fact, even she thinks there is a ghost, as she hears whispers of a ghost from the house guests and does not come to the logical conclusion that it is her. In response to the ghost, she thinks, “I didn’t want to see that ghost of a woman that they say haunts this place.” This means that she does not recognize the woman she has become; she sees herself differently from everyone else in the house. By the end of Wide Sargasso Sea, Antoinette has become this whole new person; she became “Bertha”. She feels domesticated but dead inside. It's been a while since those around her no longer recognize her behavior, but she no longer recognizes herself. She, too, is confused about her real name, her true identity: There is no mirror here and I don't know what I am like now. I remember seeing myself brushing my hair and the way 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 him. But the glass was between us – hard, cold and foggy with my breath. Now they have taken everything away. What am I doing here and who am I? Now that Antoinette is finally lost, no one can answer her question. No one can really tell who she is anymore. She was Antoinette, a free and independent woman. She had the beauty of a goddess but remained humble about it, as she came from fairly humble beginnings before Mr. Mason came along. But now, as far as she or anyone else can tell, she is "Bertha." She lost her identity because of the loss of her name, because this name carried much more than she had imagined: it carried with it.