Rochester’s renaming of Antoinette, calling
her ‘Bertha’, signifies the possession and ownership that Rochester feels he
has over Antoinette; the renaming, similar to that of renaming an animal, shows
the extent of control that Rochester has over her, as well as ‘owning’ her
physically, retaining her money and land, he owns her identity, having the
power to turn Antoinette into ‘Bertha’, which Antoinette is conscious of, “you
are trying to make me into someone else”. Furthermore, as well as illustrating
the extent of power that a male patriarchal society has over women, it shows
Antoinette’s value to Rochester, the ability to rename (again like an animal) shows
Antoinette as becoming objectified, of little value. Also, the transition to
‘Bertha’ symbolises the metamorphoses Antoinette has been subject to; from the
pleasant, beautiful, young girl at the beginning of the book ‘pretty like
pretty self’ to the now, monstrous, beast of a woman that features in Bronte’s
work ‘her hair hung… murder in her eyes”.
Naturally, Antoinette rejects Rochester’s
attempts to rename her “you are tying to make me into someone else”; this shows
Antoinette as an opposing, independent, female character towards the attempts
of control that Rochester, and the patriarchal society, attempt to make of her.
This shows that Antoinette is both conscious of Rochester’s attempt to control
her “that is not my name”, but also, it shows Antoinette as fighting this;
attacking the stereotype of passivity from female characters, especially in defense
of male dominance.
Arguably, Antoinette has been on the brink
of insanity from the beginning of the book, both regular deaths, Mr. Luttrell,
Her Brother, her father, and rejections from her mother, step father and
society would have left her mentally unstable. Furthermore, Antoinette’s
attraction towards Rochester in the period of time where the pair were sexually
active, and on mutual terms, left her susceptible to a considerable amount of
psychological damage when Rochester finally rejects her, and sleeps with a
young black girl. Rochester, from Antoinette’s perspective, was the one loving
figure in her life; Rochester was the only presence that Antoinette has ever
had a physical relationship; this final rejection (coupled with taking to
drinking) was the last snare that would destruct Antoinette’s already fragile
mentality. (“Don’t you love me?” “No, I do not.” “She laughed at that, a crazy
laugh.”)
Rochester takes her to England because,
although he has caused Antoinette’s lunacy, he remains possessive over her;
although it is not specifically said, Rochester hints at leaving Antoinette in
the Spanish islands because “she has gone her mother’s way”. However, after
Josephine mentions that Antoinette will ‘marry again’ and ultimately forget
Rochester he states ‘a pang of jealousy shot through me”. Rochester knows that
in England he is able to use his prosperity to hide Antoinette away,
furthermore, he knows that unlike the socialism of the Spanish towns vibrant
community, the relatively silent English community would only ever hear of
Antoinette as a rumour (as is shown within Bronte’s work).
A feminist critic might argue that Rochester
being unnamed is Rhys attempting to show the character as ‘all men’. By leaving
the character anonymous, it allows for easier relation to the male race as a
whole- or as male patriarchy as a whole.
