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Is Bertha the Inner Fire of Jane Eyre? Jane Eyre is one of the prominent pieces of literature, written by famous English writer Charlotte Bronte. In this research I would like to cover the main issues raised up at the novel. Particularly we are going to talk about the role of Bertha, who is the one of the core characters in this story. Her relationship with the young governess in their house seem rather controversial to the issues that are apprised in the novel.
This relationship starts from a zero and come to a final collapse of the characters due to their own commitments. Now let us explore the story in a little bit more detail. Young Jane Eyre was orphaned and sent to live with her uncle, who dies shortly after her arrival. Her step-aunt despises her and sends her to Lowood School so that she can become a governess. After the completion of her education she obtains a position of governess at a house called Thornfield. Janes student is Adele Varens, who is a difficult but loving illegitimate child of the master of the house, Edward Rochester.
Mr. Rochester, who is the actual owner of the household, appears rarely at home, and Jane spends most of her time with Adele and the housekeeper, Mrs. Fairfax. Mr. Rochester has a wife; whose name is Bertha Mason Rochester. She rarely appears at the beginning of the novel.
The reason is that she is mentally ill and therefore imprisoned at the top floor of the house with a limited access to what is actually going on. Although she participates in the household life despite the fact that her secret activities usually show off in a terrible manner. At the beginning of her service at Mr. Rochester's house Jane does not even know about her presence. Jane only wonders about strange things that sometimes happen in the house. Sometimes she hears different voices and sounds that make her suspicious.
Mr. Rochester despises both of the women. He became attracted to Jane right after her appearance at his house. Although he knows he has a mad wife Bertha, who is imprisoned in his house on the top floor. One day Bertha smelled smoke in the house. She decides to find out what is the place that it is coming from.
It was Mr. Rochester's bedroom. When she entered the room she saw that the masters bed was on fire, and he was sleeping on it. That day she saved his life. Once, Bertha had to visit her step-aunt. Right after her visit there Mr.
Rochester proposes her to merry him. But it did not work out, because the presence of Mr. Rochester's wife was revealed. From that time did Bertha discover the existence of another woman in his life? The close-up relationship between the two women began.
Bertha figured that her secret thoughts about Mr. Rochester were worthless. This was her concerns because she felt love to him. Therefore, we can admit that Bertha's appearance in the novel upraises the barrier for the Janes plans and ideas about her future. Bertha was a mentally ill person.
She became mad right after her marriage. After the discovery of the presence of Bertha by Jane, Jane decides to run away from that house. The relationship between the two women did not establish well enough. That is obvious, because one of them was totally insane and there were only ugly things on her mind and the other one was a righteous young woman, who has previously suffered lots of disadvantages. These women barely meet each other, but Bertha hates Jane. Finally Jane escapes from Thornfield and finds place to stay at her relatives' house.
While Jane was still at the Thornfield, she tried not to worry Bertha. Her attitude towards the residents of the house changed. She felt passionate sorry for Mr. Rochester and his insane wife.
Nevertheless she continued loving her master and trying to help him solve all of his issues. She tried to act as a strong player in the game, in order to protect the situation. I think her role as of the person in this book, was to show off an example of how new and improved generation can affect the future and present well being of a prospect citizens of the state. Now let us explore the character of Bertha, presented by C.
Bronte in the book. Bertha is a more extreme case. She is described as an animal but she is more than that; animals are prey to their sexual impulses without fault but Bertha retains enough humanity for her behavior to inspire horror. As central to the novel as Janes conflict relationship with Rochester is her connection with Bertha, who is despised. This issue is at least as intriguing, though the two women hardly meet and never converse. The revelation of Bertha's existence, which Rochester has concealed from Jane, saves her from the bigamous marriage that Rochester had planned.
Though Bronte's characterization of Bertha, locked away on a top floor, plays into many nineteenth-century stereotypes of the native or primitive woman, it also suggests a close kinship between Bertha and Jane. Both women are attracted to Rochester; both live in his house; and he mistreats both. Critics and readers alike have researched this puzzle over how to understand this connection. To what extent is Bertha a double for Jane, acting on her behalf?
To what extent is she a figure for the fate in her actions and what is waiting for the Jane if she surrenders to the corrupt Rochester? One day she has a terrible thought about Mr. Rochester and she decides to come back to his house. She finds it burned down totally. But by the luck of fate she finds Mr. Rochester alive.
Although he became handicapped after this terrible fire start. He lost his sight. Bertha committed a horrible act as a result of her unhealthy anger and wrath on Mr. Rochester and everything else, including Jane that was going on in her life. She burned the house down, killing herself and her husband as well. But Mr.
Rochester survived by the grace of fate. Bertha's actions have an influential outcome of Janes situation. Now let us look at the issue from a deeper prospective. Charlotte Bronte writes a novel which coveys the contrast between the east and the west, the old and the new, revealed sexuality and repressed sexuality. The two characters, Jane and Bertha, each represent a different region. While Bertha represents the East and the ancient, Jane represents the new and the modern.
