Homecoming? The Principle Theme in Jean Rhys\'

¶ … Homecoming?

The principle theme in Jean Rhys' short story, "I Used to Live Here Once," is the prevalence of racism and the accompanying sentiment of elitism that it gives those of European ancestry. This theme was fairly common in Rhys' writing, which routinely "would explore the tension between the ordered world of colonial life and the seductive world of island sensuality" (Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2004). Rhys' theme is supported on the strength of a pair of literary elements, foreshadowing and symbolism. A thorough examination of the text demonstrates that the author utilizes these two literary devices to reinforce her theme and indicate to the reader that the seemingly halcyon journey of figurative and literal remembrance is not as innocent as it appears.

Rhys utilizes copious amounts of foreshadowing to demonstrate that the narrator's journey to a house she used to live in represents more than that which is appears to. Furthermore, the foreshadowing indicates that there is a severity and negative connotations associated with the narrative's journey. In the initial paragraph of this tale she foreshadows the disappointing end of the story, as the following quotation, in which the narrator is contemplating which path of stones to take to lead her to her former home, proves.

There was the round unsteady stone, the pointed on, the flat one in the middle -- the safe stone where you could stand and look around. The next one wasn't so safe for when the river was full the water flowed over it and even when it showed dry it was slippery (Rhys).

The author's use of diction in describing the individual stones that she must cross to reach her former home alludes to the unpleasant, racist ending of her journey. The narrator describes one of the stones she must encounter as not being "safe." The deceptive nature of this stone is indicated by the fact that even when it appears dry, it is actually "slippery." Yet the author still encounters this stone and crosses it on her journey, in much the same way that she will encounter the children at the end of the tale and be deceived by their innocuous appearance. The deceptive nature of this one particular stone foreshadows the deceptive nature of the children, and foreshadows the fact that the story will end in unpleasant, racial overtones.

While this early example of foreshadowing subtly informs the reader that the author's journey may result in a negative occurrence, the author's deliberate use of symbolism informs the reader as to the nature of that negativity -- which is racism. During the narrative's trek to her home she is constantly noticing facets of her surroundings that are either in aligned with or unaligned with her memory of them. The most eminent of these symbols is the appearance of the house itself, which is irrevocably altered from how the narrator remembers it. The following quotation shows this fact. "She stopped and looked towards the house that had been added to and painted white. It was strange to see a car in front of it" (Rhys). The house symbolizes a feeling of home, familiarity and comfort for the narrator. However, its appearance has changed, which symbolizes the fact that the comfort and familiarity which it represents to the author has also changed. Furthermore, the fact that it is now pained "white" is extremely symbolic of the racism the author will soon encounter, for the house is apparently occupied by Europeans whose pale skin symbolizes this white color. According to Ann Yates, in the West Indies people "live side by side separated by race" (Savory, 2003, p. 17). The other descriptions of the home, such as the fact that it was "added to," and now reflects modern conveniences such as an automobile, reinforce the fact that it has changed in a manner that is more European. Additions and automobiles symbolize the likely affluence of Europeans living in this West Indies setting, and which underscores the nature of racial elitism that the author will encounter upon interacting with them.

Lastly, it is important to realize that the greatest symbol of the racism the narrator comes to contact with is the actual children themselves. Despite the fact that the narrator's ethnicity is never mentioned, her familiarity with West Indian words and concepts such as pave and ajoupa alludes to the fact that she is a native of the area and is more than likely of conventional West Indian ethnicity. The children, however, are decidedly not, as their description in the following quotation implies. "Very fair children, as Europeans in the West Indies so often are: as if the white blood is asserting itself against all odds" (Rhys). The children symbolize the sentiment of European racist elitism. Their actions, furthermore, unequivocally denote this point. They refuse to speak to the narrator, despite her affable greetings, and would rather go inside the house -- away from her -- than be in her presence. The narrator, then, comes into contact with the negativity that was foreshadowed at the outset of her journey in the form of a racist interaction with two children who symbolize the sentiment of European elitism.