Sasha Jensen Character Analysis
People often wear “masks” to hide their true identity. By wearing a “mask,” one protects themselves from getting hurt from society by being a different person than they would like to show others. Set in Paris at the time of the Second World War, Sasha Jensen, a troubling woman, wears a “mask” for her own security. Through out her life, Sasha develops this “mask” because of the denial and hurt that other people have put upon her. The male-dominated society that Sasha lives in is not very accepting of women. Women, like Sasha Jensen, become alienated and are forced instead to do “girly things” such as keeping up with their appearance and buying clothes. Instead of showing society who she really is, Sasha chooses to cover up by falsifying her
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appearance because she is afraid of society’s judgments. She travels through Paris for the second time, jumping right into the collection of memories that she simply cannot avoid even though she tries to. When Sasha takes off her “mask” it proves the harsh effects that people can have on a person, ending in her death. Jean Rhys, the author, takes the reader in an inside look by using flashbacks of how Sasha Jensen has formed her own “mask.” The novel begins with a flashback to the prior night, when Sasha discovers herself crying over a memory that was reminded of by a woman mumbling to the music of a song. For Sasha, flashbacks come about when she sees certain things that remind her of her past. When Sasha returns to Paris she blocks out the countless reminders of her past that reemerge as she walks down the recognizable streets. Her whole life is full of misery. “The thing is to have a programme, not to leave anything to chance- no gaps. No trailing around aimlessly with cheap gramophone records starting up in your head, no ‘Here this happened, here that happened.’ Above all no crying in public, no crying at all if I can help it” (Rhys, 15). Sasha often repeats the phrase “here this happened, here that happened” because she has both happy and sad memories from these exact places in Paris where she has been. These memories cause Sasha to be anxious, as she is always weary of her surroundings in Paris. As a result of these memories the reader finds out that she pictures herself as being better than the present situations in which her life has altered regardless of her friend designating her to that environment of life. Sasha goes back to Paris wearing her “mask” where she tries to be a different person than she appears to be by hiding her emotions and identity from others. Her name, Sasha, is not even her real name, which means she does not even have a protected identity. Sasha has sculpted herself into her existing image and feels cornered by both other people and her friends. Sasha’s anxiety about her presence is evident in her flashback of when she used to work in a dress shop. When meeting with the owner of a dress shop Sasha would rather wear a “mask” than be seen by him. Sasha’s “mask” is for her to be hidden from others, so they do not see her presence. “Don’t let him notice you, don’t let him look at me. Isn’t there something you can do that nobody looks at you or sees you? Of course, you must make your mind vacant and neutral, then your face also becomes vacant, neutral – you are invisible” (Rhys, 19). Vacant and neutral are the two words that Sasha uses to describe herself, which means that she wants to be invisible and the same as every one else. Sasha wears a “mask” because of how men make her feel uncomfortable and lost. Mr. Blank was Sasha’s old boss and an embodiment of the corrupt male dominated class system. Mr. Blank’s name says it all because when he asks Sasha’s a question her mind literally goes blank when she is speaking to him. Sasha is self-conscious about her image and Mr. Blank does not help her boost her self-esteem. Instead he does not consider her feelings when he belittles her. She is not a real person in his eyes. She is quickly forgotten about when she quits her job. Sasha desires to wear a mask of invisibility to not be seen by men and deal with their harsh criticism. The “mask” protects Sasha from becoming the powerless and defenseless person that society turns her into. In Sasha’s flashback, she explains how she used to work as a mannequin at the dress shop, invisible and hopeless to the rest of people who saw her. Mr. Blank says to Sasha, “You worked as a mannequin?” Down and up his eyes go, up and down. ‘How long ago was this?’ (Rhys, 20). Women are often treated as lifeless dolls by men who control their every move. As soon as Sasha told Mr. Blank that she worked as a mannequin he looked at her with a certain fixation just as one would look at a doll as an object of desire. Sasha is no longer young looking, which also causes Mr. Blank to analyze Sasha. She desires to be a young and beautiful mannequin that she once was before in order to be better desired by men. “Satin skin, silk hair, velvet eyes, sawdust heart –all complete” (Rhys, 18). Sasha calls herself a mannequin because by being a mannequin is her own way of wearing of “mask.” By being a “mannequin,” Sasha is submitting herself to an object of desire where she is more liked by others, especially men. Mannequins are present in clothing stores, but are lots of times passed up and ignored by customers. When mannequins are noticed by the people walking past in the stores they are lifeless and exactly the same. All of the mannequin’s facial features are dull and the body is rigid and removable. Sasha wishes to go through life as mannequin because this would indicate that she be unaffected by her own state of mind. It is impossible for anyone to be invisible from society, including Sasha Jensen. Sasha decides to make herself noticeable to society by wearing a “mask” where she is a different person than herself. Sasha recognizes the importance of maintaining her appearance in the materialistic society that she lives in. Men are attracted to women who are young and beautiful and Sasha tries to transform herself to look the part and be accepted by these men. At any time she is jittery, Sasha shifts her thoughts into something meaningless like a dress or dyeing her hair. She handles these insignificant things like mind-blowing decisions, exhausting a great amount of her stamina in which she dreams of how she could exist if she only had such glamorous things. Sasha attempts to ease herself to sleep by trying to choose what color to dye her hair. “I try to decide what colour I shall have my hair dyed, and hang on to that thought as you hang on to something when you are drowning” (Rhys, 51-52). Besides dying her hair, she purchases a brand new hat, and wastes three hours a day doing her makeup to cover up her old age. Sasha believes that it is her appearance that allows her to have advantages in life and she believes her looks are deteriorating, so she does everything in her control to care for her beauty. She assumes that an alteration in her appearance will encourage an adjustment to her misery. Sasha hides behind this “mask” of a new materialistic look to distract her from the reality that she is aging and because of this men are going to desire her less. Sasha’s “mask” is evident when she comes in contact with new people.
