The love of money is the root of all evil. Discuss in detail the importance of money in "The Wide Sargasso Sea".

Authors Avatar by decadentdecline (student)

 “The love of money is the root of all evil.” Discuss in detail the importance of money in the novel.

The presence of money-driven motives is predominant throughout the novel and serve to emphasise the consequences of arguments and relationships involving money. The power of money is destructive and consequences of the destruction manifest themselves in the conflicts between people in Wide Sargasso Sea.

Money can be a cause for jealousy and resentment that manifest its consequences in drastic actions that may be potentially devastating. Annette warns Mr Mason that “[they] were something to laugh at” when they were poor “but [they] are not poor now.” The contrast between the Annette’s self-deprecating tone while describing the humiliation they previously suffered when they were poor and her subsequent solemn tone while emphasizing their affluence imply that people will now resent them for their wealth instead of mocking them for their poverty. The affluence of the creole Annette represents the unfulfilled equality when colonialism was abandoned and the Emancipation Act was passed, thus creating resentment. Thus, the change in Annette’s tone connotes the fact that money can be a source of conflict and resentment between the ex-colonial class and the less well-off blacks, ominously foreboding of the culmination of the blacks’ wrath in their act of setting fire to Coulibri.

Join now!

Emotions aside, the reliance on another person for money leads to the eventual collapse of relationships between people. Annette’s marriage to the ineffectual and naïve Mr Mason is a result of her attempt to escape their situation of being “marooned” without any money to support the indulgent lifestyle of “moonlight picnics” and “dancing” that makes her happy. Mr Mason made the mistake of trusting the blacks who eventually killed Pierre by burning down the house. With the love of money as a motivation and not love for Mr Mason himself, Annette is unable to forgive herself for indirectly causing ...

This is a preview of the whole essay