During the colonial time, as European domain spread physically on the map, they bring their culture and values abroad. While two different cultures coincide, a lot of problems are revealed. Alienation and feminism are two prominent themes during the colonial period. Both problems are revealed through novels Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea and Bronte’s Jane Eyre with Rhys’s focus on the cultural and racial difference whereas Bronte’s focus on economic power and moral strength of female.
Fanon in the “Wretched of the Earth” says that the only solution for the colonized people is through violence. This radical idea underlies premises which draws from the social norms during the time period. Fanon says “The colonial world is a world cut in two” (38, Fanon). When colonizers come to the colony, they deem their culture better than the indigenous one and their goal is to put their values above the local ones. Hence it draws a clear line between the colonizer and colonized people. Because of the stark dichotomy, there is always tension in the colonies. It is only through the eyes of characters who stand in between the dichotomy and the through the different reaction as they maneuver between different classes that shows the problem during colonization.
In Wide Sargasso Sea, Ryes rewrites Bertha Mason in Jane Eyre. Instead of describing her through other people’s eyes, she gives Bertha her own voice; she has a history and goes through different emotions. It is a text which represents the issue of alienation, feminism and the representation on the European supremacy during the time period. Berta, a beautiful exotic woman who comes from Jamaica, is described through English eyes in the Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre on the same account is build through a Euro-centric view of the colonization. If Jane Eyre is a novel that represents the Euro-centric view on colonies Wide Sargasso Sea is a