Rochester behaves like this when Jane leaves Thornfield both to visit Mrs. Reed and when she leaves Rochester after discovering Bertha Rochester. Rochester pleads for Jane’s marriage and claims despite being married to Bertha, he does not consider himself being wedded. This complexity of Rochester’s background also links him to being a Byronic hero. The striking of the chestnut tree, under which Jane and Rochester declared their love for each other and where Rochester makes his proposal, foreshadows the impending separation, disaster and danger for Jane and Rochester. It is an ideal gothic symbol, nature predicting human fate to come. The ghostly communication between Jane and Rochester in the novel is an old traditional Gothic element. It …show more content…
Firstly both characters are melancholy. The immensely low status of both the female characters links back to the fact that men are always in charge of women; this is shown because both characters are ruled by other figures throughout the novel. Curley’s wife by Curley, and Jane first by Mrs. Reed, then Mr. Brocklehurst, and finally Rochester. As they are both women, they suffer being pressurized by men because of the patriarchal society. Another similarity within “Jane Eyre” and “Of Mice and Men” is the marriage theme. Marriage is a dilemma and complex in both the novel and novella. Marriage is brought to the attention of the reader numerous times in” Jane Eyre”; first of all where Rochester claims he is marrying Lady Ingram to make Jane jealous of their relationship, and Rochester’s plan works in winning Jane over and Rochester proposes to Jane, and she reply’s with grateful yes. Whilst in “Of Mice and Men” Curley’s wife has a disastrous relationship with her partner; first of all she has no forename and is only known as somebody’s wife. Curley’s wife gets no affection or love from her husband in their relationship and ends up resorting to the other men on the ranch for any attention she can get; good or bad. In “Of Mice and Men” and “Jane Eyre”, both Brontë and Steinbeck make it very clear from their writing that male chacters always look at the women’s physical appearance and not their personality. When Rochester was engaged to Jane the first time, Rochester insisted that Jane had the most expensive jewels and veils, but all Jane wanted was a simple cotton veil and no jewels. In “Of Mice and Men” the male character looked at Curley’s wife as a sexual
To begin, when Mr. Rochester secretly returns to Thornfield as a gypsy he tells many fortunes but when the secret comes out there is nothing but distrust for him. For example, when Jane finds out that Mr. Rochester was the gypsy, and Mr. Rochester asks if she can forgive him for his trick, she says ¨[She] cannot tell till [she] [has] thought it all over. … [she] shall try to forgive [him]; but it was not right¨ (Bronte 213). This shows that Jane had lost some trust in her beloved Rochester by such a simple joke and it was that, the secret had been kept from her, that makes Jane really wonder if she could tru...
The influential British writer, Hugh Kingsmill, once stated, “Society is based on the assumption that everyone is alike and no one is alive” In his novel, The Kite Runner, Hosseini depicts a unique friendship between two boys in a quickly disappearing Afghanistan. Hosseini creates Amir, an ambitious yet selfish character in order to elaborate on the negative effects society has on an individual. After he betrays his friend Hassan, Amir is conflicted and spends the rest of his life attempting to gain redemption by saving Hassan’s son. Similarly, in Of Mice And Men, Steinbeck uses two lowly ranch workers, George and Lennie, to depict a life impacted by the other men and their surroundings. Their valuable friendship is eventually thrown away due to the pressure of society when George is forced to take Lennie’s life. Although in both The Kite Runner and Of Mice And Men, Khaled Hosseini and John Steinbeck demonstrate society’s overbearing power over the individual, Hosseini and Steinbeck use different motifs and settings to convey their ideas regarding society.
The book has many features which are found in Gothic novels such as romance. Romance plays a very important role as Mr. Rochester and Jane are both uncertain if their powerful love is being returned. Another common feature of the Gothic novel is lovers being parted; in the story of Jane Eyre Jane and Rochester are parted when Rochester leaves to visit Blanche Ingram and also when Jane goes to see her dying Aunt Reed. There is also tension between the true love and society. Mrs. Fairfax appears to disapprove of Jane's and Rochester's marriage because of their difference in social class.
The novel Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Bronte, is about Jane who is a strong, independent women who went from being an orphaned, isolated ten-year-old to excelling at school and becoming a governess.The character Blanche Ingram is intended to marry Edward Rochester, the man Jane loves. Throughout the first half of the novel Bronte uses Blanche Ingram as a foil to Jane, to reveal her true persona. This is evident firstly by appearance, where Blanche is described as beautiful and Jane plain, their different inner characters, the way they connect with Adele and finally how they express their feelings towards Edward Rochester.
Bronte uses Jane's own words to demonstrate the negativity surrounding the difference between Jane and Rochester being of different classes and how it affects how Jane believes Rochester will view her. Jane's movement between social classes was something that was a recurring difficulty in Jane's relationships. Jane's disdain for being seen as inferior to Rochester was what initially created the separation between the two. The fact that the difference between their two classes was stark enough to cause her to leave and invite judgment of others seeing their relationship unfold was very interesting. Jane did not seek wealth when it came to marrying Rochester, dissimilar to how Lucy came into marriage with Sir Michael.
