Jane Eyre
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Adele
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I felt sorry for her as well. Although, her mother wouldn't have been much better for her than the countryside was. Jane did come to her rescue though and kept her company.
And consider her previous situation. After the death of Celine Varens, Rochester's gf, Adele was destitute on the streets of Paris. What exactly would have happened to her if Rochester hadn't taken her in? She'd probably wind up like the Artful Dodger in OLIVER TWIST, picking pockets and either dying in the gutter or growing up to be a prostitute. Much, much better to live in a nice country house with a nurse and a governess. Jane herself says that a decent upbringing corrects all the evils of her birth, and seems to indicate that Adele becomes a respectable British female. And remember that Jane herself has a son, so Adele has a little half-brother.
Brenda wrote: "And consider her previous situation. After the death of Celine Varens, Rochester's gf, Adele was destitute on the streets of Paris. What exactly would have happened to her if Rochester hadn't taken..."sure, situation looked dire back then. social welfare was poor, or none existent. It's a kind act what Rochester did. Jane must be a wonderful mother!
Another interesting aspect I found is, though Adele had some miserable experience, somehow it didn't show in her life in Thornfield. It appears to me that she was a happy kid, very showy, seems satisfied with her life there.
She's an ilegitimate child, as far as we're concerned, she could even be fathered by some man other than Rochester.He offered her a home from pure kindness of his heart and Jane showed no disgust about her (like Blanche Ingram did), which leads me to think she'll have a comfortable life.
I can't remember about the book, but in some of the movies they talk about shipping Adele off to boarding school after Jane and Rochester get married. Wouldn't Jane be the type of person who would want to keep her with them at home and give her the secure family life that she never had? Does anyone know if it's in the book or not?
Melinda wrote: "I can't remember about the book, but in some of the movies they talk about shipping Adele off to boarding school after Jane and Rochester get married. Wouldn't Jane be the type of person who would..."when Jane left Rochester after wedding, Adele was sent to a school where she disliked. after Jane came back and married Rochester, Jane managed to find a better school for her, treated her just like family member, and visit her often.
though Rochester saved her out of his kindness, how he treated her, based on book and movie, was distant even harsh, based on modern view.
Adele very possibly got a better education at school. Certainly she probably would have more friends her own age there. There was an entire social aspect to schooling for girls at that period in time (since there were no colleges or careers for women). You went to finishing school in Paris so that you could perfect your accent and meet other high-status girls, and then possibly their brothers, so that you could eventually get married.And remember Jane was managing not only the partially-blind Rochester, but a baby of her own.
All true. I suppose I just think of the "mwa ha ha let's send her off to school" attitude of Blanche and--in the Sound of Music--Baroness Von Schraeder (sp)
Well Jane herself is a clear example of the 'school as dumping ground' practice. Her Lowood pal Helen was clearly dumped at a crap school in hopes that she would solve everybody's problems by dying, which she did. Mrs. Reed admits that she sent Jane to Lowood in hopes that she would die. There are a couple of novels laying bare the mispractices of the private school system of the period (there were no governing bodies, no qualifications -- you could just put up a sign and declare you were a school). The best one may be NICHOLAS NICKELBY, in which a clearly insane man is running an abusive boys school.
Yun wrote: "Brenda wrote: "And consider her previous situation. After the death of Celine Varens, Rochester's gf, Adele was destitute on the streets of Paris. What exactly would have happened to her if Rochest..."But Rochester actively detests her. Adele cannot be so blind as to not see that her father does not favor her much. Early in Jane's stay at Thornfield, we learn how he promised Adele that they would live together. She senses his deceit at this early age. Yes, she arguably has more privileges living under Mr. Rochester's roof than she would if she lived on the streets, but is she really living a loved life? Yes, Mrs. Fairfax and Jane are wonderful and kind to her, but look at Jane's situation as a child. Despite the money, Adele is just as "poor" in Mr. Rochester's house as Jane was in Mrs. Reed's, not monetarily speaking, but emotionally.