If the reader only sees Bertha as the surrogate of Jane, one neglects to take note of the enriching importance of the texts suppression of Bertha. Charlotte Bronte presents Bertha as a sexually vigorous woman. This can be seen when Rochester indirectly describes Bertha's characteristics, pretending that they are Janes. He describes Jane/Bertha as being big, brown, and buxom; with hair just such as the ladies of Carthage must have had (Ch. 20). Although this statement is ambiguous, scholars believe that he is perhaps thinking of the stereotypical view of Carthage being a city of sexual sin. This, in turn, parallels Bertha with the fiery goddess of Carthage, Dido.
Dido, not surprisingly, burned herself on a funeral pyre when her lover, Aeneas, left. Similarly, Bertha commits the same act in order to exhibit her anger and passion. All of these comparisons exemplify Bronte's underlying messages about widow burning and sacrifice that run throughout the text. Considering all these issues Jane decides to stay out of the insane acts of protest by Bertha. She is thinking about how to save Mr. Rochester and the whole well being of the house hold.
She does not want to be a cornerstone for the family. Finally, she decides to act as a strong person and a savior in this situation. The issue here is that Jane represents the healthy empire of the present that rejects such a custom as suttee. Bertha, on the other hand, is representative of the corrupt empire of the past.
Jane, with her goal of living the life of emergent modern woman, must reject the custom of suttee, thus rejecting the eastern illusion that Bertha represents. Charlotte Bronte makes a distinction between the past and the present in order to make a distinction between the civilized and the uncivilized. This distinction between imperial orders must be represented by these two characters in their refusal of submission to self-sacrifice. When St. John proposes to have Jane join him on his mission to India, she is presented with the chance of getting grilled alive (Ch. 34).
As Jane admits to St. John, in case of her agreement, she will be killing herself. This would upraise an act, which may be representative of self-immolation. Jane Eyre is an example of the female figure that is rebelling. Bertha represents the old empire, one that is savage.
She belongs to an undomesticated origin. She signals the corruption, deterioration, and dangers of that past from which Jane distinguishes her present. Through Charlottes eyes these dangers include submissiveness and lack of individuality. Contrary to Jane's beliefs, Bertha has lived a submissive life-style, with self-denial.
Those have controlled all aspects within her life around her. First, she was forced into a binding marriage: a marriage to Mr. Rochester, one that her father had bonded her to. Secondly, she was locked away and forced to commit a suttee. Bertha's imprisonment at Thornfield leaves her feeling helpless and angry, thus, she expresses her passion and anger through the act of suicidal burning.
Jane subverts from such submission, not because she opposes overweening power and authority, but because she discharges people that practice such horrible things. In Bertha's case, a man controls her. In contrast, Jane refuses to submit to a life of self-sacrifice until she is on an equal level with Mr. Rochester. Bertha's anger and passion towards Mr. Rochester is prevalent in her attempt to reverse the act of suttee on Mr.
Rochester. Jane describes the scene as following: Tongues of flame darted round the bed: the curtains were on fire. In the midst of blaze and vapour, Mr. Rochester lay stretched motionless, in deep sleep (Ch. 15). This scene is very provocative because it conveys an image of a suttee. This act, implemented by Bertha, is committed with passion and rage, which Jane is unable to act out.
This scene conveys Bertha as the barbaric woman of the past, who is unable to repress her rage. Bertha is seen as a bad wife in her furious anger. Jane, on the other hand, is the one who puts out the flames. This could represent her saviour role in the text. Jane saves Rochester's life, thus correcting the barbaric act that Bertha has just committed.
This whole scene is a preparation of the later occurrences in which Bertha burns down Thornfield and kills herself. Jane, as a representative of the Western society, runs to be the cure for this arrogant situation. One of the most important limitations that come up as a result of Bertha's death deals with Rochester's remarriage. In the 1800 s, the act of divorce was not acceptable and one could not remarry until ones spouse was dead. Bertha's act of self-sacrifice restores Rochester and Jane from this condition. Bertha must act as she is transforming herself into another person, so that Jane Eyre can become the feminist individualist heroine of British fiction.
Bertha is seen as the mad wife, and Jane represents the hero. Bertha could not suppress the passion and anger within her and she succumbed to the situation. The lack of sympathy felt towards the death of Bertha signifies the reality of such occurrences during those times. In Janes case, an obstacle is removed from her path. The lack of sympathy that Jane expresses towards the act that Bertha commits also holds significance to Janes past. The way that Bertha reacts to her imprisonment is somewhat different to the way Jane acted, while she was living with her step-aunt.
Through conditioning Jane has learned to repress the passion and 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 prevalent in Bertha's act. This igniting energy and flow of feelings are very similar to those that Bertha realizes at Thornfield. With the death of Bertha, Jane is now able to live with the man she loves. The barrier between the two characters is passed. Bertha's death precedes a successful union between Rochester and Jane.
When Rochester and Jane get together, their relationship succeeds due to the fact that he has learned how it feels to be helpless and how to accept the help of a woman. Finally, we can state that Bertha is the inner fire of Jane. Bibliography: Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Oxford World Classics. Oxford New York, 1998.
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Research essay sample on Is Bertha The Inner Fire Of Jane Eyre
