Thought I'd share this gem I found the other day--enjoy!

The reason for Adele

                                                                     "Very French"

Adele is Jane’s pupil at Thornfield. She was a little French girl just under ten years old, and the daughter of Céline Varens. Adele’s character is an important and overlooked character in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. Adele serves as more than just the reason Jane comes to Thornfield, which in itself is extremely important to the storyline. She is also one of the most unique and interesting characters in the story, and I believe she offers many parallels to Jane’s character. She also reveals much about the other character by their interactions with her.

Adele’s character brings a lot to the story because she is happy and carefree, where every other character seems down and depressed in comparison. In a story that exhibits Gothic characteristics and characters, she stands out from the rest. She is also from a foreign country, which brings an eccentric and exotic feel to the story.

She also helps reveals a lot to the reader about the other characters in the story. Rochester’s character seemingly adopts Adele, although he could be the father. Unfortunately there were no DNA test back then, where’s Maury Povich when you need him? This reveals to the reader a more compassionate side to Rochester. She is cared for in every way imaginable to the point of being spoiled. Although Rochester doesn't actually show her much affection, he does pay other people to that for him. Adele is treated as Rochester’s doll, and his attempts to treat Jane the same way suggests that Rochester views women as objects. Adele also reveals a compassionate side to Jane. Where before we saw Jane as a rebellious child with few positive role models, and who wasn't afraid to stand up for herself. We see her teach Adele with in a careful and meticulous manner that resembles the much adored Mrs. Temple.

Although there are obvious differences between Jane and Adele, there are many similarities. They both were separated by their parent early on in their lives, they were both sent to strict and severe schools, and they both became docile, good-tempered, and well-principled women. Adele was lucky to have Jane in her life because without Jane’s experience and compassion, she would have likely had a worse childhood and would have suffered because of it. 

The Significance of Adele

Though she is not the focus of most discussion surrounding the characters of Jane Eyre, Adele Varens plays an important and interesting role in the novel.  The audience is introduced to her when Jane arrives at Thornfield, where we come to find she is a bright and cheerful little French girl.  The first function she serves is to be the reason Jane comes to Thornfield.  While this is what Adele usually takes the most credit for, she does much more for the story than simply acting as motivation to advance the story and for Jane to meet Rochester, although this contribution should not be understated, seeing as Jane ends up with Rochester at the end of the story.

Adele, in my opinion, is a reflection of Jane Eyre herself as a young girl.  They are similar in that they were both orphans, Jane's parents dead, and Adele abandoned by her mother and "disowned", as Jane put it, by Rochester, though it is never confirmed that he is her father.  They were also both very bright children and eager to learn and to advance themselves.  There are, however, some differences.  For instance; Adele, growing up at Thornfield, is in a very good environment while Jane grew up with a horrible aunt and abusive cousin.  I think that Jane uses Adele as a means to symbolically right the wrongs that occurred to her in her own childhood by passing on the education she received at Lowood, but in a fashion that is her own, and unlike some of the worse teachers at Lowood.  These parallels with Jane's own history, along with bringing Jane to Thornfield, make Adele a very significant character in Jane Eyre.

Rochester's attempt at redemption--Kristi Ayres

                It is very evident that both Jane and Rochester are far from perfect characters, yet somehow they are both able to look past each other's flaws and have a happy life together.  Jane is a superstitious and seems to be pretty lifeless for most parts in the book while Rochester has many secrets and had attempted to manipulate Jane into marrying him illegally.  These are all major flaws that these characters possess and from an outsider's perspective, I had interpreted Jane as almost a victim to Rochester's games.  Whether it was because the story was told from Jane's perspective or because I really fell in love with Jane's character, I expect her to be with a nearly perfect man who can balance her out and push her to be the best that she can be.  Rochester does not seem to fit this image I have created for who I would like Jane's husband to be.  However, this is the man that Jane has fallen in love with, therefore I feel obligated to support this.  I want Jane to be happy and for some reason Rochester seems to complete her and give her the life she had always desired for herself.  Even before the revealing of Bertha, there was nothing particularly special about Rochester that would compelled me to be a huge fan of his character, and then once it was known he had been lying to Jane, he even became less appealing to me.  Despite these horrible things that Rochester has put Jane through, her heart was always pointed towards him.  It is admirable that Rochester was never violent with Bertha, and I believe that this is portrayed even better in the 1943 film adaption, because Bertha is rarely shown and the director really emphasized the heroism and injuries that Rochester faced in the story which could provide sympathy for Rochester.  Rochester has definitely gained sympathy from me towards the end because he was trying to do the right thing, and he suffered from this courageous decision by losing his hand and eye sight.  Now Rochester has obtained physical flaws that were a result of saving the one thing he was trying to hide from the world that caused Jane to leave in the first place.  Jane is also to look past these flaws and recognize her deep love for him.  As a reader who cares deeply for Jane, I feel as though I need to side with her and root for their love together and say that he has redeemed himself, but for a lie that huge, it is hard to say that he has proven that he is trust-worthy.   

