Antoinette's Second Dream Analysis

Antoinette’s second dream signifies her fears and past catching up to her, Mr. Rochester taking her to England, how England is a dream to her, and her reluctance to marry Mr. Rochester. In the second dream, Antoinette is leaving the Coulibri house through a forest, wearing a white dress, which represents her wedding dress. She is being dragged by a man who hates her, Mr. Rochester. Antoinette does not want her dress to be ruined and does not want to follow the man whose “face is black with hatred”. The two go into an area contained by a stone wall, Antoinette is told to go up a flight of stairs, but clings to an unfamiliar tree. The second dream represents the hatred between Rochester and Antoinette. The white dress represents the wedding dress, while the man is Rochester. Antoinette not following Mr. Rochester symbolizes her unwillingness to marry Rochester. She realized that her is marrying her for the money and does not want to marry him. Antoinette starts the dream holding her beautiful white skirt to keep the dirt off of it. This
implies that she wants to look clean and perfect, not dirty; Antoinette refuses to reflect the poverty of her family with her clothes, but gives up after she realizes that people’s generalizations of someone rarely change. The second part of the second dream has newer significance.
Rochester’s face that is “black with hatred” symbolizes the cruelty of black people from white people. He is showing the same hate that white plantation owners showed to their black slaves. Rochester’s “black hate” perfectly shows on his face and strengthens the fact that he identifies himself with the people of England and is very different than the people of the West Indies. By showing this face to Antoinette he is identifying her with the people of the West Indies, but by bringing her to England, he is identifying her with the people of England. Through this dream, Rochester has found another way to claim Antoinette as crazy. Antoinette also clings to an unfamiliar tree in the garden of Thornfield. This symbolizes her cling to nature and strengthens her though that England is a dream. Antoinette is not able to go up the steps, she clings to her thought of human
life. The second dream of Antoinette comes true, like the third dream; Antoinette does go to England and does not want to marry Rochester. The second dream also symbolizes her cling to nature, Rochester’s hate, what culture is said to identify with, and her fear of reflecting her poverty. The second dream foreshadows the marriage with Mr. Rochester.