Burning flames, conflagration, fire. The image of fire has long been linked to power and passion. Fire can bring about complete destruction, but it can also forge a new beginning where only the scattered ashes of the past remain. The symbolic motif of fire figures prominently in many works of great literature, including Charlotte Brontë's canonical Jane Eyre and Jean Rhys's revised Wide Sargasso Sea. Fire actually works in reverse in these two novels, representing creation in Jane Eyre and symbolizing destruction in Wide Sargasso Sea. In this article I will analyze the fire set in Mr. Rochester's bed in Jane Eyre and the fire of Coulibri in Wide Sargasso Sea, two key scenes centered schematically around the fire structure. Despite having seemingly opposite metaphorical capacities, both of these moments reveal key symbolic themes central to their respective plots. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Jane's rescue of Rochester from his burning bed contrasts with the supernatural and evil forces of God's holy will and highlights an interpretation of Jane as Rochester's sacred savior from his tainted past. Rochester first sees Jane as an elf, an otherworldly creature, represented here when his first response to her presence is to call her a “witch, sorceress” (Brontë, 169). However, Jane is not the witch she initially imagined, as she herself has previously commented on an evil presence describing "a demonic laugh", an "unnatural sound" and wonders if Grace Poole, who she suspects of being the perpetrator, of fire, is 'possessed by a devil' (Brontë, 168). Mr. Rochester soon realizes, however, that Jane is not the embodiment of the evil source who has "plotted to drown him". Rather, it represents a higher, holier influence that essentially saves him from the demonic influence of his first wife, who attempted to kill him through the use of fire, an image intrinsically linked to devils. However, the fire only succeeds in symbolically killing any ties to Rochester's past with her, allowing Jane to be seen as playing the role of a sacred savior. Brontë casts Jane's heroic act in a highly religious light, describing how she puts out the fire and "baptizes the sofa" with "the help of God" (Brontë, 168), and later causes Jane to beg Rochester to get out of bed "for heaven's sake" (Brontë, 169). Through fire and rescue, Rochester realizes that Jane is, in fact, his "beloved preserver" (Brontë, 171) rather than an unnatural sinful fire creature from his past with his first wife, who portrays her, and ultimately their relationship, in a holy and reverential way. In addition to sanctifying Jane's role as Rochester's savior, the fire demonstrates how Jane's persistent and distracted action allows her to play this role. Jane is an actress and a quick thinker, and her rescue of Rochester from his burning bed highlights this ability is even more evident in contrast to Rochester's passivity and inactivity, where Rochester "lay still, in a sleep deep". in his bed because "the smoke had stunned him" (Brontë, 168). Being stunned and immobile suggests that he is immobilized, perhaps unable to pull himself out of the sin of his past. On the other hand, in stark opposition to Rochester's immobility, Jane is in the room working to put out the fire "in an instant" (Brontë, 168). All of his actions, such as "plunging", "rising", "flying", "throwing", and "running", emphasize the quick action and strength he employs in this momentintense, which allows her to conquer the equally fast and fast action. powerful force of fire. Through her actions, she “awakens” (Brontë, 169) and saves, Mr. Rochester. This scene foreshadows her later success in healing Mr. Rochester both emotionally and physically after he is left alone and handicapped at the end of the novel. Despite the danger and destructive nature of the fire, it provides a means for Jane to display her courage and perseverance in saving Rochester. It allows for the creation of their relationship, literally functioning as the spark that ignites the passion of their affection. Jean Rhys refocuses the symbolic function of fire from that of creator to that of destroyer in Wide Sargasso Sea, the story of the mad woman who causes the significant fires in Jane Eyre. In contrast to Brontë's novel, the crucial fire scene in Rhys' story betrays an absolute lack of action between the characters, mainly due to their inability to see or hear. At first the characters try to believe that they are in control of the situation and that the rioting slaves cause "no cause for alarm", as Mr. Mason tries to make sure (Rhys, 38). However, as Aunt Cora soon realizes, "this place will burn like tinder and there's nothing we can do to stop it" (Rhys, 40). Unlike Jane, these characters do not have the ability and means to avoid the destruction of the fire. The fire overwhelms Antoinette so much that she can't see her mother, "I didn't see her, nothing but smoke" (Rhys, 39). Visual terms dominate this section, as there are a total of thirty forms of “look,” “see,” or other visual references, such as “recognize,” “fix,” and “eyes.” Yet this concern with the visual is largely a matter of not seeing. Antoinette mentions in some cases how she closes her eyes, refusing to see the horror that transpires. Her aunt Cora urges this effort, stating, "Don't look... Don't look," whereupon Antoinette "hides" her face (Rhys, 43). The image of the wounded and dying brother also focuses on a visual description, as "his eyes were raised to the sky so that only white was seen" (Rhys, 39). Yet, even when Antoinette tries to see, she "recognizes no one" among the native blacks as "they all looked the same, it was the same face repeated over and over again" (Rhys, 42). In a novel characterized by the inability for characters to communicate effectively with each other, the inability to see within the contextual structure of the fire is representative of the inevitable destruction of any relationship. However, this quote must also be read as the inability of the white members of his family to see blacks as having individuality or subjectivity, which ultimately leads to the collapse of their own social institutions. This fire scene foregrounds the destruction of any notion of white superiority among the Masons and Cosways, and the idea that baseness of character transcends racial difference. The institution of marriage is symbolically devastated when Antoinette's mother, Annette, wrings her hands and "her wedding ring falls and rolls into a corner near the steps" (Rhys, 39). Although Mr. Mason and the servant Mannie both try to retrieve it, their efforts are thwarted when they realize that the back of the house is on fire. The wedding ring is the physical object that best encapsulates the idea of ​​marriage, and its loss symbolizes the loss of the institution of marriage. Marriage, and its association with monogamy, is often considered one of the defining lines between man and beast, and thus the loss of marriage represents a descent into chaos and animalistic behavior, enacted physically.