One is faced with endless possibilities when they can compare two things the reality is that almost everything in this world is comparable. Even so, how does a classic romantic novel from the 1800s compare with a cheery musical about a singing Austrian family. Jane Eyre, one of the worlds most famous books, was published in 1847, and although it is a romance novel, it is serious and somewhat slow-paced. The Sound of Music is possibly the happiest musical of all time. Written in the fifties and becoming one of the worlds most famous movies in 1965, the songs are about goat-herds falling in love and whiskers on kittens. Jane Eyre and the Sound of Music have several differences in their moods, settings, and endings, yet they share similarities
In Jane Eyre author Charlotte Bronte illustrates two comparisons and one main contrast among Mr. Brocklehurst, Mr. Rochester, and St. John Rivers. Bronte aims to present Brocklehurst, Rochester, and Rivers as men with similar traits that cause conflict with women, especially Jane. In response to the similarities, Bronte also depicts contrasts among the three men. These comparisons and contrasts ultimately decide their relationship with Jane throughout the novel. Mr. Brocklehurst, Mr. Rochester, and St. John Rivers have two similarities including: their secrecy and their alpha dog mentality; while their difference is how they react to being challenged.
...she tells him of the Rivers family and, most notably, about St. John Rivers whom she refused to marry because of his lack of love or appreciation of her. Jane then marries Rochester realizing that he is who she wants. Jane has done a tremendous amount of soul searching while away from Thornfield and she now feels able to make the lifelong commitment of marriage as she has gained the moral, religious, and personal capabilities to differentiate between good and bad, right and wrong, in her many experiences throughout her life. Jane Eyre remains true to her own personal code of conduct throughout the novel. Her strength and courage can be an inspiration to readers no matter what the age, gender, or generation in which they live. The morals to which Jane adheres to are what make Jane Eyre a timeless classic to be enjoyed and learned by every individual.
There are certain feelings that persuade writers to do what they do best. Of course, that feeling could be something different for each author, such as love, loss, peace, hatred, etc. The examination of these feelings is what makes an author’s work a piece of art and at the same time something humanly conceivable (since a majority of the time art is neither humanly conceivable nor understandable to those who merely observe it). And so when a writer decides to let these emotions that they have once felt, that perhaps they have felt for others, be translated into something perfectly tangible and comprehensible, an understanding is born between them and those they preach to. In John Gardner’s Grendel, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and Joseph
This brought into question Jane’s grand need for independence. Jane’s equality in a relationship is derived from her desire for independence. Jane reveals her need for independence in her relationship with Mr. Rochester when she told him she would always call him master but she would not be inferior to him. Haiyan Gao asserts in her article “Reflection On feminism in Jane Eyre,” “Jane loves Rochester with all her heart and Rochester’s status and wealth make him so high above for Jane to approach, yet she never feels herself inferior to Rochester though she is a humble family teacher.” It is also notable that Jane does not pursue a relationship with Mr. Rochester with the intention of gaining money.
When reading Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, I find myself cheering for Rochester. After finishing the book, I ask myself why Jane chooses Rochester over St. John. After all, Rochester has a "mad" wife, Bertha Mason, locked in the attic of Thornfield Hall at the same time that he is proposing marriage to Jane. He has a ward living with him, possibly the offspring of an illicit affair with a French dancer. He is arrogant, pushy, and basically ill-tempered. St. John, on the other hand, is well mannered, respected, and has a promising future. To answer my own question, then, it is essential to look at how each man fits the idea of masculinity in Victorian society, at how each man relates to Jane, and at why Bronte creates her two leading men to be such extreme opposites.
Many novels speak of love and indulging in passion, but few speak of the dynamics that actually make a marriage work. Jane Eyre is one of these novels. It doesn't display the fleeing passions of a Romeo and Juliet. This is due entirely to Bronte's views on marriage and love. The first exception to the traditional couple the reader is shown is Rochester's marriage to Bertha. This example shows the consequences of indulging in passion. The opposite side is shown through another unlikely would-be couple, Rosamund and St. John. Through this pair, Bronte reveals the consequences of indulging in duty. Another view of marriage is also present in the book, through the character Jane Eyre and her actions.
In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte uses various characters to represent aspects of reason and passion, thereby establishing a tension between the two. In fact, it could be argued that these various characters are really aspects of her central character, Jane. From this it could be argued that the tension between these two aspects really takes place only within her mind. Bronte is able to enact this tension through her characters and thus show dramatically the journey of a woman striving for balance within her character. As a prerequisite for marriage, Jane uses this determination in her relationships with Mr. Rochester and St. John.
In spite of many hardships, Jane manages to graduate and becomes a governess under Mr. Rochester’s employment. Mr. Brocklehurst’s influence on Jane to be plain, to be an underclass to serve becomes more apparent when Jane thinks, “is it likely he (Mr. Rochester) would waste a serious thought on this indigent and insignificant plebeian?” (Bronte: 191). Having no money or a house of her own, she considers herself inferior and unlikely that Mr. Rochester, being a man of power and class, would ever lay eyes on her. When Jane leaves Thornfield after she finds out that Mr. Rochester is married, she decides that it’s better to be a schoolmistress, honest and free, than to stay and become a slave full of remorse and shame.
Women, in all classes, were still living in a world which was misogynistic and male-dominated. Their purpose in life was to produce male heirs and maintain the home by hiring and overseeing servants. It was also taboo for one to marry significantly below one’s social class. This is one reason that Jane is not a conventional heroine for the society of her time. Although, as a governess, she is not considered to be as low as a housemaid, she is still part of the hired help in the house. This is why it is unconventional for her and Mr Rochester to be in a relationship. Yet this is not as peculiar as how Jane Eyre ends their relationship due to her sense of betrayal. It would have been considered extremely foolish for a working-woman’s sense of betrayal to end and turn down a man of great wealth.