Our dear plain Jane is so very
critical of herself during several instances of this second section of the
book. When Mrs. Fairfax first describes Blanche Ingram to Jane, Jane
immediately compares herself to someone who is described a goddess-like. I found
it harsh that Jane drew two pictures, one of herself and one of Blanche (who
she had never actually seen) in order to remind herself that she was not worthy
of Rochester’s affections and that he would never be interested in her when
there are women like Blanche who are still single. She chastises herself for
even thinking that Rochester could have any sort of fondness for Jane because
why would he choose her when he could have someone like Blanche. Jane is once
again putting herself on the outside and is branding herself as the “other” in
this case because she realizes she is not of high society and status like the
women who Rochester has gone to visit.
And Rochester only encourages this type
of self-deprecating feelings when he feigned a courtship with Miss Ingram –
which is an extreme way of trying to get someone’s attention or to make them
jealous, but I mean it is Rochester. And then Jane once again says that she is
not meant to have this much happiness – no human could possibly have such a
great life and that she was not meant to have a great life. Considering what
she has been through, it is obvious she deserves better, but is Rochester
better? She seems to think so, but doesn’t think she deserves it.
I agree that at many times Jane is very critical of herself. It was interesting that at first she compared herself to Blanche completely based off of beauty, since ultimately Mr. Rochester wanted Jane more due to superior intellect and wit. Jane seems to be very concerned with class and beauty, while she rarely sees the good she has. She is an intelligent woman who is willing to work hard and is very clever. Instead of seeing this, she makes herself an outsider looking in on others. I thought Mr. Rochester using Ms. Ingram to get to Jane was extremely wrong and childlike. I do not understand him what so ever. Jane does deserve much better than what she has been through in life. However, I agree that I do not think Mr. Rochester is the answer. I look forward to reading on to see how she goes forward in life. Maybe an explanation of Mr. Rochester’s motives would be nice too.
ReplyDeleteRochester seems to go out of his way and defy social structures to interact with Jane. Though his motives are unclear, it seems as though he is interested in getting to know Jane. It actually surprises me that Jane acts so self conscious in this section of the text; I always viewed Jane as bold and confident, though I guess attractive older male employers can be intimidating to all girls, even one as confident as Jane.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Jane can be very hard on herself, specifically in the section when Mr. Rochester is trying to compliment his new fiancé's beauty and all she can think is that he is mocking her. She was so insistent about her plainness that I was uncomfortable just reading about her talking so negatively about herself. I think it's pretty silly that the aspect of Jane that she fixates on is her appearance because for most of the novel its seems like knowledge is what is most important to her. I also think it’s ironic that Jane doesn’t consider Mr. Rochester attractive yet, she worships the ground he walks on, but she is unable to accept the fact that Mr. Rochester feels the same towards her. Then again, Jane is a young girl of eighteen, so I guess being insecure about her perceived flaws in her appearance doesn't stray from the norm for women.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting what Jane observes in the relationship between Rochester and Blanche Ingram. She can see that their relationship does not spark deep passion on the side of Rochester because his actions are out of politeness and feigned courtship. It is an expectation for him to choose a woman of his class and Blanche obviously feels that she will most certainly be his intended and she cannot see what kind of person he actually is. As readers we see that Jane has a more profound compatibility than anyone else because she these things just by watching Rochester. It is particularly interesting that Jane is disturbed by this imbalance in their courtship. She ponders over the idea that she would be content if there was a mutual interest and satisfaction between Rochester and Blanche. The fact that he would be unhappy in a marriage with her saddens Jane, and I see this a one of the definitive moments of her newly formed love for Rochester.
ReplyDeleteI find Jane to be a very controversial character. Specifically, I think that her character is put into question when her affair with Rochester begins. In the beginning of the story I felt that Jane was a very strong figure. She was unlike many of the other woman we have read about thus far in class. She was outspoken and intelligent despite the hardships she faced in her younger life. I felt an amount of respect for her, for she was able to keep mainly level-headed in tough situations and went above and beyond to help and support others as well. Unfortunately, once Blanche enters the scene (and semi-takes over Rochester), I saw a change of heart in Jane’s character. Jane becomes like many of the other woman we have met this semester, concerning herself with class and appearance at the risk of falling beyond a “more appealing” woman (in her eyes at least). Still, Rochester proposes marriage to Jane and she happily (though skeptically) accepts. I am very interested to see how her character changes as we read on. Now that she has a man by her side, will she continue to be interested in status or will she go back to her headstrong self?
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