A Piece Of Water In Jean Rhys's The Sargasso Sea

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The title of a piece of literature is used to represent an interesting insight or another, more, profound meaning. Rachel Carson explains the Sargasso Sea in her short piece; The Sargasso Sea. The Sargasso Sea stretches from Chesapeake Bay to Haiti. The Sargasso Sea, in effect, is a paradise of the ocean; it is warm and relatively shallow. Yet, this paradise has its serpents. It is also a breeding ground for diverse life. None more suited than the Sargassum Weed. This weed is an ecosystem of itself; providing protection, nourishment, and shelter. The Sargassum Weed may be disrupted from its habitat into the deep ocean. Yet, this weed survives and protects the life within it. The weed may travel the globe by the strong ocean currents. In Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea, the title is used profoundly to reflect key elements of the novel, such as character, action, and setting. First the essence of the real Sargasso Sea reflects many of the characters seen in Jean Rhys’ novel. For example, when Rachel Carson said, “[it is] heavy with salt…. There is no inflow of fresh water to dilute its saltiness” (The Sargasso Sea). That reflects the characters of Alexander Cosway. This is because in the novel he is portrayed as a womanizer, who left a dozen or so kids in the island. The high concentration of salt reflects the many…show more content…
That is the reason for its use as a title. What Jean did is ingenious because at first glance it is meaningless (beyond the fact that the Sargasso Sea is in the vicinity of Jamaica and Martinique). However, having read the novel and analyzed it, one can see the direct relationship between the two. This connection helps broaden the understanding of the novel, and comparing it to a real living ecosystem adds a degree of realism to the novel. For the nature of the novel is like the nature of the Sea; a living, breathing, tough and unforgiving

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