Bertha-Impediment or Person?

     Narratives are all about perspective. So is the story of Bertha. Rochester, who was tricked into marrying her, and unhappy with a wife whom he cannot speak to, is certainly a biased opinion. It is virtually impossible to know if Bertha was truly mad when Rochester locked her in the attic, or if she had went insane only after the fact. The novel often treats Bertha as an object, an impediment, forgetting the fact that she is, in fact, a human being. If Bertha was truly insane, I believe Rochester did the best he could in caring for her. He made sure that she was well taken care of at all times and, though it was illegal, he truly thought marrying Jane was the right thing to do. From his perspective, he was not wrong in attempting to marry Jane. He had no relationship with his wife. It is easy to label him as the bad guy because we have a much better understanding of mental illness, whereas at this time, it was feared and misunderstood.
     Bertha is definitely a symbol for many things. She is definitely used to critique the treatment of mental illness in the time period. In addition to this, some see her as a symbol of Jane's suppression of her emotions. Perhaps she is a suggestion of what can happen to a woman who silences and suppresses pain. Bertha is not treated as human, which prompted the writing of Wide Sargasso Sea. While this is not Brontë's idea for Bertha, it is certainly interesting as it reminds us that she is a person.

Gothicism in Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre is a book that certainly doesn't need its gothicism. Plenty of books have succeeded without it. Pride and Prejudice had no supernatural element, and you could argue that book had an even greater impact than Jane Eyre did. However, I think it's this perhaps-unnecessary gothic nature that makes the book so polarizing. It adds a certain element that differentiates Jane Eyre from other books of the era, and certainly other books with heavy romance. For lack of a better term, the gothic elements of Jane Eyre made it "edgy".

Given that such gothic elements were uncommon in romantic books of the time, Jane Eyre instantly had something that made it stick out. It's a bold and unique choice to incorporate some of these slightly darker elements into a book that was largely targeting women. I think these elements are what help make Jane Eyre a classic.

Even the film versions preserve the boldness of this aspect. The trailer that we watched in class for the 2011 version made it look somewhat like a horror film. When was the last time you saw a movie that was marketed as almost a romance/horror hybrid? I could be wrong, but I don't think any Nicholas Sparks movies have any dark and supernatural elements.

From the encounter in the red-room, to the moment where Jane thinks she can hear Rochester calling her from miles away, the gothic elements make Jane Eyre romantic, exciting, immersive, and adventurous. Both as a novel, and as a film.

Misfits that are a perfect fit for Jane

Thornfield is definitely filled with a mismatched dynamic group of inhibiters that may seem normal from the outside but could not be more out of place. Which could be Charlotte’s illuminating the idea that just because something appears normal, doesn’t mean it is. Also, just because it’s dynamic is different doesn’t mean its wrong. In a way, Thornfield is a perfect fit for Jane. There’s an orphaned child that desperately needs attention, creating a reason for Jane to go but always a way to work out her resentment with her past. Mrs. Fairfax who gave Jane the first warm and loving welcome, almost evoking a positive perception of the place from the beginning. There’s Bertha Mason who has no place in being there but represents the idea that Jane could run from Mr. Rodchester’s mistakes and lock herself away or learn to forgive and allow herself to be happy. Finally, of course Mr. Rodchester is very out of place in this bunch but, much like the house as a whole, shows Jane that, contrary to what she’s been told and shown for her entire life, she isn’t alone. So while this house may be the pieces to an incompatible puzzle, Jane fits them all and that is the only place she could really thrive in happiness.

            Now capturing this relationship dynamic on camera would be very challenging. This is because you have to create a group that is completely wrong together for the majority of the story and yet still instill a sense of community and strong bonds between them. Each personality is strong and complex; there aren’t a lot of static characters. In my opinion, the 1943 version kind of missed the mark on some of the characters. For example, they completely left out Bertha. Eliminating these characters, and other characters’ traits leaves gaps in the overall web of the group. The 2011 definitely worked harder in developing the emotional dynamic as close to that of the book but took a modern, romantic twist. It’s a hard relationship to capture but if each character is exposed correctly, its not impossible.

