As implied in the button, there's always a catch. Simply put, Rochester's perfect life style should have been an indication that *something* must be the cause of Rochester's perfect life. The foreshadowing in the previous chapters are incredibly dramatic. On the first night of the master's arrival, Rochester's bed is set aflame supposedly by the "strange, lurking servant....[who] came only once a day to collect her ration before returning upstairs...and receives more than all of our sums." The eeriness of Pool should have set off a red flag. Even if Jane hadn't questioned that, the lack of explanation and promise of strict secrecy definitely revealed secrets lurking at Thornfield. Another dramatic event was the devastating injuries sustained by the mysterious Mr. Mason. With no explanation of the man's relationship to Mr. Rochester or his business, and a promise of strict secrecy about the bite marks and surgeon called in the dead of night, it only added to the suspense. The strange nightmares Jane experienced involving children, already mentioned to be foreboding, is the crecendo into the final moments of tension. On the eve of their marriage, a mysterious woman rips the veil, a symbol of a bride, which indicates the wedding or the marriage will be a disaster. Once again, no explanation for Pool's strange behavior or why she hasn't been dismissed. I thought for a while she was actually Rochester's daughter.
I believe, looking back, that there are many things that foreshadowed the downfall of Jane and Rochester's relationship. Once Jane realized how she felt about Rochester, and how he had feelings for her, she began to have dreams about children, usually regarded as bad omens. That was the first sign. Another sign was when Jane and Rochester kissed after he asked her to marry him. Immediately after they walked away, the tree that they were standing near was struck by lightning and split in half. This represented that forces are against Jane and Rochester's love. Grace Poole tearing Jane's veil was another sign as well. The reader is left wondering why Grace would tear Jane's veil and after finding out about Bertha, it makes sense how Grace's action represents her disagreement of Rochester deciding to marry Jane. The last thing I noticed was that even after Mrs. Farirfax learned that Jane and Rochester kissed only after they were engaged, she still treated Jane coldly. The reasoning is because she knew about Bertha and viewed Jane as another mistress. Grace and Mrs. Fairfax both were against Jane and Rochester's engagement for a reason. Their actions lead the reader to wonder why they are against it, and when it is finally revealed, it all makes sense.
The button can be referring to how you can't judge a book by its cover. In this case it is Rochester. Like how Katie said, Rochester is living a very lavish life, there is no way he couldn't have some sort of deep dark secret. We see that something isn't right when Rochester's bed is set aflame, the tree where Rochester proposed to Jane is struck by lightning, the multiple dreams that Jane has. The dreams could be foreshadowing their future. She has two dreams about a child where one she is carrying it and the other she drops the child. That could've foreshadow that if this marriage were to happen, it wouldn't last long and that a potential family is out of reach. The savage women who ripped the veil is just foreshadowing that this marriage will not work out which ties in with the dreams. Her potential relation with Rochester will not workout due to this one factor.
The fact that Rochester is so kind and loving toward Jane (of all the women he could choose) immediately set off a red flag in my head that something bad was going to happen in their relationship. All throughout Jane's relationships with other characters such as Helen, there has been something negative that occurs. With Bessie, even though she somewhat loves Jane, she locks her in the Red Room with no question. This is probably because it is her job to do what Mrs. Reed tells her, but she still could show some kindness toward Jane. Helen dies of disease in the young Jane's arms, a pretty traumatizing thing for a child to see. Basically everyone that she loves has some darkness that affects Jane.
Therefore, one can only assume that her next relationship with Rochester which seems so perfect and serene will eventually come crashing down.
I personally think Thornfield signified everything Edward Rochester stood for...his power, his dominion over the women in the novel (including Jane)...so perhaps Charlotte Bronte wanted to eradicate that sense of authority Rochester had over both the women. With the demolition of Thornfield, Rochester was left a helpless, homeless man...n here was Jane, just inheriting a fortune of her own. Bertha was the one to carry out this de-empowerment of Rochester because her actions could be justified through her insanity. The dreams that Jane has earlier in the novel were foreshadowing this event.
