white Creole child in the predominantly black West Indies. Having outlived most of her family, she halfheartedly submits to a marriage with the British Mr. Rochester that has been arranged by her stepbrother. In reality, this union is a business deal whereby Antoinette’s inheritance is consigned to Rochester in return for his accepting responsibility for her. This latter point proves important as whispers and insinuations spread about Antoinette, her beautiful mother, and her younger brother, individuals thought to have “slept too long in the moonlight,” who exhibit the madness supposedly present in all white Creoles. Antoinette’s naïveté about life outside the West Indies contrasts sharply with Rochester’s comparative worldliness. Her query to her soon-to-be husband reveals her troubled vulnerability—she speaks not of love or even romance but of rest: “Can you give me peace?” This attitude exposes a young woman who has deferred to the decisions of the men in her life—her father, stepbrother, and husband—while depending on old and subservient women for what little emotional support and nurturance she has received. She becomes a woman who cannot act and who is increasingly defined by men, as symbolized by Rochester’s arbitrarily changing her name from Antoinette to Bertha. When her husband rejects her because of his growing preoccupation with her possible madness, Antoinette, denying her own resources, consults the black arts for a spell to bring love to their marriage. When this desperate attempt fails, she becomes blank, a shell destined for the profound madness chronicled inJane Eyre.

Mr. Rochester

Mr. Rochester, a young British gentleman, the second son of a proper English family who is forced by the law of primogeniture to secure his own fortune. His narration of the second half of the story recounts his arranged marriage to a beautiful but mysterious West Indian girl who brings to the union the fortune he seeks. Despite certain odd circumstances surrounding their marriage, only after receiving a revealing letter from a black man who claims to be a relative of his bride does Rochester realize why this marriage was so eagerly sought by her stepbrother. He also realizes that everyone but him is aware of the potential for madness that exists in his new wife’s family. Sensing that he has been the victim of a duplicitous plot, Rochester expresses hatred for the deceptive beauty of the islands, a quality that he has come to associate with Antoinette as well. Seeking only his own sanity, he returns to England with Antoinette and conceals her with a nurse in the attic of his family home. Also on his return to England, he learns that both his father and his brother have died, thus ironically providing him with the fortune that he already has secured at great cost to himself and at even greater cost to Antoinette.

Annette Cosway Mason

Annette Cosway Mason, Antoinette’s mother, who was widowed at an early age. After her first husband’s death, the family was very poor and lonely for five years. Determined to provide for her children and herself, Annette marries Mr. Mason and is happy for a time, but after the natives destroy her home and kill her son, Annette turns against Mason and tries to kill him. He places her in a separate house with servants as attendants. There her daughter witnesses the effects of madness. Vivid impressions burn indelibly into Antoinette’s mind.

Christophine Dubois

Christophine Dubois, a native of Martinique given to Annette as a wedding present by her first husband. Christophine becomes Antoinette’s nurse and is the only person who consistently supports the lonely young woman. A colorful person given to expressing bromides of conventional wisdom, Christophine receives the news of the terms of Antoinette’s marriage with the pronouncement, “All women . . . nothing but fools.” A practitioner of voodoo, she refuses to use her black arts on Rochester until Antoinette has told him herself about her family secrets. In the end, Christophine’s wisdom is not strong enough to save Antoinette.

Mr. Mason

Mr. Mason, Annette’s second husband and Antoinette’s stepfather. After Annette’s demise, Mason attempts to care for Antoinette.

Pierre

Pierre, the younger brother of Antoinette, who is afflicted with the family curse of madness. Their mother dotes on him much more than on Antoinette. Pierre is killed when natives set fire to the Mason home.

Aunt Cora

Aunt Cora, a relative of the Cosways who tries to protect Antoinette’s rights and fortune after learning of Richard’s arranged marriage for Antoinette.

Richard Mason

Richard Mason, Antoinette’s stepbrother, who negotiates the marriage of Antoinette and Rochester.

Daniel Cosway

Daniel Cosway, a black man who claims to be a relative of Antoinette. He writes a letter to Rochester telling him about the taint of madness that follows Antoinette’s family.

Sandi Cosway

Sandi Cosway, Daniel’s half brother and a relative of Antoinette. Implications persist that Sandi and Antoinette are involved romantically.

Grace Poole

Grace Poole,

Mrs. Eff

Mrs. Eff, and

Leah

Leah, servants in the house in England in which Rochester confines Antoinette.

