This sketch calls ones attention the
posture of confinement and suppression of the self and sexuality, in restricted
lines drawn around the figure. Antoinette’s personality and sense of self was
constrained exactly so. It almost goes to show how Antoinette’s desire to grow;
her emotions etc was to be contained. As if the darker side of the female self
was to be suppressed until the body was completely bent inward.
As we do know this character has shown emotion
very self-consciously. Her anger, her desire for her husband (Mr. Rochester),
her need to be loved and taken care of was never fully released until she
became Bertha Mason- the mad woman in the attic. It was as bertha did she
finally release her pent up longing and desire in the darkest way possible-
through burning the mansion down.
This sketch follows ideas of confinement
in a set of lines, lines that are around her body and another higher over her
entire being. One set of line forms a sort of a triangle another, a square. The
triangle can be interpreted as her immediate limitations she feels from people
closely associated to her, that is, her family, husband and servants. While the
larger lines forming the square maybe interpreted the society, that is, the
Victorian society and the Negro society of her birth place. Both the societies
looked at Antoinette as an odd creature not belonging to a specific one origin.
The fact of her looks being English and behaviour and attitude the opposite,
lead these society of people to judge and condemn her harshly and critically.
Thus Antoinette repressed her true behaviour and emotions even more so.
No comments:
Post a Comment