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Metaphors
Definition of Mood
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect of a piece of writing... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes... read full definition
Mood
Explanation and Analysis:
Reading Wide Sargasso Sea can at times feel like inhabiting someone else's dream—or nightmare. Although the mood continuously retains an unsettling (and even menacing) quality, certain parts nevertheless feel tranquil and serene. Antoinette's time at the convent, for example, offers the reader respite after the family's violent, fiery departure from Coulibri. And although the husband feels alienated and vulnerable at Granbois, he occasionally invites the reader into pockets of ease and contentment.
In the first two parts, the reader often feels enveloped by the lush setting, which Rhys describes through rich imagery and figurative language. When Antoinette and the husband narrate from Jamaica and Dominica, the story bursts with colors and fragrances. The mood is thus shaped by the coexistence of an underlying hostility between the characters and an abiding lusciousness in the setting. This results in an intoxicating reading experience, which mirrors the characters' literal intoxication by alcohol and poison.
Set in England, the brief third part features a much bleaker mood. The menacing quality remains, but the setting no longer offers any warmth or color to offset this underlying hostility. Sharply contrasting the mood in the previous two parts, the mood in the third part signals Antoinette's swelling hopelessness. Removed from all she has ever known and trapped in a "cardboard house," she loses her grip on reality. To find warmth and purpose, she decides to set Thornfield on fire and take her life.
Related Themes:
