The final chapter shows the reader that she cannot be changed as a person because she seems to have restored her original personality once she has financial independence. She no longer needs to rely on other people to keep her livelihood. Some people who have read Jane Eyre may wonder if she would be different if her parents were alive throughout her childhood. This may not be true because even though she is forced to conceal her true self she manages to re-establish her original nature once she has autonomy.
She ends the novel on the subject of St. John Rivers and with the sentence, “'Amen; even so come, Lord Jesus!'" There are many interpretations of the last paragraph. Perhaps it is because he dies and as death is the end of life, she uses it as the end of her book. Also it may be because she wishes that she could end her life similarly. It could show regret for not going with him, or guilt that he has died and she left him to go alone in the first place. St. John seems to be the opposite of Rochester. Rochester tried to persuade Jane to pursue her romantic desires whereas St. John advised her to resist them. Rochester’s disastrous marriage to Bertha Mason was because of his passion for her whereas St. John refused to marry Rosalind because of his passion for her. The two men are perhaps showing how Jane’s heart and mind battle constantly. I think that she ends the book with St. John because he represents her spiritual side and that is what she values most in life. It is a way of illustrating to the reader that no matter what decisions she makes she wants to always follow religion as a guide in life and she wishes to finish life without denying her morals.
There are many interpretations of why she might have chosen to end the book in this way. Perhaps she had intended for this to be so that every reader was satisfied with the ending. Each could interpret it, as I have, to their personal preference. It can be interpreted as Bronte showing the reader that by rejecting a marriage to St. John she rejected a much more stifling life and by entering the bond that came with he marriage to Mr. Rochester, she had found the escape that she sought after all along. Both men offered her different types of freedom. St. John offered her the freedom to act wholeheartedly on her principles and Mr. Rochester offered her a chance to liberate her passions. She refused to be Mr. Rochester’s mistress whilst Bertha was alive for she would be sacrificing her dignity and integrity. Throughout her search for freedom in the novel, she struggles to decide what type of freedom she wishes to have. Although the type of liberation St. John offered to her was what she could not have with Mr. Rochester, she would have to have stifled her true feelings by marrying St. John. She chose Mr. Rochester in the end because when Bertha was dead, she then could legally marry Mr. Rochester and she found the freedom she had longed for.
Up until the final chapter Jane could be seen as plain, especially in the century the book was written in, but the final chapter reveals her more feminine side. This side of her has been waiting to be uncovered for a long time but now that she has freedom she can expose it without risk of losing her job, education or even her home. This is because she now has the financial support to not worry how people may think of her. She can now afford more frivolous garments and possessions which although she has never needed them, she now has the freedom to do so without having to restrain herself due to financial worries or people such as the beautiful, arrogant Blanche Ingram who would frown upon her to dress above her status. She finds that she must overcome many objects before she can be herself. To many people this way of life may seem sad and wasteful but Jane seems to find the end result worth waiting for. She is right, as she has waited for so long to be able to love Mr. Rochester and be independent, everything has worked out for the best and it is because she always did the right thing even if she had to force an issue, for example when she ran away from Thornfield.
Other people start to appreciate Jane’s inner beauty. For example, she overhears John say, "If she ben't one o' th' handsomest, she's noan faal and varry good-natured; and i' his een she's fair beautiful, onybody may see that." This shows that Jane’s constant good nature and high moral standards have paid off well as people have come to realize that she is a far better person than “ony o't' grand ladies."
When she discovers that Adele is unhappy at school she can sympathize with her for she does not wish for Adele to experience what she experienced at Lowood. “I found the rules of the establishment were too strict, its course of study too severe for a child of her age.” This shows that Jane realized that what she experienced was not good for her but was a disadvantage and was not something a child should have to live through. Now that she had more courage and independence she could rescue Adele from what she was suffering and go with her own principles.
Bertha is used by Charlotte Bronte to portray Jane’s dark monstrous side. She is a strong issue not to be ignored throughout the book. Jane rarely expresses her anger and Bertha can be used by Bronte to express unseen infuriated emotions that Jane is to reserved to expressed. Similarly to her romantic side, Jane’s temper has been suppressed at Lowood, leaving her extremely restrained and quiet even if she wishes to express her anger. She hinders Jane's happiness, but she also catalyzes the growth of Jane's self-understanding. Through understanding herself she grew to be able to wholly love Mr. Rochester. Bertha manifests Jane’s anger at the oppressive social and gender standards.
I believe that the final chapter leaves the reader contented because it is a happy ending. It is similar to a fairy tale, but its lead roles are not beautiful and perfect, they are human. The characters must overcome a difficult situation in order to reach paradise. It is clear that Jane waits for no heavenly fulfillment. Her desires are attained on her own terms and in this world. This is perhaps what leaves the reader feeling contented. Throughout the conversation the reader gets to know and understand Jane almost as a close friend who they can empathize with. When Jane is happy and satisfied with life, the reader feels that the novel has drawn to a gratifying end. Though Jane Eyre is not very physically attractive, she possesses a beauty of her own. What Jane lacks in physical beauty, she makes up for in intelligence, wit and strength of character.
In providing a happy ending for Jane, Bronte has managed to somehow show that people who do not bend to gender and class prejudices can also find love, happiness and a sense of spiritual community. Bronte shows that for a woman to find love she must not have to restrict her spiritual, intellectual and emotional independence and that to have a wholly loving relationship with another, a person must know their own self and strengths and weaknesses.
The wonderful thing about ‘Jane Eyre’ is that it is a work of fiction to please every person. The issues it deals with are so widely ranged that almost anyone can relate to her. The ending can be interpreted in so many ways that is it almost impossible to be dissatisfied with it. It opens up and brings to a neat ending many issues that existed at the time and still exist today. Her progression from child to adult is a not easy but the ending is almost perfect. Even though St. John Rivers dies and does not acknowledge her marriage, perhaps it is not a bad thing because she feels it is what was right for him and if he had not been a missionary he would have not fulfilled his life’s calling.
St. John did not ever mention her marriage to Mr. Rochester in his letters. There is no explanation given which is slightly disappointing to the reader but I think that Charlotte Bronte had a reason for this. St. John was an extreme version of Jane, personality wise. To be together would have caused great strife for they would recognise, as they had in the book, each other’s faults. They would discuss only their religious beliefs because they both shared similar views. Love wise, both thought the other was wrong and to discuss it would have left them in dispute. As St. John died at an early age it was best they remained in harmony. If he had died and they resented each other then this would leave Jane’s moral side unhappy for she could not express regret to him, as happened with Mrs. Reed. Although she hated Mrs. Reed it hurt her a great deal to have her die hating Jane. St. John’s death is the second close death she has had to deal with and she wanted to leave St. John on a good note so she could have piece of mind.
This may have been why she did not discuss marriage with St. John. This is why the first thoughts of the reader after reading this, may be discontented, it was the best thing for Jane to finish her relationship with St. John with. She may have used him as the final subject of the book so that the reader had time to ponder over him and realise how she wanted to end her relationship with him.
This book was a major breakthrough in the nineteenth century because it dealt with women’s independence and would have broadened the minds of a reader in that century. It was a book that made people, especially men, see that women had a lot more astuteness than were previously perceived to have.