Adele

            I feel strongly for the character of Adele. She lost her mother and is now living in the foreign country and her life seems a little out of whack. The reader doesn’t really get too much from her later on in the novel, but her existence is important to the novel itself. She is used as a means of bringing Jane Eyre to Thornfield, which leads her to finding the one she truly loves. I for one believe that Adele is a means to make Rochester seem much more human. For one, we already know that without Adele, there would be no reason for Jane to come to Thornfield. Also, without Adele, Rochester would seem much more of a hush character. He takes Adele in and treats her like a part of his home, giving her new clothes and everything she would ever need so that he might not have ti worry about her when he is gone on his travels. Even though he gives her the finer things, he leaves her at his home while he prances away tending to his desire for a wife. Our first impression of Rochester is what he did for Adele in the first place, which is giving her a home when he wasn't even sure if she was his in the first place. He cared for her mother and extended his care after she was gone. We wouldn’t get an early interpretation of who he was without this knowledge of Adele's origins. If Adele was just some girl who lived there at Thornfield or was simply known as his daughter, the reader wouldn't really feel the same about Rochester. Him supporting this child because of an idea shows more of his character than if she was represented as his child from the start.
           Adele also brings to light Jane’s personality. Jane is Adele’s teacher and also sort of her mother figure. Her time with Adele sort of shaped her personality and forced her to focus on her wants and needs in the life she was given. Jane has been through a hard life and getting to take care of Adele let her be herself and show affection that she wasn’t able to before while in Gateshead. We can see Adele and Jane's interactions in the film itself and they seem a bit more minor in the 2011 film compared to the movie, but we can see how their interactions seems to change her. Adele usually ended up pushing Jane to move out of her comfort zone. We see this when Adele and Jane were told to join in on Rochester’s party and Jane is sort of forced to chit chat with others which leads to her affections towards Rochester to be shown. Adele's presence pushes Jane out of her comfort zone.
          I believe that Adele also represents a sort of reversed version of Jane. She starts out happy and without much worry then gradually goes off on her own to grow up and lose her childish demeanor. At the end of the novel, we are given a look into what happens to Adele and she ends up going off to school and sort of loses herself in ways. Jane went off to school after being in an un-liked relationship with her family and ends up finding herself in Thornfield. 

Bertha Mason

Bertha is a character that suffers from bad luck. She was born into a family that has madness in their blood, and was forced by that family to marry Rochester. What Bertha represents in other characters is haste in the younger years of Rochester’s life. He was also forced into a loveless marriage that segued into madness and deceit.

What Bertha represents in Jane is what she could have been and what she could be in the future. Jane lives a plain life whereas Bertha grew up in Jamaica and was manipulated by her family. I could see that Bertha also represents what Jane would be like if she were to marry Rochester initially and stay living the life of a Victorian wife. Lastly, she is the opposite in marriage to what Jane has with Rochester. Bertha was married into the Rochester family with hidden details packed away and was set on money. Jane on the other hand married Rochester out of love and for who he was, where money was the last thought on the mind.

As a character Bertha cannot be fully understood to the reader since she is mostly described in stories told by her captor. Charlotte portrays Bertha as an animalistic woman who is violent and destructive. This portrayal makes Bertha an unlikable character that is easily misunderstood if there is not further thought about the past and what has been leading up the story itself. The animalistic behavior can be seen as rage from being pent up in the same area with nothing to do for ten years. Since madness runs in her family, her rage could have easily made her just lose it one day. With no medical attention let alone thoughtful human interaction, her madness makes the violent behavior dismissible compared to what she married into.

Redemption & Forgiveness

Redemption & Forgiveness 

While reading Jane Eyre, I constantly questioned Edward Rochester, finding him lovable at times and harsh at others.  A great deal of his motives for his actions are unknown until much later in the novel, and he remains mysterious and unreadable throughout a great deal of the story. As a reader, I was constantly rooting for Jane, on her side and wanting what she wanted, which was for her to find true love and to be treated with the genuine respect that she gave others.  Also, as much as I did not like Rochester's actions at times, It it was not hard to see that Jane only wanted Edward Rochester to love her, for she was deeply in love with him. With this being said, I do not believe that Jane and Rochester would ever truly become a functional couple until Jane saw herself as an equal.  Along with Rochester technically being Jane's boss, throughout the novel, Rochester toys with Jane's emotions, flirting with Blanche Ingram one minute, then calling to Jane at the next, all leading Jane to believe that she is beneath him, and this intricate relationship is depicted very well within the 2011 film. With good reason, Jane's  troubled past did not help the situation or confidence, and allowed her to have the predisposition that she may never be loved as she loved others.  The only person that unconditionally loved Jane, Helen Burns, passed soon after they met, and even Bessie constantly reminded Jane of her flaws.  Again, Jane's past is shown very well within the 2011 film, along with the novel, making it simple to sympathize and connect to Jane, and also allowing us to see why Jane did not see herself as an equal to Rochester. 

