Reflections on Jane Eyre

Along with my mother and many others, I watched the ABCs screening of the newest BBC production of Jane Eyre a few weeks ago. Mum agreed with me that the guy who played Mr Rochester was far too handsome - and too young - but watching the movie at least spurred me on to reading the book again, just to check for inconsistencies. I think I read it once in high school, but I can't say it made a big impression. This time through, however, I was quite unsettled by my reading.

So, I am sure you know the story by Charlotte Bronte, but if not, here's a refresher: Orphan girl Jane is rejected by her guardian aunt and sent to a harsh boarding school where she shares a brief friendship which ends in tragedy, but not before orphan girl is challenged to work hard at gaining an education. Later, now-educated orphan girl obtains a post as governess to a girl in the somewhat gothic household of the absentee Mr Rochester. Mr Rochester returns home from travels, falls in love with plucky and spirited governess and, after a series of convoluted relationship debacles, proposes marriage but at the altar is confronted with existence of a living wife, albeit a mad one. Mr Rochester attempts to woo Jane into an overseas affair, but she holds fast to her morals and runs the heck out of there over moor to a more welcoming household which it turns out houses her three poor cousins. Jane (and through her, the cousins) inherits an independence. On being confronted with her cousin's proposal of a loveless marriage and a lifetime of missionary activity together in India, Jane attempts to seek out Mr Rochester. Discovering him now widowed (but also crippled in a fire his wife started), Jane marries "her" Mr Rochester. Jane's rejected cousin sets off to India alone and dies there, eagerly awaiting his meeting with his Lord, Jesus.

According to much of the critical comment, Jane Eyre made a big splash primarily because it portrayed a woman determined to be in charge of her own destiny, particularly with regard to love. Yet it wasn't this which struck me most about the book (perhaps because I don't live in 1847, when it was first published.) In fact, it wasn't JE who captured my fascination at all, it was Mr Edward Rochester. This bloke was just so totally immoral! I just couldn't understand why JE thought he was such a good catch, or why she seemed so enamoured with him. I don't think I skipped any pages and missed out on a vital revelatory conversation, but honestly, at times I felt like shaking her and telling her to wake up to herself! During their first few conversations Mr R seems out to trick JE into revealing her naivete (and even plain stupidity) yet she finds him witty and intriguing. Rather than tell her he likes her, Mr R concocts an elaborate plot to make JE jealous, and fails miserably, because JE spends all her time wondering why Mr R would want a vain, pretentious girl like that, and thinking about getting abother job. Then, after his secret prior marriage is exposed, Mr R has the gall to continue to pursue JE, basically giving her the "poor me" excuse for his own immoral cupidity.

Anyway, JE ran away from Mr R - I give her credit for that - so I kept on reading. I vaguely remember feeling annoyance at the persistent wooing of JE's cousin, when I first read this novel, but this time through I was just confused. Did St John really love JE, and was just unable to show his romantic feelings? Or was he really as devoted to Christ as he seemed to be and intellectually thought that her accompanying him to India as a missionary necessitated their marriage? What was with this guy? I just couldn't figure him out. But it turns out I didn't have too, because in a neat little plot device Charlotte Bronte convinced JE it was time to find out what had happened to her beloved Mr R.

JE finds Mr R the victim of a fire, having lost one eye and his right hand when his wife razed Thornfield Hall (also killing herself). She also finds Mr R repentant. Yay! He recognises the hand of God's judgement in his maiming - in removing from him the instruments which led him into sin, just as Jesus provocatively suggests his followers do if they're tempted (Mark 9:43, 47). JE and Mr R are married, despite JE's somewhat morally questionable offer to be his companion and nurse without the cover of marriage and thus Mr R redeems himself. And henceforth he recovers some of his ability to see, enough to notice certain particulars in his first born son, and to recognise the mercy of God in granting him remission from judgement. And this, to me, was the scene that made reading this whole messy novel worthwhile. Mr R accepted God's wrath was just, and was thankful for His pardon. Something we could all learn from, I think.


On a side note: My copy of Jane Eyre is the Penguin Classics 1996 edition, and its introductory notes are singularly unhelpful, being noteable for what it doesn't say, rather than what it does. Some of the footnotes were irrelevant, others were uninteresting. Some delved too deep and others missed what I thought was the point. But I guess that is the art of editing and criticism.

The Penguin Classics 2006 edition has a much more comprehensive and interesting introduction, although a skim of its notes indicated they were substantially the same as the 1996 edition. If I had my money again, I'd buy this one.