How Gender and Trauma Shape Identity in Literature

Overview

This essay explores the theme of identity in Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea and Toni Morrison's Beloved, focusing on how gender and trauma influence the characters' sense of self. Wide Sargasso Sea examines the life of Antoinette Cosway, a mixed-race woman in post-colonial Jamaica, while Beloved centers on Sethe, a formerly enslaved woman haunted by her past. Both novels use the experiences of their female protagonists to highlight the struggles and oppressions they face.

Key Features

• Gendered Violence: Both novels depict violence and oppression directed specifically at women.
• Trauma and Memory: The characters' identities are deeply affected by traumatic events and the lingering memories of those experiences.
• Loss of Identity: Antoinette's renaming and Sethe's dehumanization contribute to a loss of their original identities.
• Feminist Perspective: The analysis highlights how the authors critique patriarchal structures and give voice to marginalized women.
• Literary Allusions: The essay draws connections to Shakespeare's Othello, enriching the analysis of racial and gender stereotypes.

Our Review

We found this essay to be a solid exploration of the theme of identity in the two novels. The analysis of gendered violence and trauma is insightful, and the use of textual evidence effectively supports the arguments. The connection to Othello adds depth to the discussion, though it could be further developed. While the writing is generally clear, some sentences are a bit wordy and could be more concise. Overall, the essay demonstrates a good understanding of the texts and their themes.

Student Submission

In both Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea and Toni Morrison's Beloved, identity is heavily interlinked with gender, trauma and in some cases even insanity. Wide Sargasso Sea is a post-colonial Jamaican novel which focuses on the life of a mixed-race individual – Antoinette Cosway – and serves as a feminist prequel to Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. In the novel, her struggle with identity is explored through her relationships with both her mother and her husband (with the latter’s oppressive treatment leading to her eventual descent into madness). Beloved however, is set in the years following the American Civil War. The novel places particular emphasis on the life of Sethe who's tormented by both the spirit of her dead daughter and memories of her previous enslavement.

Jean Rhys and Toni Morrison both explore the major theme of Identity through gender. In Beloved, Sethe recounts to Paul D a time when the Schoolteacher’s nephews “held her down” before taking her milk (which she had been producing for the nursing of her baby). The repetition of “they took my milk” during the retelling of her assault highlights to the reader that the incident had a major impact on her whilst also showing the difference in priorities between men and women. Despite Sethe’s desperate attempt to place emphasis on herself, her disbelief and her sense of being violated, Paul D continued to interrogate her on the methods by which the boys restrained her and took her milk - “they used cowhide on you?”. Men are therefore portrayed as violent as Paul D seemed more interested in knowing how Sethe was debased, rather than how it impacted her as an individual. The “milk” aims to employ the readers’ sympathy as it acts as a reminder of Sethe’s motherly status, it could however also add to the reduction and zoomorphism of her into a cow – a domesticated farm animal. Following her recount of her assault, Paul D stood “behind her his hands under her breasts” before relieving himself of his sexual desires in an act of Eros love. This reminds the reader of the contemporary view at the time which suggested that women were mere objects used for sexual gratification and not much more. Professor Gina Wisker suggests that this novel was written to shed light on “hidden and silenced lives”, and it may appear so as it can be argued that the book was written to illuminate the silenced lives of women at the hands of men who aimed to devalue them. This could remind the reader of earlier on in the book where Sethe recalls her arrival to Sweet Home as a young girl and her initial interactions with the male slaves. Morisson’s tricolon describing the men as “dreaming of rape...rubbing their thighs and waiting for the new girl” stresses the male violence inherit in the novel by showcasing their predatory nature. It can also be argued that this quotation is an allusion to Shakespear’s Othello due to its insinuation of the hypersexuality of black men – a stereotypical idea that has been around since the transatlantic slave trade which first began in the C16th. In Shakespear’s Othello, Roderigo describes Desdemona, a white Venetian woman who rejected him, as being entrapped by the “gross clasps of the lascivious moor” an idea that stems from both his racism and jealousy towards the “moor” Othello - “moor” being a name attributed to black people. In Wide Sargasso Sea, Antoinette’s husband Rochester renames her “Bertha” which leads to Antoinette accusing Rochester of trying to make her “into s