Despite all of Rochester's flaws and wrongdoings, Jane unconditionally longed for him, but it is not until Jane leaves the shadows of Thornfield that she is able to experience the big world in front of her, for she had only experienced small sections of it.  I fully believe that Jane had to leave Thornfield and Rochester in order to truly see what she left behind and to forgive Rochester, leading her to believe that Rochester is worthy of her love.  Once Jane connects with old family, runs her own school, gains wealth, and denies a decent man of his love for her, may she finally realize that she is an equal to Rochester, smart, loving, and able to forgive others.  I am not undermining Rochester's mistakes, but no matter how small or large, it is true that everyone has skeletons in their closet, and despite his own, Rochester showed kindness to Adele, Jane, Fairfax, and even Bertha as she jumped from the roof of Thornfield, leading me to believe that he is not a terrible person, just lost and confused.  I truly believe that Jane had to leave the small world of Thornfield and travel into the big world of England to notice this about Rochester, opening her eyes to who she was, who she wanted to be, and allowing herself to truly forgive Rochester. Jane went back to Thornfield seeing herself as an equal, and not knowing what had happened to Thornfield or Rochester, ready to love and forgive him while she was ignorant to his injuries, proving her unfaltering love and willingness to forgive him.  Despite their dark and twisted paths, and regardless of how broken either Jane or Rochester may become, everyone is worthy of redemption and forgiveness, it just may take some time and soul-searching for one to realize it.  

Adele

When reading Jane Eyre, the reader may skip over Adele without taking into consideration what she adds to the novel. If the reader takes a closer look, Adele acts as a comparison to Jane. First, we can compare and contrast Jane and Adele’s backgrounds. Jane grew up as an orphan who was treated as “less than a servant.” Her aunt took her in only because she felt obligated to due to the promise she made to her late husband. While Adele’s mother had abandoned her and it is not know who her father really is. Rochester felt obligated to take in Adele because he was having an affair with her mother when she was pregnant. Second, we can look at the similarities and differences in their personalities. Adele is Rochester’s doll who he dresses up and pampers. He will give her anything she wants just to stay out of his way. This is shown in the novel when Rochester returns to Thornfield and Adele continually questions and asks about what he bought for her. She is fully of energy and distracted easily. She is concerned with singing and dancing, unlike Jane, who, at this age, was concerned with her education and her independence. Jane takes a different approach when Rochester tries to spoil and pamper her. She refuses the extravagant gifts that Rochester attempts to give. Another important role that Adele holds is the significance that she holds in Jane’s life. Jane’s whole life all she wanted is to find a sense of home and to feel loved. When she arrives at Thornfield, Jane finds a place where she can call home. Although Rochester plays a vital role in this, Adele also contributes to her feelings of home. Jane never truly had a mother figure to look up to until Miss Temple. Miss Temple shows Jane loyalty and trust, two things that Jane did not have growing up. When moving on to Thornfield, Adele gave Jane a chance to become the mother-like figure. Adele adores and, most importantly, loves Jane. Adele gives Jane what she has been searching for. Adele is not the simple character that many people see her as, she has a much more important part in Jane life and the novel as a whole.

Redemption: Is Rochester Really Worthy of Jane?

Throughout the book, Rochester feels the need to put on an act that everything is perfectly fine in his life and he has all the money he could ever need. Jane feels herself drawn to him, but never understood why at first. By the end of the book, Jane and Rochester are happily married as Jane blatantly points out to the reader. But through the course of the book’s events, the reader learns of Rochester’s dark secrets and how Jane copes with them. With his biggest secret of all – keeping his actual wife hidden in his attic at Thornfield – Jane obviously forgives him in the end and the questions of whether Rochester redeems himself and if he is really worthy of Jane. I think Rochester has definitely redeemed himself by the end of the book because his actions when Jane was away have proven that his moral compass is on the same level as Jane’s. I also believe he is worthy of Jane because he knows he made some mistakes, but he has apologized profusely for them and Jane understands he really means well with all of his actions.