Amelie
Amelie, a "half-caste" servant at Rochester and Antoinette's "honeymoon house" in Dominica, ridicules Antoinette by calling her a "white cockroach." Rochester, who notices a resemblance between Amelie and Antoinette, engages in a sexual encounter with Amelie within earshot of Antoinette. Afterward, Amelie, who has often expressed sympathy for Rochester, comments, "I find it in my heart to be sorry for [Antoinette] too." It appears Amelie orchestrated her seduction of Rochester to obtain money to leave the island.

Baptiste
Baptiste, a black servant at the "honeymoon house" in Dominica, openly shows his disdain for Rochester.

Daniel Boyd
See Daniel Cosway.

Aunt Cora
The widow of a slave owner, Aunt Cora, cares for Antoinette after her mother loses her sanity. Aunt Cora and Mr. Mason do not get along; he accuses her of neglecting the Cosway family during their time of poverty and isolation. Aunt Cora believes Mr. Mason's harsh treatment of his black workers puts the Cosway/Mason family at risk. Later, Aunt Cora criticizes Richard Mason for arranging an unsuitable marriage for Antoinette: "It's disgraceful... It's shameful. You are handing over everything the child owns to a perfect stranger. Your father would have never allowed it. She should be protected, legally." Aunt Cora fears the marriage settlements leave Antoinette vulnerable but feels powerless to change them.

Annette Cosway
Annette Cosway, the daughter and wife of slave owners, lives a precarious life as a young widow with two children in post-emancipation Jamaica. Originally from Martinique, Annette is seen as an outsider by Jamaican society. She is a distant mother to Antoinette, who yearns for her attention, yet she devotes significant time and effort to her mentally retarded and physically disabled son, Pierre. Fearing for her future and seeking to escape poverty, Annette convinces the wealthy Mr. Mason to fall in love with her. Local gossip suggests she used the powers of her voodoo-practicing servant, Christophine, to ensnare her second husband. After the fire at Coulibri, Annette goes insane, unable to cope with the deaths of her son and pet parrot. In her madness, she attacks Mr. Mason and attempts to kill him. When Antoinette visits her in confinement, Annette has become the sexual toy of her black caregiver.

Antoinette Cosway
Antoinette Cosway, known as Bertha Mason in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, is the protagonist of Rhys's novel. Initially a sensitive child, Antoinette narrates her life's story. Isolated and yearning for her mother's affection, she struggles to find her place in the world. The local black community mocks her, calling her a "white cockroach," while white women comment on her oddness. In post-emancipation Jamaica, former slaves despise her due to her father's history as a slave owner. The Cosways are left impoverished by emancipation, further alienating them from white society. Antoinette finds solace in the wild remnants of her family's once-grand plantation, Coulibri, feeling a deep connection to its vibrant, overgrown grounds. However, this sanctuary is taken from her when her mother, Annette, marries the wealthy Mr. Mason, and the plantation is transformed into an English-style estate. This paradise is ultimately lost when disgruntled black servants set Coulibri ablaze. As Antoinette watches the flames, she realizes her home is gone forever. She later finds refuge in a convent school, shielded from the outside world, but loses this haven when her stepfather arranges her marriage to Edward Rochester. Although she falls deeply in love with Rochester and hopes their "honeymoon-house" will become a true home, he rejects her, mirroring her mother's neglect. This ultimate rejection, combined with her past isolation, drives Antoinette to the edge of madness. Imprisoned in Rochester's English estate, Thornfield Hall, she plans to burn it down and leap to her death from the roof. In a dream, she envisions herself jumping back to Coulibri, into the welcoming arms of her childhood friend, Tia. In death, she hopes to finally find belonging.

Daniel Cosway
Daniel Cosway, who is of mixed race, claims to be Antoinette's illegitimate half-brother. He writes a letter to Rochester, revealing that Antoinette's mother went mad and accusing Antoinette of leading a promiscuous life. His actions shatter any hope of happiness in Antoinette and Rochester's marriage. Antoinette disputes Daniel's claim of kinship, asserting that his actions stem from hatred towards all white people.

Pierre Cosway
Pierre Cosway, described as an "idiot" by local gossip, is Antoinette's younger brother. His physical and mental disabilities further isolate the Cosway family before Annette Cosway's marriage to Mr. Mason. Pierre dies from injuries sustained in the fire that destroys Coulibri. His death deeply affects his mother, contributing significantly to her subsequent insanity. Pierre's mental disabilities also fuel Rochester's suspicion that Antoinette is genetically predisposed to mental illness.

