Josh answers “Symbolism of Rochester going blind? Why is...”

Nat asked this question about Jane Eyre:

Symbolism of Rochester going blind? Why is it okay for Jane and Rochester end up together at the end?

Josh Whether it's okay for Jane to marry Rochester or not is ultimately a judgment for each reader to make for themselves, but if you're interested in the …moreWhether it's okay for Jane to marry Rochester or not is ultimately a judgment for each reader to make for themselves, but if you're interested in the preferred reading (the one largely understood to accord with Bronte's intentions) then here's why Jane and Rochester end up together.

Throughout the novel Jane is fighting to develop an independent identity for herself and to have that identity recognised by others. The famous opening line of the final chapter - "Reader I married him" - is confirmation that when she and Rochester finally tie the knot it is done on her terms. SHE marries Rochester - not the other way around - she is the active one in the sentence - Rochester becomes the object of the verb. This suggests that she is no longer someone who is subject to the whims of others, but someone who has taken control of her own life, and that Rochester has come to accept this. He, of course, has become a much reduced figure because of the injuries he has sustained and so Jane finds herself in a more dominant position over him - one which he is apparently only too happy to accept. Jane has also inherited a large fortune, meaning that she is of independent means and in no way reliant on Rochester - they can marry as social and economic equals, something which was not the case when she first agreed to marry him. Finally, of course, Bertha is dead which means that there is no religious bar to them being married.

Hope that helps.(less)

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