IELTS Essay Assessment

1. IELTS Writing Score: 7/9 ■■■■■■■□□

2. Score Breakdown:

• Task Achievement: 7/9 - The essay addresses the task by comparing the portrayal of identity in relation to gender, trauma, and insanity in the two novels. It provides relevant textual evidence and analysis, although some points could be developed further. The connection to Shakespeare is insightful but could benefit from more nuanced exploration.

• Coherence and Cohesion: 7/9 - The essay is generally well-organized with a clear introduction and conclusion. Paragraphing is logical, and the argument flows smoothly. However, the transition between discussing Beloved and Wide Sargasso Sea could be improved for greater clarity.

• Lexical Resource: 7/9 - The essay demonstrates a good range of vocabulary, using sophisticated words like "zoomorphism," "predatory," and "hypersexuality" accurately. However, some phrases could be more concise and precise. The overuse of quotation marks around single words occasionally disrupts the flow.

• Grammatical Range and Accuracy: 7/9 - The essay displays a good command of grammar, with complex sentences used effectively. There are a few minor grammatical errors (see Error Analysis), but they do not significantly impede understanding.

  3. Error Analysis:

• Vocabulary Errors:

  • [insinuation of the hypersexuality of black men] -> [ suggestion/implication of the hypersexualisation of Black men ] : "Insinuation" is slightly weaker here; "hypersexualisation" is more precise and avoids potential misinterpretations.

• Grammar Errors:

  • [Morisson’s] -> [ Morrison's ] : Spelling error.
  • [which suggests that women were mere objects used for sexual gratification and not much more] -> [ suggesting that women were merely objects of sexual gratification] : More concise and elegant phrasing.

  4. English Model Essay:

In both Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea and Toni Morrison's Beloved, identity is inextricably linked to gender, trauma, and, in some cases, madness. Rhys' post-colonial Jamaican novel explores the identity crisis of the mixed-race Antoinette Cosway, offering a feminist prequel to Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. Antoinette's struggles are revealed through her relationships with her mother and her oppressive husband, culminating in her descent into madness. Morrison's Beloved, set in the post-Civil War South, focuses on Sethe, haunted by the ghost of her dead daughter and the trauma of slavery.

Both authors explore the theme of identity through the lens of gender. In Beloved, Sethe's recounting of her assault by the Schoolteacher's nephews, repeatedly emphasizing "they took my milk," underscores the devastating impact of the violation and highlights the disparity in male and female priorities. Paul D's focus on the method of the assault, rather than its emotional impact on Sethe, reveals a callous disregard for her experience as a woman and mother. The "milk" evokes sympathy, yet simultaneously reduces Sethe to a mere animal, a domesticated cow. Paul D's subsequent actions, placing his hands under her breasts before satisfying his sexual desires, reinforce the prevailing view of women as mere objects of sexual gratification. This aligns with Professor Gina Wisker's assertion that the novel illuminates "hidden and silenced lives," particularly those of women devalued and silenced by men. Morrison further emphasizes male violence through her description of the men at Sweet Home, "dreaming of rape...rubbing their thighs and waiting for the new girl," highlighting their predatory nature. This imagery, arguably an allusion to Shakespeare's Othello, explores the harmful stereotype of the hypersexual Black man, a legacy of the transatlantic slave trade. Shakespeare's Roderigo's racist depiction of Desdemona as ensnared by "the gross clasps of the lascivious moor" reflects a similar prejudiced perspective. In Wide Sargasso Sea, Rochester's renaming of Antoinette as "Bertha" underscores his attempt to erase her identity, mirroring the systematic dehumanization experienced by both Sethe and Antoinette. Both novels powerfully illustrate how societal structures and patriarchal power dynamics shape and ultimately damage female identity.