Sandi Cosway
Sandi, the black grandson of Antoinette's father, makes brief appearances in the novel as a kind man who attempts to protect Antoinette. He chases away the black children who mock her on her way to school. Years later, his kindness sparks rumors: Daniel tells Rochester that Antoinette and Sandi were involved romantically. While confined in Thornfield Hall, Antoinette recalls Sandi's frequent visits after her marriage and remembers their final kiss. After her marriage to Rochester effectively ended, Sandi and Antoinette did become lovers. He offered to shield her from Rochester and wanted to elope with her. Enraged by their affair, Rochester takes Antoinette to England.

Christophine Dubois
Christophine, an obeah (voodoo) practitioner from Martinique, is one of the three black servants who remained with the Cosway family after emancipation. A formidable presence, Christophine's obeah powers are legendary among both Jamaican blacks and whites. She intimidates the local black women into assisting her in the Cosway kitchen. White women believe Christophine used black magic to help Annette "catch" her second husband, Mr. Mason. Although Antoinette is somewhat afraid of Christophine, she acts as a maternal figure to her. Noticing Antoinette's loneliness, Christophine arranges for Tia to be her companion. Christophine also admonishes Annette for neglecting her daughter, saying, ''She run wild, she grow up worthless. And nobody care.'' After Antoinette marries, Christophine remains the only person looking out for her well-being. Unhappy that her husband has stopped loving her, Antoinette seeks Christophine's advice. Christophine advises her to leave him: ‘‘When man don't love you, more you try, more he hate you, man like that.’’ Antoinette, refusing to listen, pleads for a magical solution. Christophine reluctantly provides a drug to seduce Rochester. As Christophine predicted, the drug only makes Rochester despise Antoinette more. Just as she tried to get Antoinette's mother to care for her child, Christophine attempts (and fails) to convince Rochester to love his wife, even a little.

Godfrey
Godfrey is one of the three black servants who stayed with the Cosway family after emancipation. However, Annette distrusts him, suspecting his involvement in poisoning her horse. During the fire at Coulibri, Godfrey does not assist the white family.

Josephine
See Christophine Dubois.

Annette Mason
See Annette Cosway.

Bertha Mason
See Antoinette Cosway.

Mr. Mason
Mr. Mason, Annette Cosway's second husband, is a wealthy Englishman who has recently relocated to Jamaica. Rumor has it that he could have married any woman he desired. The white ladies of Spanish Town are astonished that he chose Annette, a destitute widow with a disabled son and an eccentric daughter. Mr. Mason renovates the Cosway estate, Coulibri, restoring it to its former splendor. As an Englishman, he appears unaware of Jamaica's racial dynamics. He intends to replace his black laborers with East Indian "coolies," not realizing the extent of resentment this change will provoke among his workers. Despite Aunt Cora's constant warnings about the high levels of black animosity toward the wealthy white family, the fire at Coulibri catches him off guard. Mr. Mason harbors very stereotypical views about black people, regarding them as harmless children. He is uncomfortable with the close relationships the Cosways maintain with their black relatives. Antoinette and Pierre have numerous black half-siblings due to their father's notorious womanizing, and Annette has always been friendly with these children. Mr. Mason insists on severing these connections. In an effort to imbue Coulibri with distinctly English values, he decorates the house with English art and instructs the cook to prepare English dishes. Ultimately, Mr. Mason fails to control both Coulibri and his wife. His English possessions are destroyed in the fire, and his wife descends into madness. Still trying to dictate the Cosway family's fate, he arranges Antoinette's marriage to Rochester before his death. However, like Mr. Mason, Rochester is unable to anglicize either Antoinette or her Caribbean heritage.

Mannie
Mannie, the black groom who joins Coulibri after Mr. Mason marries Annette Cosway, is the only new servant Antoinette likes. He is one of the three servants who remain loyal to the Cosway/Mason family during the plantation fire. Mannie attempts to extinguish the fire and bravely confronts those responsible, shouting, "What all you are, eh? Brute beasts?" The crowd retorts by calling him a "black Englishman."

