Bertha Mason in Charlotte Bronte´s Jane Eyre

720 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How does bertha mason influence her

The Novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte took a surprising twist when Bertha "Mason" Rochester was introduced. Bertha leaves a traumatizing impression on Jane’s conscious. However, this particular misfortunate event was insidiously accumulating prior to Jane’s arrival at Thornfield. Through Bertha, the potential alternative dark turn of events of Jane’s past are realized, thus bringing Jane closer to finding herself. Bertha and Mr. Rochester were set up and pressured into marrying each other. Mr. Rochester claims that isolating Bertha in a secret room is a justifiable act because of her mental instability. However, The Bertha that the reader gets to see exhibits an accumulated maniacal rage as a result of her imprisonment. Jane describes her as a savage woman. The very sight of her when she attacked her brother or when she ripped the wedding veil traumatized Jane. However, Bertha impacted more than her safety. When Bertha is revealed to be Mr. Rochester’s wife, Jane finds out that despite the love she and Mr. Rochester have for each other; Jane can be nothing more than a mistress because it is illegal to divorce an insane women who is not in control of her actions. With that being said, Jane is lost between following her passion and love for Mr. Rochester and her love for herself and reason. This is exhibited when Mr. Rochester attempts to explain everything to Jane and reassure her of his love for her. Jane tells the reader, "I wanted to be weak that I might avoid the awful passage of further suffering I saw laid out for me; and conscience, turned tyrant, held passion by the throat" (303). In addition to Jane’s moral dilemma caused by Bertha, Berthas appearance forces Jane to retreat to God. This was true; and whi... ... middle of paper ... ... the red room and likewise, saw a reflection of her in Mr. Rochester. In both traumatizing situations, Jane ironically experiences an outer body experience from within her body. In the red room she literally saw herself and fainted because of the sight of herself, but when conversing with Mr. Rochester she saw the hatred she had for Mrs. Reed in his hatred for Bertha. For example, "the paroxysms, when my wife is prompted by her familiar to burn people in their beds at night, to stab them, to bite their flesh from their bones," (306) Jane made many compromises prior to the revealing of Bertha, but sacrificing her morals for love was not an option for her. Bertha Threatened Jane’s safety but enhanced Jane’s sense of self worth and faith in God. With that being said, some people could argue that, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger." (Friedrich Nietzsche)

Show More
Related

  • Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre

    1347 Words  | 3 Pages

    The situation when Jane in locked in the Red Room occurs because she has retaliated against John Reed hitting her and the fact that she is being punished for doing so. The mere fact that she is being locked in the Red Room can already accumulate sympathy within the reader because she is seemingly being very unfairly punished whereas her cousin John has attacked her already and managed to escape any punishment whatsoever. However in the events leading up to being locked in the room, the reader could not feel sympathy for Jane Eyre as she did in a way bring the punishment upon herself for attacking Mr. Reed in the first place. If she has not retaliated she would have not been locked in the room. Most readers however probably do feel sympathy for her as she was acting more in self-defence. She was also unfairly spoken too as they were dragging her to the room itself as they say things like ‘she's like a mad cat' and do not seem to be letting her give an explanation at all for her actions, and only listening to what John had too say. They make sure that she knows her place by telling her that ‘You are under obligation to Mrs. Reed' and that she is ‘less than a servant'. These are not kind words and the reader will probably feel sympathetic as she is being treated as a worthless object. The room that she is sent too is a dark and unpleasant place with memories of the dead Mr. Reed. For a child of Jane's young age it would seemingly be very distressing for her, and with the added experience of her seemingly seeing a ‘ghost' of some kind, it would be a terrible experience. Even if the reader has not felt sympathy for Jane before this incident they would surely feel so now, as she is in a distressing situation alone. When Jane first screams out for help from someone it does seem as though people are coming too help her as Bessie and Abbot come to open the door and ask her what is wrong and what has made her cry for help.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Betrayal In Jane Eyre

    1046 Words  | 3 Pages

    The novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is an early 19th-century English literature; a literary work that is evocative and riveting. It depicts acts of betrayal between family members, loved ones and self-inflicted betrayal. The acts of betrayals are done by Mrs. Reed, Mr. Rochester and Jane Eyre herself.

