Throughout class discussion, the issues of Edward Rochester's character has stood out during our discussions of Jane Eyre. Needless to say, the simplest explanation and summary we have seemed to pull out of these talks is that Rochester is, plainly and simply, an ass. Yet, by the end of the novel, he becomes Jane's ideal husband. Jane claims that "perfect concord is the result" (459) of their bond, despite the continual stream of problems and conflicts the two have brought upon each other. Of course, this is to be expected from a romantic Young Adult fiction novel as we have seen too in Little Women; a perfect marriage is stricken against all societal odds, and the odd couple find happiness. However, throughout the end of the book, I found the conditions of their marriage strange to say the least, even moreso with the background of their relationship.
It is no shocking revelation to say Jane is a victim of abuse. Her childhood at the orphanage and being locked in the Red Room were clearly traumatic and horrific experiences. Her continual shunning by society and 'outsider' status define her very being. By modern standards, her desire to feel loved and accepted by society fits in with this narrative of abusive background. Numerous essays could be written on the psychological factors behind her behavior and attitude, her need to prove herself, her need for independence, and the contrast of these desires with her search for love and a happy marriage. But this background has stayed heavy in my mind as Jane meets her supposedly perfect harmony with Rochester. I feel as though Rochester ties in with this background of abuse and trauma, both in terms of continuing and reversing her feelings.
From the start of their correspondence, Rochester has stricken me more than simply an 'ass', as I've called him before. He seems to play the striking image of an abuser himself. He attempts to manipulate Jane into loving him throughout the book, through his disguising as a gypsy to press Jane closer to loving him, to his use of Blanche to make Jane jealous and a nervous wreck, up to his hiding of Bertha and his history to make Jane feel special. Rochester is no stranger to using women, as his past of mistresses lets clearly known, and he seems quite content to abandon any morality and good to fuel his own passions and pleasure. Bertha alone stands out as a frighteningly telling story of his treatment of women; although he tries to play an innocent role and point out his unwillingness to 'hurt her', he still is more than content to lock her in an attic, keep her secret from those who may help her, and instead entertain himself with mistresses to pass the time. Adding onto Rochester's somewhat abusive behaviors is one passage in particular, before Jane leaves him after finding out about Bertha, where he pleads "Jane! will you hear reason? ... because, if you won't, I'll try violence." (307) Between this outright contradiction of his 'nonviolent' preaching and the behavior between Jane and Rochester as a continual dance of power displays and angry teasing, the relationship between these protagonists begins to take a more morbid hue, one which seems to center on Rochester using Jane's issues of abandonment and abuse to secure her love, and with Jane reveling in the opportunity to flex independence and deny those who would control her.
By the end of the novel, even with Rochester seemingly becoming redeemed after the fire of Thornfield, the pleads of Rochester center on himself. He claims that his earlier actions, recognizing his own questionable motives, "would have sullied my innocent flower." (454) Even with his claims to redemption, he still sees Jane somewhat as a means to his own ends, to provide some form of innocence he cannot reach himself. Jane, meanwhile, seems happy to accept a marriage with him, strangely only after he has become dependent and ruined. With their dynamic of power switched, the victim of lifelong abuse sees a chance to reverse her status, against one man who has seemingly played the role of a serial abuser for most of his life. Although she claims harmony, and although she justifies her attraction to Rochester as being based in mutual respect, I can't help but see her attraction and marriage with Rochester as something more of a coping mechanism. The way they continually conflict and argue and skirt on the edge of anger and frustration when talking to each other seems to be Jane toying with the danger of a potentially violent man, finding pleasure in her power over his frustrations.
Needless to say, their relationship continues to confuse me and leave an odd feeling on its general tone. Although Jane's independence is a happy thing and certainly a good theme to look into, Rochester's abusive tendencies and difficulties with learning and bettering himself in a selfless way continue to stand as a glaring problem in their relationship. After he is disabled and woeful and repentant, Jane seems content to marry him. But I have to wonder, as he heals, will this relationship stay? Has Rochester actually learned anything, or is he using Jane like he has to countless others? Will he be willing to have an independently-minded wife for long, or will he simply want to 'tame' her and manipulate her more as he has shown a willingness to do in the past? As is clearly evident, I do not like Rochester, and the ending to the novel sits uneasily to me, though perhaps I am reading too much into Rochester's behavior, and too little into Jane's cleverness.
The view of Jane as a survivor of abuse is clear from the very beginning of the novel. However, the view of Rochester as an abuser (instead of simply just a man who has had many mistresses or, as Addison puts it, an ass) is one which I had not considered or thought about to any great extent. It makes a lot of sense. He is controlling and manipulative (as seen in the fortune-teller scene, his courting of Blanche to make Jane jealous, and his lying—all of which are parts of the book which Addison pointed out in the third paragraph), and he clearly uses women for his own personal gain of pleasure. Viewing him as an abuser shifts the interpretation of his relationship to Jane; the rockiness of their relationship begins to look like the roots of abuse, and all of the small problems (arguments, subtle power plays, etc.) become red flags. With that in mind, the question is asked: Why does Jane choose Rochester? Is it because, at the end, she finally has the power in the relationship (though who knows for how long)? Is it because she has never known anything other than a history of abuse? She seems too smart for that. Jane’s motivation to be with Rochester makes no sense to me. The relationship is clearly unhealthy, and has too many bad details tying in with Jane’s past abuse to seem like it will work itself out. The pattern of abuse—on both ends, as Jane receives it and Rochester gives it out—will surely continue.
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ReplyDeleteLet me just note that I know what I am about to say is not going to be a popular response to the “why does Jane love Rochester” argument. While I agree with the rest of the class that Jane’s love for Rochester is strange, hard to understand, and sometimes even downright unhealthy; I still don’t feel the need to question the reasoning behind it. Our class has much debated the how and the why behind Jane’s affection for Rochester, but to me, I find it easier to just see it as a fact, accept it, and move on with the novel. I feel that someone else’s love is not to be questioned simply because it can’t be. It is impossible to understand something as complex as love from the outside looking in. Why dwell on why Jane loves Rochester, when there are so many other important aspects of this novel. Just because someone isn’t my cup of tea, and trust me Rochester sure isn’t, doesn’t mean they aren’t someone else’s. Once I just accepted that “Jane loves Rochester even though he seems like a total ass to all of us,” the book became a lot more enjoyable to me. Nobody worry, I still agree that Rochester is a total jerk.