“He does not love me”, Antoinette says (l. 1).
He is “scornful and silent” (l. 2).

He doesn’t sleep with her any longer (l. 31).

She has lost her sexual power of attraction.

He is restless (l. 37) and she doesn’t know why.

He calls her “Bertha” (l. 38), thus identifying her to her mad mother.

He wickedly teases her: “I hope you will sleep well” (l. 38). It’s provocation.

He doesn’t believe what she says to him (later he will listen to her pp. 83-84).

Christophine understands that she is confused and muddled.
l. 44: “He don’t know what to believe”.
From then on (à partir de ce moment), he will be torn (decliner) between love and hatred.

How does she react to Rochester’s cold attitude?

“I’m so afraid”, she says (l. 50).
She is once more referring to a safety she never enjoyed.
She is afraid of losing Rochester; i.e. love and safety (cf. historical context).

She fears she might be laughed at her; she is concerned with people’s opinion (possible slander/rumors).

l. 2: “the servants know”.
l. 7: “everyone will laugh at me”.

She is also concerned with social conventions.
l. 17: “He is my husband after all”.
She thus acknowledges her status as a woman depending on man in a patriarchal world.
She means “I lose my husband I lose everything”.

She will have no more support, either financial or moral.
As a woman she was dependent on a man.
As an “unsafe” person she needed protection.

She wants Christophine to restore her grip on Rochester with a love philter.
But she beats about the bush, only hints at it.

“There must be something else I can do” (l. 13).
Then she gets closer to the point (ll. 22/25).

Antoinette turns to Christophine for help, as she would to a mother or a father.

She is both a mother and father figure.
A mother figure: she protects and loves Antoinette.
A father figure: she is a kind of wise “man”, the strongest character in the novel.
She behaves like a man.
She smokes a pipe and spits (l. 4, 5 et 18).
She has the wisdom of an old man (wise).
She can fathom (souder) people’s heart (l. 14 - 15).
She understands of man’s and woman’s psyche (l. 18).

She wields an enormous power over people with her mastery of obeah (voodoo).
She threatens Amelie with her black magic. Everyone is afraid of her, even the whites (Rochester, Mason).

Christophine is modern woman.
She is independent: financially (she keeps her money, l. 19), socially (she copes with life problems all by herself).
She doesn’t need a husband to survive (l. 19).

She is a kind of Woman’s Lib representative.
She stands up against men to defend women’s status.
Though, she considers women as “fools” (l. 19) for not fighting for their rights.
Thus, she bluntly advises Antoinette to “pack up and go” (l. 6), she doesn’t mince her words.

And yet, she is reluctant to work her magic on Rochester.
She thinks voodoo is not for béké, i.e. white people.
She doesn’t want to harm (nuire) Antoinette’s interests.
She believes love doesn’t depend on a potion.

But she eventually submits to Antoinette’s request and gives her the position.
She is a king of almighty god with an insight in everyone’s heart.