    Read More

  • Physical & Emotional Abuse in Jane Eyre: How This Affected Jane’s Evolution Into a Dynamic Character

    1183 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jane Eyre has been acclaimed as one of the best gothic novels in the Victorian Era. With Bronte’s ability to make the pages come alive with mystery, tension, excitement, and a variety of other emotions. Readers are left with rich insight into the life of a strong female lead, Jane, who is obedient, impatient, and passionate as a child, but because of the emotional and physical abuse she endures, becomes brave, patient, and forgiving as an adult. She is a complex character overall but it is only because of the emotional and physical abuse she went through as a child that allowed her to become a dynamic character.

    Read More

  • Bertha Mason´s Appearance in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

    529 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bertha mason is the wife of Mr. Rochester. She stands in between of Jane and Mr. Rochester's marriage. We first hear of Bertha Mason in chapter 11 when Jane hears a strange laugh. Jane had confused Bertha Mason and Grace Poole. When Jane had heard a strange laughter she assumed it was grace Poole, but in reality is was Bertha Mason. Also she believed Grace Poole tried to kill Mr. Rochester by setting his bed sheets on fire, but it was Bertha Mason who tried to kill her husband. In chapter 26 that is when we really here about Bertha Mason, when she really is introduce in the novel. Bertha Mason tried to destroy janes life and also happiness.

    Read More

  • Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre

    1771 Words  | 4 Pages

    realizes that they both need each other, Rochester is now physically dependent on her. But, Jane

    Read More

  • Bertha Mason´s Appearance in Charlote Bronte´s Jane Eyre

    678 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mr. Rochester’s wife, Bertha Rochester has created a twist in Jane’s life. Due to Bertha being married to Mr. Rochester, Jane’s marriage is postponed and it affects her mentally. Jane is affected by Bertha from Mr. Rochester’s dishonesty and Bertha’s madness that drove Mr. Rochester to hide her. From the experience she leaves Thornfield to escape the disappointments instead of taking responsibility. Charlotte Bronte introduces Bertha to strengthen Jane’s character and to show Berthas point of view.

    Read More

  • Personification of Oppression in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre

    1557 Words  | 4 Pages

    At first glance and under insufficient scrutiny, the persona of Jane Eyre reflects a slightly expanded Cinderella character. But Jane Eyre's personality and life delve much deeper than a superfluous "rags to riches" story. Her identity is as complex as literature can convey and her characteristics are manifested through several subtle parallels. These parallels relate to objects and nature, but mostly to one particular individual in the novel. A seemingly exact opposite of the persona's placid character, the maniacal Bertha Mason actually personifies an inner part of Jane, the part of her personality that longs to live free but goes crazy under the oppression of society, and especially that of Mr. Rochester. Jane's doppelgänger, or counterpart, truly doubles Miss Eyre's suffocated life.

    Read More

  • Temperance In St. Augustine's The Confessions

    1371 Words  | 3 Pages

    At Thornfield, Jane has to deal with Mr. Rochester. Jane knows that she should not love Rochester, so she tries to prevent it, and tell herself that he doesn’t love her. Jane knows that Rochester loves Blanche Ingram (Bronte 126). After a while, Rochester starts to flirt with Jane, and Jane lets her guard down and the two of them fall in love. At Jane and Rochester's wedding, Jane learns that Rochester has a wife (Bronte 237). This is shocking and hurtful to Jane, because she allowed herself to fall to her desires. Jane knows that she cannot stay at Thornfield, despite what she may want, so she

    Read More

  • How does St John Rivers compare to Rochester?

    1206 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...would have to sacrifice her passion for the sake of religious duty. On the other hand with Rochester, Jane would be forced to sacrifice her morality for the sake of her passion whilst Bertha was alive. When she heard of Bertha’s death she realised that with Rochester she could live a happy life full of love. Rochester and St John Rivers both have passion, Rochester’s is a passion for his love of Jane whereas St John Rivers is a passion for his work as a missionary, and he allows this passion to quell his love for Miss Oliver. St John Rivers is prepared to come to love Jane over time; however this is a sign of his lack of passion while Rochester truly loves Jane despite their differences, and his love for her is true love. For Jane it is a choice between a marriage of passion and a marriage of practicality, for Jane it is her passion and heart that eventually wins.

