Antoinette and Mother Figures
Antoinette
had a complex relationship with the adults in her life. The people that you
would expect to be there for her weren’t. Yet, the adult that didn’t need to
care about her at all was the one that truly cared for her.
Antoinette
grew up being constantly neglected by the woman who was supposed to care for
her the most. Her mother, Annette, the woman her name was derived from, has
ignored her and pushed her a way for as long as Antoinette can remember. Not
only did she not care for Antoinette but she also chose Antoinette’s brother
over her and spent all of her time caring for him. Annette would tell
Antoinette to leave her be so that she could focus on Pierre. This would be
detrimental to any young developing person. It was especially harsh for her because
she didn’t have any other family to fall back on, she didn’t have close
relationship with her father or, obviously, her brother. She really only had
one other parental figure in her life. That being her mother’s slave,
Christophine.
Christophine served as a
stand-in mother for Antoinette. She was the one who always took care of her. She
cooked for her, told her stories, and even taught her traditional songs. As
Antoinette got older she stayed as being an important person in her life. She was
always there to give her advice and care for her when she needed it, even after
she leaves after Antoinette gets married. When Antoinette is having serious
issues with her marriage to Rochester she turns to Christophine. She tells her
all of her issues and Christophine urges her to become more independent, leave
him, and travel with her. This is the type of support that most people wish to receive
from their loved ones.
Antoinette endured a
childhood of seeking her mother’s approval and only finding it in a woman that
her mother viewed as below herself. Christophine was a wedding gift to Annette
and as such she always viewed her as property and not a person. Due to this
Antoinette deals with the internal conflict of being loved by someone but not
the person she had always wished would love her. In fact, someone that her
mother didn’t even hold in high esteem.
Nice post! I never realized how much of a mother figure Christophine was until Antoinette and Rochester came back to Coulibri for their honeymoon. In the first part of the book it seemed that Antoinette both looked up to Chirstophine as well as feared her a little bit. At this point in the book I did not realize how much Antoinette cared about Christophine. However, once she was on her honeymoon it was clear that Christophine was like a complete mother to her. I also like your point about Christophine being viewed as property by Annette. It is interesting that Antoinette was able to see past this and find a mother figure in Christophine.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about how important Christophine is to Antoinette. She's probably the only person Antoinette's fully trusted.
ReplyDeleteThis post made me wonder if there were other mother figures in the novel. I've realized that, in addition to her biological mother and Christophine, the nuns at the convent also act as mother figures (one of them even comforts her after a nightmare). In the end, though, Christophine is the most important person in Antoinette's life - and even that breaks down near the end.
Great post! I really like the dynamic that you're exploring here. I definitely agree that Christophine plays a significant mother figure for Antoinette but didn't really think about how much more complex their relationship was besides that.
ReplyDeleteWhile it's true, and Antoinette is explicit about this early on, that Christophine was her mother's "wedding gift" from her father, it's important to note that, as far as we can tell, Antoinette's whole life (or at least her conscious, post-infant life) takes place after emancipation: from the earliest days, she never considers Christophine a slave, and she even asks her mother why she stays if she's free to go. Young Antoinette seems to be trying to tell how "real" her relationship with Christophine is: is she just at the estate because she has to? is she voluntarily caring for Antoinette, or is it her job? It matters to her, I think, to see Christophine as *voluntarily* remaining in her life, as it shows that she truly cares. When Christophine finally moves out on her own, to dispel some of the tension with Rochester, it's therefore significant that Antoinette feels comfortable visiting her unannounced, and is sure to be welcomed as family.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Cristophine is the most important person in Antoinette's life. All throughout Antoinette's life it seems like people have come and gone, with no one there for Antoinette to act as a steady family member or friend, which has certainly impacted Antoinette, as she is lonely and has problems with her self-identity. Christophine has been the only person who has been there for Antoinette, and she is the only person that Antoinette can really trust. Their relationship seems very important for Antionette, who otherwise lacks strong familial ties.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post! It seems that the inconsistent parental unit is kind of a recurring theme of 20th century literature. We've seen this in Wide Sargasso Sea, as you describe, and now in Song of Solomon. Mentor figures, like Cristophine and Pilate, seem much more dependable while parents are harbingers (Milkman is probably going to end up like Macon and Antoinette is "destined" to become her mother).
ReplyDelete