The Thematic Significance Of The Floral Images In Wide Sargasso Sea. :: essays research papers

     Wide Sargasso Sea is the story of Antoinette Cosway, a Creole heiress who grew up in the West Indies on a decaying plantation. When she comes of age she is conjoin off to an Englishman, and he takes her away from the only place she has known--a house with a tend where "the paths were overgrown and a smell of dead flowers mixed with the fresh backing smell. Underneath the tree ferns, tall as forest tree ferns, the light was green. Orchids flourished out of reach or for some reason not to be touched."(p.16).floral Images are central to the theme in the novel Wide Sargasso Sea. They are present throughout the entire novel and besides have an issuing on the atmosphere. There are several examples.The first and most prominent floral image in the novel is of the garden at Coulibri, "But it had at rest(p) wild. The paths were overgrown and a smell of dead flowers mixed with the fresh living smell." (p.16). Antoinette describes the garden as bei ng full of life but now everything is dead, this symbolizes something that is well-favored but gone back or is not going to last long. The garden is also compared to the garden of Eden, "Our garden was large and beautiful as that garden in the Bible-the tree of life grew there"(p.16). When she refers to the "tree of life growing there" it is as though she is looking back and relating to the former slave owners. She also says "The scent was very sweet and strong. I never went near it."(p.16). This excerpt is symbolizing her constant fear to ever be close to giving love.      other floral image is that of pink roses, "There where two pink rosestouched it the petals dropped."(p.72), "have all beautiful things sad destinies."(p.72). These quotes are referring that Antoinette is beautiful like her amaze but look at their destinies.     Another image is that of a falling flower, "One morning a small flow er felllooked like snow.