While
most girls want their knight on the white horse, Jane still seems intrigued by
Rochester - the antithesis of this. Their first meeting was a comedy of
errors. Discuss this scene!
Mr. Rochester is definitely one of the few mysterious characters in the book. After some time at Thornfield Jane decides to stroll the area after telling Mrs. Fairfax that she would post the letter she had just written. After a while she sits on some steps. As she examines the moon, Jane hears a horse and recalls Bessie’s tale of the mythical Gytrash. She also recalls that if there is a driver the spell is broken and a few minutes later Jane witnesses the rider accidently slip on ice. As Jane begins to help the man up, he inquires about her wandering alone at night and Jane replies that she is the Governess at Thornfield. The man is surprised by her answer. Little did Jane know that her employer stood before her with a sprained ankle. Later on Jane openly confesses that Mr. Rochester is not particularly handsome but something about him definitely interests her. The first encounter scene possibly foreshadows their dependence for each other. The fact that Jane meets Mr. Rochester (despite not knowing it was him) on the road rather than at Thornfield makes Mr. Rochester’s character more interesting (maybe less romantic) and contradicts the “knight in shining armor” concept. - Merlin John
Rochester certainly is an elusive character. He doesn’t let Jane really know who he is until later, and perhaps this delayed reveal takes away some from the romantic relationship. Jane herself says that Rochester isn’t particularly handsome, and with them meeting out on the road instead of at Thornfield the image of a “knight in shining armor” is thrown out the window, for now at least.
Merlin's synopsis is summarizes this scene well. From the beginning, Rochester's character is observable that of a crass, but not totally inelegant man-- but still a far cry from the expectation of the noble Victorian male. I think this scene holds some hidden significance in the fact that the first time Jane an Rochester meet, Rochester is dependent upon Jane and in need of her help. Knowing what I know now, I see that Bronte used this scene to foreshadow the happenings at the end of the novel. There Roshester is again in debt to Jane.
Mr. Rochester is definitely one of the few mysterious characters in the book. After some time at Thornfield Jane decides to stroll the area after telling Mrs. Fairfax that she would post the letter she had just written. After a while she sits on some steps. As she examines the moon, Jane hears a horse and recalls Bessie’s tale of the mythical Gytrash. She also recalls that if there is a driver the spell is broken and a few minutes later Jane witnesses the rider accidently slip on ice. As Jane begins to help the man up, he inquires about her wandering alone at night and Jane replies that she is the Governess at Thornfield. The man is surprised by her answer. Little did Jane know that her employer stood before her with a sprained ankle. Later on Jane openly confesses that Mr. Rochester is not particularly handsome but something about him definitely interests her. The first encounter scene possibly foreshadows their dependence for each other. The fact that Jane meets Mr. Rochester (despite not knowing it was him) on the road rather than at Thornfield makes Mr. Rochester’s character more interesting (maybe less romantic) and contradicts the “knight in shining armor” concept.
ReplyDelete- Merlin John
Rochester certainly is an elusive character. He doesn’t let Jane really know who he is until later, and perhaps this delayed reveal takes away some from the romantic relationship. Jane herself says that Rochester isn’t particularly handsome, and with them meeting out on the road instead of at Thornfield the image of a “knight in shining armor” is thrown out the window, for now at least.
ReplyDeleteMerlin's synopsis is summarizes this scene well. From the beginning, Rochester's character is observable that of a crass, but not totally inelegant man-- but still a far cry from the expectation of the noble Victorian male. I think this scene holds some hidden significance in the fact that the first time Jane an Rochester meet, Rochester is dependent upon Jane and in need of her help. Knowing what I know now, I see that Bronte used this scene to foreshadow the happenings at the end of the novel. There Roshester is again in debt to Jane.
ReplyDelete