In the next two stages of Jane’s life, she experiences events that unfortunately do alter her true fate. For the first time in her existence, she feels the overwhelming exhilaration of being in love. To say “I love you” is the easy part for her...what to make of that love is the struggle that Jane endures.
- Life at Thornfield
When Jane first arrives at Thornfield, she does not meet the man that she will be working for, Mr. Rochester, but Ms. Fairfax, who is the housekeeper of Thornfield. She informs Jane that Mr. Rochester frequently goes on trips and does not return for days on end, which make it seem as if he is hiding or running away from his problems at home. Ms. Fairfax introduces Jane to Adele, of whom she will tutor. Adele is an 8 year old French girl, who also lost her parents. Here, Bronte gives Jane the first opportunity to identify with someone who shares the same life experiences as herself. With both girls losing their parents and not having any family stability, they can try to cope through their hardships and struggles together, when at the same time getting comfortable around new people (both Jane and Adele).
Jane’s first night at Thornfield is one night that she should never forget. When I was reading this Chapter 11, I felt a sense of mystery and strangeness that I felt while reading the beginning chapters. Jane hears an ungodly voice coming from somewhere in the manor. Ms. Fairfax informs the manor’s seamstress, Grace Poole, to “follow directions”. What is that supposed to mean? Trying to give a positive impression on the first day, Jane does not interfere. For all she knows, there could be a monster or something deadly in the manor that she does not know about. I chose to keep this scene at the back of my mind while reading this book, because I knew that the mystery is coming to haunt Jane in the end.
Because of my previous knowledge of old-English books like Jane Eyre, I knew to keep an eye on the relationship soon to brew between Jane and Mr. Rochester. This man happens to be the only real man in Jane’s life that owns a home and is somewhat in his middle ages. Also, Mr. Rochester is the only man that Jane finds physically attractive. Because she has never dealt with male-female tension, she does not know what to do with her feelings but keep them hidden from the man that she loves. When Mr. Rochester leaves for his occasional outings, Jane feels a pain in her chest and wonders when he will return. This tension also brings up another theme throughout the book: equality. In the manor, Jane is a paid employee while Mr. Rochester is the employer. Quite simply, she is poor and he is rich. Will he be able to fall in love with someone of her social status? When Mr. Rochester does return, he returns with many wealthy elites in his social group, one of which Jane believes is more beautiful then herself. Now, Jane’s feelings are put to the test. Is Mr. Rochester bringing these wealthy, beautiful people here to see how Jane reacts?
When Jane hears the news that Mr. Rochester is to marry Blanche Ingram, she is still able to move on and cope with the circumstances that she is living in. I believe that this state of coping connects with what her late friend Helen Burns believed in, accepting your fate. Jane needs to accept the fact that Mr. Rochester is going to marry another woman. At this point of the book, I came to believe that Mr. Rochester was using up this time to tell Jane how he feels the same way she feels for him. When he disguised himself as the gypsy and was telling Jane her fortune, I knew that he was trying to make her confess her love for him. Also, this scene portrayed the magical power that men have over women. Throughout their whole relationship, Mr. Rochester has taken the reigns and controlled their paths.
Unexpectedly, Jane hears news of her Aunt Reed being ill, and travels back to Gateshead. Here, Jane tries to redeem her Aunt’s and hers relationship before it is too late. I thought of this scene as trying to move on from the past and try to live in the present. Maybe Jane thought that if all the past grievances with her Aunt Reed would be solved, then her life with Mr. Rochester could be achieved. To her dismay, her Aunt gives her a letter that is three years old from her Uncle, informing Jane that he wants to adopt her and live together as a family. Therefore, we have learned that her Aunt has not changed one bit since Jane left years ago. She is still the same bitter, old woman that can’t live with the fact that her late husband loved Jane. She dies, with no forgiveness to Jane. Does this mean that her relationship is forever doomed with Mr. Rochester?
As Jane and Mr. Rochester are united back at Thornfield, Jane realizes that life is fragile and you should seize every opportunity that you get, after seeing death thrust upon her Aunt Reed. Both Jane and Mr. Rochester declare their love for one another and are soon to be wed. However, a series of twists and turns make this event unobtainable. The manor is filled with interior tension between Jane and Ms. Fairfax, who witnessed the kiss between Jane and Mr. Rochester when he was still engaged to Blanche. This makes the preparation for the wedding start off on a rocky beginning. On the day of the wedding, Jane’s dreams come to an end. An unknown man stops the wedding because Mr. Rochester is already married. The noise coming from somewhere in the manor is his wife, Bertha, who he believes is terminally insane/mad. No one knows about his wife because of that reason. After being in the same room as Bertha, Jane locks herself in her room and grieves over the loss of Mr. Rochester. When Bertha ripped Jane’s veil, I believe that it was a symbol against the idea of marriage. Look what marriage did to Bertha: imprisonment. Looking back on her experiences at Gateshead, does Jane really want to end up lie Bertha? After finally having stability in her life, after finding a man that loves her the way no one ever has, she loses him. Is this her fate?
No comments:
Post a Comment