Trust in Jean Rhys' Good Morning, Midnight

Jean Rhys' (12) heroine in Good Morning, Midnight, is a woman who calls herself Sasha: she is a woman who believes that "one mustn't put everything on the same plane." In other words, this aging, alcoholic, world-weary and disappointed woman has come to the regrettable but inescapable conclusion that there is not much in life (or human nature) to be trusted. In this brief report, the reasons for Sasha's failure to trust Rene, the younger male she encounters during a trip to Paris, will be discussed.

Sasha's experiences with men have not been especially positive. Her great love, Enno, and her father, have both vanished from her life - leaving a sense of emptiness and abandonment. Thus, Sasha believe that "the thing is to have a programme, not to leave anything to chance - no gaps (15)." Madame Venus," the goddess of love, has played this woman too many tricks for her to be able to trust men easily (47); indeed, she does not trust herself any more, and even speculates that she might not be entirely same.

Sasha's abandonment by men she loves is extended even to the deat