Another barrier that Charlotte Brontë uses in Jane Eyre is the difference in age. Jane is much younger than Rochester. In fact on page 152 Rochester he says to Jane “ I am old enough to be your father,” suggesting that there is quite a substantial gap between them in terms of age. During Rochester’s party (page 195) Jane observes the other women and concludes that they are “between forty and fifty”. I therefore make the assumption that Rochester is about the same age as his friends.
Circumstance is yet another barrier that is used in Jane Eyre. For example, when Jane and Rochester are about to say their wedding vows, a man halts the proceedings (Chapter 26). It transpires that Rochester is already married to Bertha Mason and therefore Rochester would be committing bigamy if he married Jane. Rochester already being married is obviously an insuperable barrier.
The personalities of both principal characters could be seen as posing a barrier to the romance. Jane is strong-willed, passionate, has a strong personal integrity and is also deeply religious. Rochester is arrogant, romantic, proud, distant, insensitive, forceful, deceitful and irresponsible at times. They are both, however, passionate people. Jane might be financially dependent but she does have an independent spirit. Rochester is of independent means and likes people to be dependent on him.
Finally, there is the barrier posed by the imagined love of another. Jane convinces herself that Rochester loves Blanche Ingram and is going to marry her. This is, however, not the case. Similarly, at the end of the novel Rochester is convinced that Jane is in love with St John Rivers and she is going to marry him. Again this is not the case.
To make Jane Eyre more interesting and exciting for the reader sudden separations are woven into the story. For instance, Jane is sent for by her Aunt Reed who is on her deathbed (Chapter 21). The very next day she leaves Thornfield for Gateshead. Another sudden separation happens in chapter 16 when Rochester out of the blue leaves to visit friends. The biggest separation, however, happens after the ‘wedding’ has been halted and Jane flees Thornfield apparently forever (Chapter 27).
The sudden separations are counter balanced with some warm reunions. For example, when Jane returns to Thornfield after seeing her aunt, Rochester is obviously delighted to see her (Chapter 22). The warmest reunion of all is when Jane finally returns to Thornfield after the long separation caused by her flight from Thornfield after discovering that Rochester was married (Chapter 37). Rochester cannot believe that Jane has returned, they reassure each other of their love and devotion and they are reunited: this time forever.
Rochester and Jane only share one real danger in this novel. In chapter 20 Rochester’s mad wife, Bertha Mason viciously attacks her brother. Rochester calls Jane to help him tend to Richard Mason. Jane and Rochester share the responsibility of tending Richard Mason and keeping the frenzied attack a secret between them and the doctor.
Jealousy is a vital factor in a typical love story. Charlotte Brontë uses it in Jane Eyre. The jealousy is deliberate on Rochester’s part. Throughout Rochester and Jane’s relationship, Rochester maintains his plan to make Jane jealous of the beautiful, wealthy socialite Blanche Ingram. Rochester is jealous of Jane’s relationship with St John Rivers.
The last main feature of a love story noted in the opening paragraph is the helping and consoling of the other party. There are several examples of this in Jane Eyre. For example, Jane rescues Rochester from a fire in his bedroom (Chapter 15). Rochester later appears to be genuinely concerned about Jane’s health and her state of mind. He enquires: “What is the matter? … a little depressed…?” (Page 204). The most romantic example of all can be found in chapters 37 and 38 when Jane helps Rochester when he is now blind. We read that, “he stretched out his hand to be lead. I took that dear hand … we entered the wood” (Page 497).
The novel Jane Eyre has been described as a work of genius. It succeeds because the basic storyline is convincing and the reader can relate to the principal characters most of the time. As noted in the introduction, Charlotte Brontë ensures that most of the required elements of a typical romance are included in the structure and she weaves them skilfully into the storyline. There are numerous examples of real or imagined barriers between the two parties, misunderstandings, sudden separations, warm reunions, shared dangers, jealousy and helping or consoling the other party. Jane Eyre also contains the classic happy ending with marriage, a baby and in this novel Rochester partly regains his sight.
The structure of Jane Eyre does however lack certain elements of a typical romance, especially a fictitious one. For example, neither Jane nor Rochester are physically attractive so there is not the classic handsome man and beautiful woman involved. Nor are they particularly charismatic figures. There is no obvious chemistry between Rochester and Jane, which is very unusual in a romance. Whilst reading this book I found the lack of romance quite frustrating at times. I was never quite felt that Jane was “swept off her feet” by Rochester. Even when Rochester was proposing to her she thought that he was joking – not the typical romance. I also found Rochester to be unduly insensitive to Jane, which is not what you would expect in a romance. For example, on page 161 he says, “you never felt jealousy, did you, Miss Eyre? Of course not: I need not ask you; because you never felt love”. A typical romance also usually contains an element of glamour which is missing from this novel. Jane is not the glamorous Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty figure of fairy stories but nor is she the tragic drama figure of Mimi in La Bohémè.
I therefore conclude that in general Charlotte Brontë has kept to the structure of a typical romance as she includes many of the main elements of a love story. There are, however a few aspects which I consider important features in a love story that have been omitted. Nevertheless Jane Eyre is undoubtedly one of the best romantic novels of all time.