Richard Mason
Richard Mason, Antoinette Cosway's (Bertha Mason's) stepbrother, is a character who also appears in Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. Richard is responsible for arranging Antoinette's marriage to Edward Rochester. Both Christophine and Aunt Cora worry that the marriage settlements leave Antoinette vulnerable and dependent on Rochester, a man the family scarcely knows. In both novels, Rochester accuses Richard of concealing Annette Cosway/Mason's insanity and believes Richard deliberately hid evidence of Antoinette's madness and promiscuity. Antoinette/Bertha violently attacks Richard during his visit to her confinement in England. Although Richard appears infrequently in Rhys's novel, his actions significantly impact the novel's heroine.

Myra
Myra, a servant of African descent, arrives at Coulibri following Mr. Mason's marriage to Annette Cosway. Aunt Cora cautions Mr. Mason against trusting Myra and advises him not to discuss his intentions to dismiss the black workers in her presence. Mr. Mason dismisses these warnings, claiming that Myra and all black people are "children" who are "too damn lazy to be dangerous." Aunt Cora's concerns are eventually validated. When the estate is set ablaze by the black workers, Myra is conspicuously missing. The fire originates in Pierre's room, where Myra was supposed to be tending to the child.

Grace Poole
Grace Poole, who narrates a brief segment of Part Three, serves as Antoinette/Bertha's nurse in England. She also appears as a character in Jane Eyre. Grace finds comfort in the seclusion of her role—she is alone in a vast mansion with an insane woman and only two other servants. She appreciates the financial compensation as well. Her struggle with alcohol, detailed in Jane Eyre, is referenced here. Grace is fearful of Antoinette "when her eyes have that look" and understands that, despite her confinement, Antoinette is "still fierce."

Edward Rochester
Antoinette's husband and the narrator of Part Two, is intended to be the young Edward Rochester, the hero from Brontë's Jane Eyre. However, Rhys never assigns a name to this character in Wide Sargasso Sea. As a younger son with no inheritance prospects, Rochester comes to Jamaica to seek his fortune. He feels pressured by his father and Antoinette's family into marrying her for her wealth. In a letter to his father, Rochester writes: "I have sold my soul or you have sold it, and after all the girl is thought to be beautiful, she is beautiful. And yet..." Despite Antoinette's beauty, Rochester harbors serious doubts about her. She appears foreign and unfamiliar, and like the West Indies themselves, potentially menacing. Rochester becomes fixated on her purity, even questioning her racial background. He observes her "dark alien eyes" and concludes that although she "may be of pure English descent," her eyes "are not English or European either." After receiving a letter from Daniel Cosway, who claims to be Antoinette's half-brother, Rochester mistakenly decides that Antoinette, like her mother, is promiscuous and mad. He trusts her even less after she drugs his wine in an effort to make him love her. In retaliation, Rochester has sex with the black servant Amelie within Antoinette's hearing. Rochester had previously remarked that Amelie resembled Antoinette and speculated they might be sisters. By substituting the black "sister" for the white, Rochester reveals his perception of Antoinette: that she is alien, foreign, and "other." In these scenes, Rochester comes across as racist, repulsed by and distrustful of blacks. As Rochester and Antoinette leave their honeymoon house, he blames her for ruining his future: "Above all I hated her. For she belonged to the magic and the loveliness. She had left me thirsty and all my life would be thirst and longing for what I had lost before I found it." In his frustration and anger, Rochester isolates his wife, withdrawing his physical affection. After hearing rumors of her affair with her black cousin, Sandi, he takes Antoinette to England and locks her in the attic, believing she is insane. Her eventual madness confirms all his fears. Throughout his narration in Part Two, Rochester portrays himself as a helpless victim of circumstance. In his bitterness, he lashes out at Antoinette, rejecting her love and destroying both her potential happiness and his own.

Sass
Sass is one of three black servants who remain with the Cosways after emancipation. He helps protect the Cosway/Mason family during the fire at Coulibri.

Disastrous Thomas
See Sass.

Tia
Tia is Antoinette's first companion. They swim and play together, experiencing moments of happiness. However, their friendship abruptly ends when Antoinette calls Tia a "nigger." In response, Tia calls Antoinette a "white nigger" and steals her clothes. During the fire at Coulibri, Antoinette hopes that Tia and her mother will take her in. As Antoinette runs toward Tia, Tia throws a rock at her. They stare at each other, with blood running down Antoinette's face and tears streaming down Tia's. Despite their mutual feelings, their racial differences create a divide between them. Years later, before setting Thornfield Hall ablaze, Antoinette envisions Tia beckoning her, imagining they could rekindle their friendship.