The Sargasso Sea as an underlying metaphor in the Great Sargasso SeaWhy did Jean Rhys name her novel about the crazy Creole woman in the attic from Jane Eyre based on a mysterious body of water in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean? As there is no mention of the Sargasso Sea in the novel itself, one might wonder why she chose to give her novel its title. In a 1958 letter to a friend and colleague, she described the title changes to her novel: “I don't have a title yet. “The First Mrs. Rochester” is not correct. Neither does “Creole”, of course. It now has a different meaning. I hope to have one soon, because titles mean a lot to me. Almost half the battle. I thought of the 'Sargasso Sea' or the 'Great Sargasso Sea,' but no one knew what I meant” (Raiskin 136). Since titles and names hold such importance to Rhys, we must assume that the Sargasso Sea is somehow a larger metaphor that encompasses the entire novel and that it contains meaning and implications that add of value to our understanding of the novel. begs the question: why does Rhys choose an allusion that no one will understand? Rhys was fully aware that the title would not lend itself to easy interpretation. Why, then, did she stick with Wide Sargasso Sea instead of the more obvious “The First Mrs. Rochester” or even “Creole”? Her seemingly unusual choice of title is actually a carefully crafted selection that echoes her decision to write about the Madwoman in the Attic in Jane Eyre; you have to unwrap it, just like Brontë’s Bertha. Like the madman in the attic, Rhys asks readers not to take her at the surface, but to question her reasons: "the reason why Mr. Rochester treats her so abominably and feels justified, the reason for which one he thinks is crazy and why of course s...... middle of paper ......indicative natures; and between the strange aspects of Sargassum and the novel. Works Cited Corfield, Richard. "The Silent Landscape, Chapter Six. Kelp and Cold Light." Richard Corfield. Np, and Web. March 1, 2014. Raiskin, Judith L., ed. Wide Sargasso Sea: background, reviews. New York: WW Norton, 1999. Print. Rhys, John. Wide Sargasso Sea. New York: WW Norton, 1966. Print.Sharda. “The Mystery and Myths of the Sargasso Sea.” Marine overview. Np, May 3, 2013. Web. March 01, 2014.Webster, George. "Mysterious Waters: From the Bermuda Triangle to the Devil's Sea." CNN. Cable News Network, May 31, 2011. Web. March 1, 2014. “What is the Sargasso Sea? » National Ocean Service. Np, and Web. March 1. 2014. .