Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- As we mentioned in our discussion of the ending (see "What's Up with the Ending?"), the last pages of the novel are pretty open-ended. Do you think Antoinette sets fire to Thornfield Hall and commits suicide in the end? If not, what are some other possible endings?
- Even though literary critics just call the male narrator "Rochester," the novel leaves the male narrator unnamed. Why is that?
- What exactly was the nature of Antoinette's relationship with Sandi Cosway? Why didn't Antoinette run off with Sandi?
- Do you think Christophine was a positive force in Antoinette's life, or do you think she was using her? Do you think other black characters manipulated the white characters for their own ends?
- What do you think of the representation of black characters in the book? Did you find them depicted in a stereotypically racist, psychologically flat way, or do you think there's more to the story?
- Do you think obeah "works," at least in the world of the novel? Do you see evidence of magic or magical events? If so, where? If not, why is obeah such a factor in the novel?
- How would the story be different if Antoinette were not a white Creole, but a black character? A colored character?
- Wide Sargasso Sea tells the story of a minor character in Jane Eyre. If you were to write a novel about one of the minor characters in Wide Sargasso Sea, who would it be? What would your story be about?