Wide Sargasso Sea: A Discourse Analysis of Power, Identity and Gender

This discourse analysis delves into the linguistic construct of the novel Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (1966). It explores the role of language in forming perspectives on colonialism, gender roles and oppression. The novel is considered a feminist rewriting of Jane Eyre (Brontë, 1847) acknowledging the author’s disagreement with gender and racial dynamics in the colonial Caribbean and Victorian England. Although many researches were done on the novel, the focus of this one is on the language used by different characters and the dominance it holds. Through the use of language, we can determine all the ideologies and displays of power present in the novel. This research will show how a subtle conversation can assert dominance and reflect a colonial mindset. The methodology will be based on James Paul Gee’s Discourse Analysis (2014), which will explore the narratives, dialogs and inner monologs to reflect the themes of gender, colonialism and power structures. Using Gee’s tools, we will explore the text and get a better understanding of the hierarchies and conflicts in the novel. Significance, identity, relationship and practices, among other methods, will help us examine the tensions surrounding Antoinette Cosway’s cultural displacement and struggles for identity. The results of this analysis will show that language is not merely a narrative device, but also a means of displaying dominance and the lack of autonomy. Rhys uses different linguistic strategies to expose colonial and patriarchal voices in classic literature.