The first proper locked room that the reader learns about is the Red Room where Mrs Reed places Jane. Mrs Reed places Jane in the Red Room because Jane said to Master reed “You are like a murderer, you are like a slave driver, you are like a Roman Emperor”. Eliza and Georgiana who were with Master Reed went and got Mrs Reed who ordered Bessie and Abbot (who were both servants) to lock Jane in the Red Room.
The way that Bronte has written about the Red Room it paints an imaginary picture of a dark red room with a large bed and two large windows. The reader can imagine this to be stately. Throughout Jane’s time at Gateshead she feels and is treated like an outcast. In the Red Room she feels even more alone. Not even the torments of Master Reed can get at her.
The entire novel is written in first person, through Jane’s viewpoint. This makes the reader more sympathetic towards Jane and it lets the reader understand what Jane is going through. This is better than hearing through dialogue what has happened. If the reader heard everything through dialogue the information would not be as accurate as it would be hearing it first hand.
Another time that Jane feels alone is when Blanche Ingram goes to stay at Thornfield Hall. When Blanche Ingram comes to stay at Thornfield Hall Jane is made to look inferior and not wanted by Blanche Ingram. The first instance of Jane made to be inferior is before Blanche Ingram comes to stay at Thornfield Hall. It is when Mrs Fairfax is telling Jane about her. Mrs Fairfax didn’t have a bad word to say about Blanche Ingram. Mrs Fairfax kept saying things about Blanche being so beautiful and that she would make such a good wife for Mr Rochester. Another time when Jane is made to look inferior is when Blanche actually arrives at Gateshead. It is when Blanche and Mr Rochester are talking infront of everybody else at Gateshead. Blanche says things like “When we are wed, there will be no place for a governess”. This makes Jane feel inferior again.
The second real locked room that is mentioned in the novel is where Bertha Mason has spent many years. Throughout Jane’s time at Thornfield Hall she has often heard many strange noises coming from the third floor. Whenever Jane asks what is making that noise the reply is always it is only one of the employees, Grace Pool, who likes the drink. This is not the true story though. Bronte has added these bits of noise to the novel to add an air of mystery and to add suspense to the novel. Everybody at Thornfield Hall knows what these strange noises are except for Jane. The truth behind the noises comes out when Mr Mason arrives at Thornfield. Jane later finds out that it is Mr Rochester’s wife who is making the noises. The noises are being made by Mr Rochester’s wife that has had to be locked up because of her being insane. Mr Mason goes to Thornfield Hall to stop Rochester from marrying Jane because of his previous marriage to Bertha Mason.
There are quite a few similarities and differences between Jane being locked away in the Red room and Bertha Mason being locked away in a room on the third floor. Bertha mason was locked up on the third floor because she was insane. If Rochester hadn’t done what he had, Bertha would have had to be locked up in a special hospital where she would not be well looked after. In the times of this novel it was very hard to get a divorce, so Rochester locked her up on the third floor, instead of sending her to the special hospital. She was a lot better looked after at Thornfield Hall. Jane was sent to the red room as a punishment for being rude to the Young Master Reed. If Jane didn’t live in Gateshead she would have been sent to live in an orphanage where she will be poorly treated. One similarity is that Jane was locked in the Red Room she was locked away from everybody else who was living at Gateshead. This is similar to Bertha Mason being locked away on the third floor. She also was locked away from everybody at Thornfield. The only differecnce is that Bertha Mason had a maid and Jane did not. Another thing that was different about the two ordeals is that Bertha Mason got locked up for something that she couldn’t control and Jane got locked up for something that she could control. Jane had spent only one night locked up and Bertha Mason spent the whole of her marriage to Rochester up on the third floor.
There are quite a few differences between the two ordeals.
