Fleas

In class the other day, we spent some time discussing whether Rochester or Antionette deserve more sympathy in Wide Sargasso Sea . We came to the conclusion that Rochester tricks Antoinette into marrying him for financial gains and that Antoinette’s actions are justified for the most part, given that we know she has had a rough past and that she seems to genuinely want love from Rochester. Although I won’t argue that Antoinette isn’t a victim of Rochester’s mistreatment, I think there is something to be said about Rochester’s relationship with his father and how it could have influenced his decisions. To start, although we haven’t heard directly from his father, it is clear from his letters to him that Rochester has some deeply rooted resentment and anxiety about their relationship. In particular, in one of his letters to his father, Rochester writes “I will never be a disgrace to you or to my dear brother, the son you love.” Taken out of context, it sounds satirical for Rochester...

In the most factual line of the novel, Meursault thinks to himself: “You could either shoot or not shoot.” Yes. Although at face value, this line means absolutely nothing, I would argue that it has more significance than to demonstrate that Camus’ characters are aware of the axioms of logic. This is particularly clear if we read the thought in its entirety: “It was then that I realized you could either shoot or not shoot.” It seems that Meursault has some sort of realization, which likely caused him to shoot the Arab afterward. It is clear from the beginning of the novel that Meursault is indifferent to practically everything. For instance, his mom dies, and he hears Salamano beat his dog, but he never reacts to any of it. Up to this point, Meursault’s relationship with nature has been quite the opposite. The sun beats down on him and he feels too hot, later the sun makes him happy. He is very responsive to nature and its effects on him. With this in mind, one could ...