The Coulibri Estate

The Coulibri Estate is where Antoinette spends a good portion of her childhood, until her home is burned down. It is located somewhere outside of Spanish Town. The estate is centered inside post-Emancipation turmoil, where Antoinette and her family are often referred to as "white cockroaches." Coulibri is described as both beautiful and freeing, as well as traumatic. Rhys writes, "I took another road, past the old sugar works and the water wheel that had not turned for years. I went to parts of Coulibri that I had not seen, where there was no road, no path, no track. And if the razor grass cut my legs and arms I would think 'It's better than people'" (Rhys 25). This contrast between occupying a space that juxtaposes beauty and tragedy reflects Antoinette's life that is both tragic and beautiful. This is specifically seen when Antoinette eventually falls in love with Rochester, only to have an ephemeral love, where Rochester quickly turn his back on her. 

The name “coulibri” comes from the word “colibri,” which refers to a species of hummingbird. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Most of the species that have been adequately studied do not show pair-bond formation. In the violet-ears (Colibri) and a few others, pair bonds are formed, and both sexes assume parental duties” (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica). A pair-bond refers to the strong affinity developing between a mating pair, so it seems fitting that the estate burns down, echoing Antoinette’s inability to form a lasting, loving relationships.

Bibliography: The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Hummingbird.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. 27 June 2019, https://www.britannica.com/animal/hummingbird. Accessed 31 Oct. 2019.

Rhys, Jean. Wide Sargasso Sea, W. W Norton & Company, 1966.