Jane Eyre
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Why Him?
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May 14, 2011 09:49AM
Why Him?
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Why St John then? He is a preachy, over righteous misogynist. He is good only because his life is shaped by his belief, an austere asexual proselytizing man. Rochester is human, not humane, but human with his foibles and aspirations. He is masculine, and he loves Jane because he loves her. He is a man with imperfections, but he is a much more alive than St. John.
I think Zulfiya is right about St John. Also, making it be Rochester kind of proves the point about love that everyone's always beating into you. That if someone loves you BECAUSE of your flaws then it's real. St John was following a formula that had been set for him. He's the complete opposite of what should happen for people, especially Jane. If the story had just ended with her going off to India with him, then it wouldn't have been a very good book. At least, that's what I feel.
Zulfiya wrote: "Why St John then? He is a preachy, over righteous misogynist. He is good only because his life is shaped by his belief, an austere asexual proselytizing man. Rochester is human, not humane, but hum..."Well put!
I agree with Zulfiya. If Jane chose him, the story would end up with her tragic death.
Yeah, Rochester was the good choice for Jane. I do like St. John, though, but made me want to slap him for being so cold to Rosamond.
Zulfiya wrote: "Why St John then? He is a preachy, over righteous misogynist. He is good only because his life is shaped by his belief, an austere asexual proselytizing man. Rochester is human, not humane, but hum..."Well said!
You need to read Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair. In the world he created, Jane married St. John and it was an awful ending to the book! It's a fun romp in fantasy for book lovers.
Rochester is definitely flawed, though he does redeem himself by attempting to save the hated Bertha. That's one way in which Charlotte Bronte is superior to Jane Austen - her male protagonists are far from perfect. (Has anyone here read Villette?)
Bleh Villette is so boring. I hated it. I think Lucy Snowe would be a good wife for St John though. They're both annoying.And Jasper Fforde is absolutely amazing!
I dislike both Rochester and St. John--Rochester is driven not by morality but by desire, and St. John is driven not by desire but by morality...can't there be some sort of happy medium?
Susan wrote: "You need to read Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair. In the world he created, Jane married St. John and it was an awful ending to the book! It's a fun romp in fantasy for book lovers."Oh no, should that be spoiler tagged? I've had The Eyre Affair on my to-read list forever. Now that I know the ending, will I read it differently?
No, no, no! That's not a spoiler! Honest!! That's where the book STARTS.
Dominique wrote: "Bleh Villette is so boring. I hated it. I think Lucy Snowe would be a good wife for St John though. They're both annoying.And Jasper Fforde is absolutely amazing!"
Lucy is not that boring as she seems to be. D. H. Lawrence (Lady Chatterley's Lover is his most famous book)once commented that Lucy was slowly burning in the fire of her own passion, but norms, conventions, and rules of the society made her suppress her true identity and sexuality. When I first read it - and it was 15 years ago - I did not like it at all and easily classified it as a dull book. I had to re-read it some years later for my postgraduate research, and I was flabbergasted how much I had missed. True, it is not the most action-packed book, but still a good one, especially if you have a key to decode the messages and to read between the lines.
Villette has some dull parts at the beginning, but if you stick with it, it gets AWESOME!
It's pretty simple actually: love.Jane Eyre is about the blindness of love! Rochester was an older man from a long line of wealth and prestige.
According to society an orphaned governess should not have been Rochester's equal yet Jane was. And though Rochester lacked psychical beauty, Jane came to find that his face was more pleasant than any other. There is an undeniable beauty in that alone.
Had Jane married safely yet loveless with this young handsome man, what beauty would have come from that?
Jane and Rochester have a fair amount in common and their chemistry is developed from the moment they meet. They get along. They are both weird, flawed characters.
Rochester may be a cruel sob, but at least he's more honest with himself and others than St. John. [ironically].
Do abused women too frequently end up being attracted to abusing men?
I believe it can be a very, very difficult dynamic to overcome. Jane's abusive childhood is one of the reasons I don't think either Rochester or St. John are very good for her. I always felt that if those were her only choices, she should a)keep looking or b)let her friendships with St. John's [sisters/cousins?] heal her.
Abusive? Mr. Rochester? I don't see that in the least.