She is hesitant to let people in because of her fear of getting hurt and self-conscious of her appearance. She meets a man named René, a gigolo who wants her money. Right away Sasha is captivated towards him even though she knows his true motives. He desires her for two reasons, which are money and sex. Sasha is hesitant when meeting René but he is special because his charisma accomplishes in relaxing Sasha’s protective stance. René detects right through the “mask” she has on. Sasha even confesses, “this is the first time that I have seen him in a bright light close by. It is also the first time, on these occasions, I haven’t cared in the least what the man thinks of me” (Rhys, 76-77). When their first meeting finishes, she goes back home, declining his invitation to stay the night. Sasha becomes irritated with herself for allowing her protective defense to be seen and promises to “lie in bed all day, pull the curtains down and shut the damned world out” (Rhys, 81). She has built and developed this “mask” over her lifetime that she becomes so infuriated with anyone who tries to take it off. Sasha remains inside, feeling sad and disconnects from herself, and the greater the sensation of self is destroyed, the sadder she becomes. René allows the reader to see inside of Sasha’s true emotions that are covered by her “mask.” With René, the reader even finds out what Sasha is ultimately afraid of. Sasha takes off her “mask” and tells René that because she is afraid of society’s cruelty, which makes her alienated from
society.
“You know what I’m afraid of? All right, I’ll tell you…I’m afraid of men –yes, I’m very much afraid of men. And I’m even more afraid of women. And I’m very much afraid of the whole bloody human race… Afraid of them?’ I say. ‘Of course I’m afraid of them. Who wouldn’t be afraid of a pack of damned hyenas?’” (Rhys, 172-173).
appearance because she is afraid of society’s judgments. She travels through Paris for the second time, jumping right into the collection of memories that she simply cannot avoid even though she tries to. When Sasha takes off her “mask” it proves the harsh effects that people can have on a person, ending in her death. Jean Rhys, the author, takes the reader in an inside look by using flashbacks of how Sasha Jensen has formed her own “mask.” The novel begins with a flashback to the prior night, when Sasha discovers herself crying over a memory that was reminded of by a woman mumbling to the music of a song. For Sasha, flashbacks come about when she sees certain things that remind her of her past. When Sasha returns to Paris she blocks out the countless reminders of her past that reemerge as she walks down the recognizable streets. Her whole life is full of misery. “The thing is to have a programme, not to leave anything to chance- no gaps. No trailing around aimlessly with cheap gramophone records starting up in your head, no ‘Here this happened, here that happened.’ Above all no crying in public, no crying at all if I can help it” (Rhys, 15). Sasha often repeats the phrase “here this happened, here that happened” because she has both happy and sad memories from these exact places in Paris where she has been. These memories cause Sasha to be anxious, as she is always weary of her surroundings in Paris. As a result of these memories the reader finds out that she pictures herself as being better than the present situations in which her life has altered regardless of her friend designating her to that environment of life. Sasha goes back to Paris wearing her “mask” where she tries to be a different person than she appears to be by hiding her emotions and identity from others. Her name, Sasha, is not even her real name, which means she does not even have a protected identity. Sasha has sculpted herself into her existing image and feels cornered by both other people and her friends. Sasha’s anxiety about her presence is evident in her flashback of when she used to work in a dress shop. When meeting with the owner of a dress shop Sasha would rather wear a “mask” than be seen by him. Sasha’s “mask” is for her to be hidden from others, so they do not see her presence. “Don’t let him notice you, don’t let him look at me. Isn’t there something you can do that nobody looks at you or sees you? Of course, you must make your mind vacant and neutral, then your face also becomes vacant, neutral – you are invisible” (Rhys, 19). Vacant and neutral are the two words that Sasha uses to describe herself, which means that she wants to be invisible and the same as every one else. Sasha wears a “mask” because of how men make her feel uncomfortable and lost. Mr. Blank was Sasha’s old boss and an embodiment of the corrupt male dominated class system. Mr. Blank’s name says it all because when he asks Sasha’s a question her mind literally goes blank when she is speaking to him. Sasha is self-conscious about her image and Mr. Blank does not help her boost her self-esteem. Instead he does not consider her feelings when he belittles her. She is not a real person in his eyes. She is quickly forgotten about when she quits her job. Sasha desires to wear a mask of invisibility to not be seen by men and deal with their harsh criticism. The “mask” protects Sasha from becoming the powerless and defenseless person that society turns her into. In Sasha’s flashback, she explains how she used to work as a mannequin at the dress shop, invisible and hopeless to the rest of people who saw her. Mr. Blank says to Sasha, “You worked as a mannequin?” Down and up his eyes go, up and down. ‘How long ago was this?’ (Rhys, 20). Women are often treated as lifeless dolls by men who control their every move. As soon as Sasha told Mr. Blank that she worked as a mannequin he looked at her with a certain fixation just as one would look at a doll as an object of desire. Sasha is no longer young looking, which also causes Mr. Blank to analyze Sasha. She desires to be a young and beautiful mannequin that she once was before in order to be better desired by men. “Satin skin, silk hair, velvet eyes, sawdust heart –all complete” (Rhys, 18). Sasha calls herself a mannequin because by being a mannequin is her own way of wearing of “mask.” By being a “mannequin,” Sasha is submitting herself to an object of desire where she is more liked by others, especially men. Mannequins are present in clothing stores, but are lots of times passed up and ignored by customers. When mannequins are noticed by the people walking past in the stores they are lifeless and exactly the same. All of the mannequin’s facial features are dull and the body is rigid and removable. Sasha wishes to go through life as mannequin because this would indicate that she be unaffected by her own state of mind. It is impossible for anyone to be invisible from society, including Sasha Jensen. Sasha decides to make herself noticeable to society by wearing a “mask” where she is a different person than herself. Sasha recognizes the importance of maintaining her appearance in the materialistic society that she lives in. Men are attracted to women who are young and beautiful and Sasha tries to transform herself to look the part and be accepted by these men. At any time she is jittery, Sasha shifts her thoughts into something meaningless like a dress or dyeing her hair. She handles these insignificant things like mind-blowing decisions, exhausting a great amount of her stamina in which she dreams of how she could exist if she only had such glamorous things. Sasha attempts to ease herself to sleep by trying to choose what color to dye her hair. “I try to decide what colour I shall have my hair dyed, and hang on to that thought as you hang on to something when you are drowning” (Rhys, 51-52). Besides dying her hair, she purchases a brand new hat, and wastes three hours a day doing her makeup to cover up her old age. Sasha believes that it is her appearance that allows her to have advantages in life and she believes her looks are deteriorating, so she does everything in her control to care for her beauty. She assumes that an alteration in her appearance will encourage an adjustment to her misery. Sasha hides behind this “mask” of a new materialistic look to distract her from the reality that she is aging and because of this men are going to desire her less. Sasha’s “mask” is evident when she comes in contact with new people.
She is hesitant to let people in because of her fear of getting hurt and self-conscious of her appearance. She meets a man named René, a gigolo who wants her money. Right away Sasha is captivated towards him even though she knows his true motives. He desires her for two reasons, which are money and sex. Sasha is hesitant when meeting René but he is special because his charisma accomplishes in relaxing Sasha’s protective stance. René detects right through the “mask” she has on. Sasha even confesses, “this is the first time that I have seen him in a bright light close by. It is also the first time, on these occasions, I haven’t cared in the least what the man thinks of me” (Rhys, 76-77). When their first meeting finishes, she goes back home, declining his invitation to stay the night. Sasha becomes irritated with herself for allowing her protective defense to be seen and promises to “lie in bed all day, pull the curtains down and shut the damned world out” (Rhys, 81). She has built and developed this “mask” over her lifetime that she becomes so infuriated with anyone who tries to take it off. Sasha remains inside, feeling sad and disconnects from herself, and the greater the sensation of self is destroyed, the sadder she becomes. René allows the reader to see inside of Sasha’s true emotions that are covered by her “mask.” With René, the reader even finds out what Sasha is ultimately afraid of. Sasha takes off her “mask” and tells René that because she is afraid of society’s cruelty, which makes her alienated from
society.
“You know what I’m afraid of? All right, I’ll tell you…I’m afraid of men –yes, I’m very much afraid of men. And I’m even more afraid of women. And I’m very much afraid of the whole bloody human race… Afraid of them?’ I say. ‘Of course I’m afraid of them. Who wouldn’t be afraid of a pack of damned hyenas?’” (Rhys, 172-173).