Jane Eyre - Critical Interpretation

  

INTRODUCTION

The novel, Jane Eyre is Charlotte Bronte’s protest against patriarchy. It is about a valiant orphan named Jane who struggles and fights her way through anguished childhood and enigmatic adulthood under her own steam to claim her unconventional and independent status in the society. Jane sets her face against the mastery over her by the men in her life. She fights against all the odds and secures an equal position to men in the society. This is a captivating narrative encompassing love, Christianity, valor and feminism. Considering all these facets, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is said to be written ahead of time.

 

FIRE AND ICE

One of the well portrayed concepts in the story is ‘Fire and Ice’. Throughout the novel, Jane is given the quality of either fire or ice. It is used as a metaphor for her feelings. Initially, when Jane fumes against Mrs. Reeds and accuses her for degrading her life, her feelings and state and state of mind is given the quality of fire.

“A ridge of lighted heath, alive glancing devouring…black and blasted after the flames are dead”

On the day of her wedding when Jane discovers the truth of Bertha’s existence, all her hopes and dreams about the future shatter. Her depressed, doleful and downhearted feelings are given the quality of ice.

“…it shivered in my heart like a suffering child in the cold cradle”

 

BERTHA MASON

Bertha Mason, Rochester’s secret wife is compared to animals throughout the story. Furthermore, she is given the quality of a non-living thing by referring her to as ‘it’ and not ‘she’.

“What it was whether beast or human being, one could not at first sight tell: it groveled, seemingly, on all the fours; it snatched and growled like some strange wild animal.

“…the clothed hyena rose up”

Bertha remains the mysterious character of the novel. We cannot believe Rochester when he talks about her. There is no proof in the story if she was of unsound mind when before getting locked up in the ‘Red Room’ or did she transform into a ‘clothed hyena’ after being locked for so many years? This question remains unanswered giving Bertha’s character a mysterious touch.

The existence of Bertha provides a hint to Jane as to how her life would be as Mrs. Fairfax.

Bertha is used as a symbol to reveal how the Victorian wives were kept away from the idea of an independent life. Her reference serves a symbol for those women in the Victorian era who were forced to remain behind the curtains. We can see that the second door of the Red Room is covered by some hangings or curtains behind which Bertha lived. These hangings that cover the second door of the room symbolize the venomous society of the Victorian era behind which the women were compelled to stay.

Berta is depicted as someone who can’t speak but growl. Bertha’s violence against Rochester, tearing up of the veil and burning down Thornfeild becomes her way of talking and simply expressing. When Bertha burns down Thornfied she rushes up to the  roof, waves her arms and shouts till the people could hear her a mile off. This act of waving and shouting is her way of revealing her existence to the world after being locked up for so many years. It is her arrogance and language of violence that claim her existence. By this act of burning Thornfield and shouting she reveals Rochester’s wicked character to the world.

 

RELATEDNESS OF CHARACTERS

In the novel, we can see the mixture or concoction of two characters namely Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason. If Jane is the passionate, charismatic and lovely set of newly bloomed petals of a rose then Bertha becomes the erring, sharp deadly thorns of the same beautiful rose. If Jane is the voice then Bertha is the action to the voice. She is an integral part of Jane and is the action to Jane's thoughts.

Before Jane's wedding when Rochester showers her with beautiful and expensive jewels, dress and veil Jane gets vexed and degraded. Still, she remains silent. She doesn't utter a word against it. 

She mentions to the readers, "If I had ever so small an independency; I never can bear being dressed like a doll by Mr Rochester, or sitting like a second Danae with the golden shower falling daily round me." 

This clearly states that she must be feeling submissive in his presence. This dialogue also reveals that somewhere at the back of her mind, she doesn't want to get married to Mr Rochester. In a nutshell, she is not willing to get dressed like a doll by Mr Rochester.

Later, the day prior to her wedding day, Jane sees the suitcase mentioning her name. It disquiets her. This is because the name mentioned on the suitcase is neither Ms Jane Eyre, not Ms Eyre but Mrs Fairfax. The name revealed her identity as Mr Rochester. There was not a single speck of her individual identity. 

Jane says, " It was enough that in yonder closet, opposite my dressing table garments said to be hers (Mrs Fairfax) had already displaced my black stuff Lowood frock and state bonnet: for not to me appertained that suit of wedding raiment, the pearl-coloured robe, the vapour veil pendent from the usurped portmanteau. I shut the closet to conceal the strange, wrath like apparel it contained"

Jane's Lowood frock being displaced by her wedding outfit provides a symbol as to how her image as an independent governess would hide behind just the mere name, Mrs Fairfax. This serves as a symbol for both, we the readers and Jane. 

Later, Jane narrates a horrific event to Mr Rochester saying, "she took my veil from its place; she held it up, gazed at it long and then threw it over own head, and turned to the mirror. At that moment I saw the reflection of the visage and features quite distinctly in the dark oblong glass."

"It removed my veil from its gaunt head, rent it in two parts and flinging both on the floor, trampled on them."

"Just at my bedside, the figure stopped: the fiery eyes glared upon me - she thrust up her candle close to my face, and extinguished under my eyes."

Here, Bertha shows empathy with Jane. She does exactly what Jane had felt before. Earlier we saw how Jane despises Mr Rochester's act of transforming her into a walking doll by buying her expensive veil and jewellery. Jane doesn't protest but Bertha does. She protests on Jane's behalf. She protests by tearing up the veil that Jane despises. This incident substantiates the notion that both of their minds are unified. Their souls are secured by a single strong rope. They are totally inextricable. Jane is Bertha and Bertha is Jane. 

4. PATRIARCHY- THE REAL ANTAGONIST

We can see that throughout the story, Jane suffers from the force and domination of the patriarchal society of the Victorian era. The rigid and venomous society stands in her way towards achieving a happy life. Patriarchy proves to be the main antagonist of the novel.

The characters such as Mr Brocklehust, Mr Rochester and St. John typify the patriarchal system of the Victorian era. The quality that is found common to all these men is the fact that they want to have control over Jane. There is an intense urge among these men to establish mastery over her. 

When Jane starts as a new child at Lowood, Brocklehurst insults and humiliates Jane in front of eighty girls. He regards her as an 'interloper and an 'alien'. He asks the girls to shut her away from their conversation and sports. He dictates them to completely avoid her company. He further horrified her by falsely accusing her as a liar.

As the story proceeds, Mr Rochester, the love of Jane's life enters into the picture. He tries to establish mastery over her in multiple ways. He tries to dress her like a doll against her wish. He independently fixes the day of their wedding without consenting to her. Further, he does the most treacherous thing by hiding the truth about his first marriage. He tries to control not only Jane but also Bertha. The fact that he locks and isolates Bertha from the external world proves him to be a typical Victorian man. 

St. John tries to dominate and by pursuing or rather forcing her to engage in a loveless marriage. He wants her to be just a 'missionary's wife'. He asks her to accompany him as his 'helpmeet and fellow-labourer'. He tries to hinder Jane's path towards happiness and joy by emotionally forcing her into a loveless marriage.