    Read More

  • Jane Eyre Mr Mason Quotes

    1519 Words  | 4 Pages

    This opinion is a representation of the husbands who felt burdened by their wives who became inconvenient. They felt that they had been cheated out of a devoted spouse because when she is hysterical, she cannot be successful in completing her social responsibilities as a woman and a wife. After an examination by medical doctors, Mr Rochester decides to hide her in the attic and pretend she does not exist. Feeling that she tarnishes his name by being his “mad wife”, he believes locking her away is the only solution. The separation between Mr Rochester and Bertha Mason is evident in the fact that Brontë never refers to her as Bertha Rochester. She is stripped of her married name to extinguish any connection to her

    Read More

  • Comparing The Narrator In Turn Of The Screw And Jane Eyre

    661 Words  | 2 Pages

    Whereas, Jane’s experiences with the entities Bertha and Grace Poole are humanised on four occasions by Mrs Fairfax and Rochester. First, Grace’s laugh “repeated in its low, syllabic tone [and] odd murmur” has Mrs Fairfax respond with “perhaps Grace Poole” (108) which drains Jane’s paranoia and fear. On the event where Rochester leaves Jane with Richard Mason’s injury, it is clear her paranoia and fear are restored with: “I hope it is…not something worse” (151). And so, keeping secrets can have this affect Eugenia Delamotte explains that “[gothic heroines] tremble in fear of the unknown” (205).

    Read More

  • The Purpose of Sati in Jane Eyre

    2078 Words  | 5 Pages

    ... the anger that she had expressed as a young girl, due to the fact that her society does not accept it. This anger that she once held inside is prevelant in Bertha's act. It is in the Red Room that Jane "became increasingly alive with bristling energy, feelings, and sensations, and with all sorts of terrifying amorphous matter and invisible phantoms" (Knapp 146). This igniting energy and flow of feelings, are very similar to those that Bertha realises at Thornfield.

    Read More

  • The Balance Of Passion And Passion In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre

    1115 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...t on earth. I hold myself supremely blest - blest beyond what language can express; because I am my husband's life as fully as he is mine" (Bronte 519). Every hardship and trouble Jane endured, from Gateshead to Morton, amplifies the perfect balance between passion and reason Jane receives at the end of the novel. Jane achieves this balance by being with the one she loves the most without any complications of reasoning. Her internal conflicts between Mr. Rochester and St. John Rivers contained many complications including Mr. Rochester's mad wife Bertha, not being in love with St. John, and her own sense of self-respect. Bronte successfully reveals this balance at the end of the novel by Jane receiving a large amount of money, allowing Jane to be with Mr. Rochester without Bertha, Jane discovering she has family, and Jane starting her own family with Mr. Rochester.

    Read More

  • Comparison Of Jane Eyre And The Yellow Wallpaper

    817 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Jane’s case, she knew her place as soon as she went to go live at Gateshead. “I was like nobody there; I had nothing in harmony with Mrs. Reed or her children.” (Norton 639) Here it is very clear that Jane understands that no one in that house cares what happens to her. On the other hand, the narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper” believes that what her husband is doing to her is merely out of love. I believe that what her husband is doing is not far off from attempted murder. I believe that he truly wants her to die with the way that he talks to her. He speaks to her as if he is speaking with a small child. He would read to her at night so she would go to sleep and then talk to her and say things like “darling” and “my delight”. What is strange about this is the fact that John never once lets her out of the room. He keeps stating that she must get better before he can let her out. This is very close to how Rochester speaks to Jane. Before their wedding, he tries to tell her what to do and buys her gifts. In this case, both men begin to attempt to take control of their significant other’s lives. In this sense, we can get a feel for how Bertha grew into how she is. Rochester tried to strip away all of the independence that she had and lock her up in the house. Which then eventually drove her to become the madwoman in the attic just like our narrator in “The

    Read More

  • Allusions In Jane Eyre

    1583 Words  | 4 Pages

    The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself. I will keep the law given by God; sanctioned by man.” (Bronte 284). In this quote the reader can see that Jane asserts her strong sense of moral integrity over and against her intense feeling for Rochester. Rochester is trying to convince Jane to stay with him even though he is still married to Bertha Mason.

    Read More

More about Bertha Mason in Charlotte Bronte´s Jane Eyre

Open Document