As implied in the button, there's always a catch. Simply put, Rochester's perfect life style should have been an indication that *something* must be the cause of Rochester's perfect life. The foreshadowing in the previous chapters are incredibly dramatic. On the first night of the master's arrival, Rochester's bed is set aflame supposedly by the "strange, lurking servant....[who] came only once a day to collect her ration before returning upstairs...and receives more than all of our sums." The eeriness of Pool should have set off a red flag. Even if Jane hadn't questioned that, the lack of explanation and promise of strict secrecy definitely revealed secrets lurking at Thornfield. Another dramatic event was the devastating injuries sustained by the mysterious Mr. Mason. With no explanation of the man's relationship to Mr. Rochester or his business, and a promise of strict secrecy about the bite marks and surgeon called in the dead of night, it only added to the suspense. The strange nightmares Jane experienced involving children, already mentioned to be foreboding, is the crecendo into the final moments of tension. On the eve of their marriage, a mysterious woman rips the veil, a symbol of a bride, which indicates the wedding or the marriage will be a disaster. Once again, no explanation for Pool's strange behavior or why she hasn't been dismissed. I thought for a while she was actually Rochester's daughter.
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ReplyDeleteI believe, looking back, that there are many things that foreshadowed the downfall of Jane and Rochester's relationship. Once Jane realized how she felt about Rochester, and how he had feelings for her, she began to have dreams about children, usually regarded as bad omens. That was the first sign. Another sign was when Jane and Rochester kissed after he asked her to marry him. Immediately after they walked away, the tree that they were standing near was struck by lightning and split in half. This represented that forces are against Jane and Rochester's love. Grace Poole tearing Jane's veil was another sign as well. The reader is left wondering why Grace would tear Jane's veil and after finding out about Bertha, it makes sense how Grace's action represents her disagreement of Rochester deciding to marry Jane. The last thing I noticed was that even after Mrs. Farirfax learned that Jane and Rochester kissed only after they were engaged, she still treated Jane coldly. The reasoning is because she knew about Bertha and viewed Jane as another mistress. Grace and Mrs. Fairfax both were against Jane and Rochester's engagement for a reason. Their actions lead the reader to wonder why they are against it, and when it is finally revealed, it all makes sense.
ReplyDeleteThe button can be referring to how you can't judge a book by its cover. In this case it is Rochester. Like how Katie said, Rochester is living a very lavish life, there is no way he couldn't have some sort of deep dark secret. We see that something isn't right when Rochester's bed is set aflame, the tree where Rochester proposed to Jane is struck by lightning, the multiple dreams that Jane has. The dreams could be foreshadowing their future. She has two dreams about a child where one she is carrying it and the other she drops the child. That could've foreshadow that if this marriage were to happen, it wouldn't last long and that a potential family is out of reach. The savage women who ripped the veil is just foreshadowing that this marriage will not work out which ties in with the dreams. Her potential relation with Rochester will not workout due to this one factor.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Rochester is so kind and loving toward Jane (of all the women he could choose) immediately set off a red flag in my head that something bad was going to happen in their relationship. All throughout Jane's relationships with other characters such as Helen, there has been something negative that occurs. With Bessie, even though she somewhat loves Jane, she locks her in the Red Room with no question. This is probably because it is her job to do what Mrs. Reed tells her, but she still could show some kindness toward Jane. Helen dies of disease in the young Jane's arms, a pretty traumatizing thing for a child to see. Basically everyone that she loves has some darkness that affects Jane.
ReplyDeleteTherefore, one can only assume that her next relationship with Rochester which seems so perfect and serene will eventually come crashing down.
I personally think Thornfield signified everything Edward Rochester stood for...his power, his dominion over the women in the novel (including Jane)...so perhaps Charlotte Bronte wanted to eradicate that sense of authority Rochester had over both the women. With the demolition of Thornfield, Rochester was left a helpless, homeless man...n here was Jane, just inheriting a fortune of her own. Bertha was the one to carry out this de-empowerment of Rochester because her actions could be justified through her insanity. The dreams that Jane has earlier in the novel were foreshadowing this event.
ReplyDelete