How Is Rochester A Sympathetic Character

The fictional character Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre is not a very sympathetic character due to his negative character traits and actions. He is a dark person who embodies Gothic literature in the sense that there are secrets, pain, and eventually death surrounding him.

Mr. Rochester consistently demonstrates his intentions to live amorally through his actions. His actions show his low moral stands, and disregard for women in general. He systematically throughout the book schemes to scam women out of love and happiness in order to achieve his happiness. His words affect his victims more than his actions. His overall demeanor is disgruntled and rarely upbeat. He purposely choses diction that is offensive.

The first scenario in which Mr.

Rochester devaluates a woman is in chapter thirteen when he officially meets Jane Eyre for the first time. He stifles her by ignoring her, he intimidates her by asking frank questions and he insults by her accusing her of having caused his sprained ankle. He deliberately targeted Jane Eyre. He chose his questions carefully in order to cause her negative stress. He victimized a woman less fortunate than him.
Mr.

Rochester’s emotion towards women is exposed more clearly through the way he responds to his wife. Instead of showing unconditional love to his wife, he shows bitter resentment towards being married to her. There is a focus on the moral character of Bertha. Her character is described as being a drunk. She has previously lost constraint of her sexual desires and had sexual relations outside of the marriage. The testimonial to Berth’s moral character can be doubted due to all information obtained about Bertha was retained from Mr. Rochester.

Mr. Rochester’s entire life and reputation is based on manipulation. Overseas he violates his marriage vows by taking mistresses because his wife is unable to fulfill his desires. He wallows in sin and seems to have no remorse for shaming his wife. The relationship he has with all women in his life is consolidated in his relationship with Jane. His relationship with her was based on deception and destruction of innocence.

Mr. Rochester tries to prevent Jane from discovering his secret when Mr. Mason arrives. He warns Mason after the attack that “it will be at the peril of your life if you speak to her.” Despite the misery he has already caused her, Jane falls in love with Mr. Rochester. He persuades her into going against her societal feelings and to marry

him.
After Jane informs Mr. Rochester of the “foul German spectre” which ruined her veil on the night of her wedding he insults her sanity by saying “I must be careful of you, my treasure: nerves like yours were not made for rough handling.” (Page 327) Mr. Rochester, aware that it is his wife who ruined the vein, took the opportunity to insult a female again for a reason not apparent.
Mr. Rochester blatantly disrespects both mental and sexual relationships within the realms of marriage. He targets weak women; he takes advantage of those who have less than him. He is bitter and angry. He uses women to get what satisfies him. He is a very cold and calculating man. He is not a sympathetic character.