I do pity Adele to an extent, in short, but we see how Jane has triumphed over her rough childhood. Due to Adele's time in the boarding schools (both the poor one her father had her in and the one that Jane moves her to) we can expect Adele to be stalwart and durable just like her step-mother. In a way she is privileged and more fit for the world than the Reed children were, living in luxury.
Melinda wrote: "I can't remember about the book, but in some of the movies they talk about shipping Adele off to boarding school after Jane and Rochester get married. Wouldn't Jane be the type of person who would..."They discuss how Jane would have been governess had she not had her duties to helping Rochester with his blindness. She does move her from a poor boarding house to a more suitable one, though.
Brenda wrote: "Well Jane herself is a clear example of the 'school as dumping ground' practice. Her Lowood pal Helen was clearly dumped at a crap school in hopes that she would solve everybody's problems by dying..."Interesting. Are you proposing that you believe Rochester sent Adele off to die? Because in his state following Jane's leaving, I could totally see that.
Kristen wrote: "But Rochester actively detests her. ..."I feel the same way. How an parentless girl would feel about being detested by someone she loves so much is to me very obvious: emotional trauma. Jane Eyre expresses her disproof of Rochester's disliking Adele after she heard Rochester's confessing how he got Adele, says something like "children are not responsible for their parents' fault", and shows extra affection to Adele since then.
I adore Rochester of course, and his mistreating Adele for me makes him a very convincing character, which is one of the reasons I love this book so much - complication of personality. I think back then people just didn't care children that much, didn't view them as humans with feeling and thoughts (pretty much the same as how it is in China now!)
No, I don't think Rochester shipped Adele to school to kill her off. (This is inefficient, when he could just leave her in the gutters of Paris and save himself a boatload of money and trouble, right?) But he's clearly only intermittently careful and thoughtful. He probably picked the first school in the Yellow Pages or Yelp, or whatever one did at that period, and just shipped Adele off so it was the luck of the draw.
I don't think he really detests her. He thinks she's silly and vain--maybe even stupid, doesn't particularly want to spend much time in her company, and doesn't show her much affection, but I don't think he detests her. However, it's been years since I've read the book, so maybe I've forgotten and been tainted by movies.
Melinda wrote: "I don't think he really detests her. He thinks she's silly and vain--maybe even stupid, doesn't particularly want to spend much time in her company, and doesn't show her much affection, but I don'..."actually i have to agree wit you. however, his attitude is not so amicable by modern view.
But it is unreasonable to demand a modern view. He was a perfectly adequate Victorian father, distant and not very affectionate. And remember he is a Byronic hero, full of Angst and Passion. People of that type are not supposed to be good fathers -- Lord Byron himself sucked at it.
Brenda wrote: "But it is unreasonable to demand a modern view. He was a perfectly adequate Victorian father, distant and not very affectionate. And remember he is a Byronic hero, full of Angst and Passion. People..."i only speak for myself: i don't mean to demand modern view on this subject. i just feel sad for children's situation back then in general. and i do think Adele's character doesn't appear to be as authentic as others. but that doesn't discount my admiration to this masterpiece, because comparing with main characters, this is trivial.
Yes definitely! You should watch the movies too. Both of the ones I've seen are superb but I forget which ones they are.
After Rochester told everything about his relation with Adele, Jane said this: "No, Adele is not answerable for either her mother's fault or yours. I have a regard for her, and now that I know she is, in a sense, parentless --- forsaken by her mother and disowned by you, sir --- I shall cling closer to her than before. ..."
BubblesTheMonkey wrote: "Yes definitely! You should watch the movies too. Both of the ones I've seen are superb but I forget which ones they are."which versions you watched? I watched several and my favorite is 1970 by Susannah York and George Scott. Too bad that not only this version is not popular in US, but it seems to be unknown by many, and forgotten by all Jane Eyre fans...
I wrote a blog for it:
http://humanwithoutgod.blogspot.com/2...
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While reading this book I could not help feeling sorry for Adele, how lonely, friendless a 6 year-old girl living in such an empty ghostly hall! Even she has a french company, but staying in countryside like that much be super boring for a child, especially a child with her nature. I am glad that Jane comes to her life. She devotes a lots emotion to her, I can tell.
Anybody else feel sorry for her?