Nor me. Rochester could be somewhat short with people - for example with Adele - but he was not in the least cruel or abusive.
i didn't like him one bit. i found him obnoxious
I never got the impression that Rochester was abusive. He did not love Bertha, but he cared for her rather than sending her to a mental hospital. Those were not the best in that day, so she would not have been treated well.I also thought that he was generous in the situation with Adele. Adele might or might not have been his kid, but regardless, he took her in. And if it was not for that, he never would have met Jane.
but he was an attempted bigamist! it couldn't have been to much trouble to get a divorce first!?!!!?!?
Taylor wrote: "but he was an attempted bigamist! it couldn't have been to much trouble to get a divorce first!?!!!?!?"maybe it would have been a shame if he had decided to get a divorce because it would have let people know how stupid he was by marrying a woman who mentally ill.
BunWat: Thank you for that information about the near impossible task of getting a divorce back then. Divorce is difficult now, just imagine how bad it would have been back then.I'm not sure why people try to judge books of the past by modern day standards. That is not fair since the books of the past were not written in modern times. The culture and apparently the laws were different, so one has to take a book like Jane Eyre in its original context.
Julie wrote: I'm not sure why people try to judge books of the past by modern day standards. That is not fair since the books of the past were not written in modern times. The culture and apparently the laws were different, so one has to take a book like Jane Eyre in its original context. "Yes! It's so important to look at the time line.
That's new information. Thanks BunWat
Neither is a great catch, but between the two, it had to be Rochester.
Because he's handsome and charming (more alarming), Jane just had to marry him...maybe because of his charm...I wouldn't say wit though because he isn't at all funny, I pity Bertha more than I do Mr. Rochester.
Kressel wrote: "Rochester is definitely flawed, though he does redeem himself by attempting to save the hated Bertha. That's one way in which Charlotte Bronte is superior to Jane Austen - her male protagonists are..."I don't think that Rochester's redeeming act was to save Bertha. He always protected her, even as he hated her. What redeemed him was his realization that the way he was living was wrong. Although he tried to marry Jane despite his marriage to Bertha, it was through that attempt and Jane's flight that he is forced to examine his life. It is through this experience that Rochester finally repents.
Jane's fleeing Thornfield Hall is also necessary, because as Jane needs readjustment in her life. From the end of Ch. 24: "My future husband was becoming to me my whole world; and more than the world: almost my home of heaven. He stood between me and every thought of religion, as an eclipse intervenes between man and the broad sun. I could not, in those days, see God for his creature: of whom I had made an idol." Jane has changed her priorities, and her separation from Rochester gives her the time she needs to reprioritize her life.
In a way, both Jane and Rochester needed to be redeemed, and it was through their separation that they were finally able to come together as they aught to.
Also, I have read Villette and really enjoy it. I've read it a few times, and it gets better with each reading, even if the ending isn't quite as neat and happy as in Jane Eyre.
i'm looking forward to listening to villette - I have the audio cd's at home that i'm getting ready to upload to my ipod
Slim pickings'. She knew very few men. She basically had a choice between 2 and St. John had no feelings for her. He was also severely sexually repressed. Rochester passionately loved her. Those were her only choices. She didn't hang out in the bars to meet men LOL!
In reading this story I get the sense that St. John's life is a sort of foresight into what would happen to someone like Jane Eyre if they followed rigid duty and lifestyle. Jane and John are similar in many ways, however he only wanted to marry her for a partner in his pursuit of perfection. (omg alliteration). St. John turned down a possibility at real and passionate love with Rosamond to follow his religion, and he was not exactly a happy man. Jane decides to follow her heart, and choose a man who doesn't look at his own life and sexuality as a never-ending battle to overcome.
Sherry wrote: "Slim pickings'. She knew very few men. She basically had a choice between 2 and St. John had no feelings for her. He was also severely sexually repressed. Rochester passionately loved her. Those we..."I'm laughing because this is so true.
Allison wrote: "In reading this story I get the sense that St. John's life is a sort of foresight into what would happen to someone like Jane Eyre if they followed rigid duty and lifestyle. Jane and John are simil..."So St. John's options were the pursuit of perfection and not passion. And not to rebuke religion with Rosamund...lol sorry! Couldn't resist!
Sherry wrote: "Allison wrote: "In reading this story I get the sense that St. John's life is a sort of foresight into what would happen to someone like Jane Eyre if they followed rigid duty and lifestyle. Jane an..."You summed it up with "slim pickin's" hahaha.
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