Analysis of passages and Mr Rochester in "Jane Eyre".

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ASSIGNMENT H – ENGLISH LITERATURE AS

Natalie Lesley Calabrese – 28th January 2011

I looked at Mr Rochester; I made him look at me. His whole face was colourless rock; his eye was both spark and flint. He disavowed nothing; he seemed as if he would defy all things. Without speaking, without smiling, without seeming to recognise in me to his side.

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The passage occurs towards the middle of chapter 26 and the events described take place on the morning of Jane Eyre and Rochester’s wedding. The action takes place in the church, which is right in front of  Thornfield. A place well suited for the covert nature of the ceremony. At this point, the passage emphasizes Rochester’s reaction towards the interruption of the ‘two shadows’, who had entered the church just a few seconds before them. One of them was his brother-in-law, Mr Mason (the mad woman’s brother, who is kept in the attic)  and the other was a lawyer. His reaction was of complete astonishment (his face was colourless rock), when the unexpected ‘intruders’ revealed the existence of his previous marriage to Bertha Mason. The novel's suspense relies on the fact that the narrator is not entirely omniscient, she does not reveal key information until the point in the chronology of events when Jane herself became aware of this information. For example, the narrative does not report that Rochester is married and that his wife is locked away upstairs until the moment in the wedding ceremony when other characters come forth with this information.

Although, in previous chapters, Jane as well as the reader is indulged in Providential signs, which make us reflect on her future troubles, something which is once more recalled at the end of the same chapter (chapter 26) where Jane states ‘Be not far from me, for trouble is near: there is none to help’. In the passage Jane is looking at Mr Rochester with questioning eyes. Probably the sentence ‘I made him look at me’ recalls a previous one when Mr Rochester  “made’  Jane  ‘love him without looking at’ her (Chapter 17). The line emphasises again Jane’s strong character that of a woman who has a strong personality and determined to make her way in the world as best as she can. The reader does not have a real response to what Mr Rochester feels, we only get a description from Jane Eyre’s point view. His facial expression is the mirror of his soul. It is this tendency of the Victorians to judge from appearance that mostly mattered, a subject which has been mostly highlighted throughout the novel.

The words ‘spark’ and ‘flint’ recreate vividly the flames of hell. Mr Rochester is accused of bigamy, therefore goes against God’s commandments but also against law, therefore the image of fire highlights clearly his sinful behaviour. However, the paragraph ends with a sentence that shows Jane’s devotion to him ‘without seeming to recognise in me to his side’.  The language of the passage is sophisticated and carefully structured. The tone adopted is linked to her purpose, which is to contrast devotion and vocation with responsibility and obligation. The paragraph begins with a short descriptive sentence of Mr Rochester’s reaction, before moving into a representation of Jane’s thoughts, which are a kind of discussion with herself. Jane had everything under control, she was able to stay out of the scene, it was Rochester who is described as shocked and unprepared for what had happened. As already very well understood by this time in the story Jane is a ‘Heroine’. Nonetheless, the reader was prepared all along on her doomed marriage. Her tone is not accusative. Thus, Mr Rochester is a sinful man, but due to Jane’s complete devotion towards him, the author shows that Jane is more worried of the fact that he “Without speaking, without smiling, without seeming to recognise in me to his side” and not of what has been revealed. This line, together with the word ‘disavowed’, seems to convey the fact that she is avoiding any form of accusation. Only with the choice of words, Charlotte Bronte expresses the fact that he must confess to God his sins. The clauses are very rhythmical, using repetition and emphasis to create their effects. The final repetition of ‘Without’ builds up the suspense of the scene and is used to give the effect that his reaction is weighing heavily on her. It is used for effect rather than for meaning.

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b. “All men must die”, said a voice quite close at hand; “but all are not condemned to meet a lingering and premature doom, such as yours would be if you perished here of want”.

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The passage is written in first-person narrative and in direct speech, it is an extract of chapter 28. Charlotte Bronte has skilfully given to the reader a glimpse on the character being “St. John Rivers”, who is seen as the saver and utters those words in the passage just like a spiritual justice. Jane Eyre throughout the novel has emphasized in different occasions ...

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