In my opinion, Rochester really redeems himself and shows he is worthy of Jane when his estate is set on fire by his wife, Bertha Mason. He performs a selfless act in the process. This happens after Jane has run off after she learns of Rochester already being married to someone else. Bertha sets Thornfield on fire slowly, but surely as she throws lighted candles onto every floor. She then goes to a windowsill, preparing to jump when Rochester finally finds her and tries to coax her away from the windowsill. He could have just let her jump because then he could finally be happily married to his intellectual equal, Jane, for the rest of their lives. But no, he tries to save Bertha, but he’s too late and she jumps. He also loses his eyesight in the process and has to rely on his other senses to live his life. By losing his eyesight and performing the selfless act of trying to save Bertha, I think Rochester redeems himself in the end and shows that he also worthy of Jane.

Bertha: Strongly Symbolic, But She's Just as Human

     People have an amazing ability to label others. Someone who rings you out at a grocery store is merely a cashier to customers, a flower is just a seed that grew, and a family walking down the street is just that: a picture perfect family. However, there is always more than what meets the eye, but humans have the ability to allow all the little things we run into during the day to just be that. Little things. Let's just take a quick glimpse back over those three things that someone labelled and disregarded on first glance. The woman at the cash register is going to school, she has three jobs and manages to be an honors student at the same time. The flower was planted there as a memorial of a loved one. That picture perfect family isn't blood related, the kindness and amazing hearts of the couple led to a beautiful adopted family. Let's use this new lens to look into Bertha as a character.
     Of course Bertha is a symbol of all the things that are hidden in Jane. There's the burning bed which symbolizes her sexual desires, the craziness in which Bertha acts with symbolizes the built of frustration and turmoil that Jane has carried within herself over the years, and Bertha jumping off of the building symbolizes the death of an old part of Jane and the welcoming to a new, more independent and financially stable Jane. A Jane that is now an equal to more of the people she wishes to associate with. However, it's in reading into Bertha excessively that we as the reader lose sight that there is a story and a history in Bertha. She is, none-the-less, someone's daughter, a loved family member. She has thought's and feelings, maybe even hopes and dreams if they had not been crushed by Rochester. Wide Sargasso Sea is a great story of Bertha and how she came to be who she is. The greatest thing that hits me hard as a reader is her constant repetition of Rochester being referred to as "the man who hates me". Bertha is more than just symbolism. She's a scared woman who has been driven crazy measures to finally achieve freedom in death. Maybe Rochester does deserve forgiveness in what he has done after losing his hand and his sight, but we as reader's still should have a bit of a struggle in forgiving him. Most importantly, we should try not to lose sight of humanity just to make sense of a story.


Side note: what is this even supposed to mean? That all people are supposed to have big, gigantic, terrible secrets that they hid from you? Glad to see the trust in other's these days.

Redemption

Joanna Branch

Redemption: I do think that Rochester has redeemed himself by the end the book. I think this because he doesn’t go after Jane when Bertha dies. He let her go, to me this is the whole quote “if you set something free and it comes back to you then it was always yours but if it doesn’t come back to you then you never had it to begin with.” Yes, Rochester did some awful things but he loved Jane and wanted her to be happy if that included him or if it didn’t. That is why I believe that he redeemed himself.

                I also think that he was able to redeem himself by trying to save bertha’s life. Although it would have been easier for him to not have tried to save her he still went after her. In the process he knew that he was in danger of dying himself. This to me is the biggest sign of redemption somebody could have. I say this because to me throughout the whole story of Jane Eyre I see Rochester as a selfish person. Everything is about him and what he wants, such as marrying Jane without even telling her that he is actually married. In this simple act of heroism he becomes selfless and acts out of care instead of pride or what will work for him best in the end.

                Although I wasn’t the biggest fan of Jane for some reason I truly felt for Rochester, to me this question could be turned around “Has Jane redeemed herself by the end? Is she worthy of Rochester?” I know that this is kind of a weird question to ask but I really didn’t have sympathy for Jane like I had for Rochester. She caused a lot of her own problems, but in the end I think she did the best thing she could. She left him! To me this just showed that although she loved him so much she had morals and she was going to stick to those! So do I think that Jane redeemed herself; I would have to say kinda….   I say this because although she left him (which was good) she still went back, she had, had no idea that bertha was died at this point. So to me this looks like she is turning from those morals and running back to him with the intent of being “more then friends.”