Youve successfully purchased a group discount. His father knew the Masons to be a notable merchant family in the West Indies, and, enamored by Berthas beauty and thirty-thousand-pound inheritance, Mr. Rochester quickly agreed to marry her. Bertha Antoinetta[1] Rochester (ne Mason) is a character in Charlotte Bront's 1847 novel Jane Eyre. In Chapter 37, Mr. Rochester describes to Jane how his view on religion and faith has changed. He sustained injuries to his face as Thornfield Hall fell to pieces around him, causing him to lose one eye altogether and lose vision in the other. These Romantic imaginings highlight that their minds take similar fanciful turns. Since she has no control and no outlets, she appears to only communicate through her violentand vengefulacts. Buried underneath a cloak and a large hat, Rochester asks probing questions about what she dreams about as she works at Thornfield, how she feels about the men at the house, and what she thinks about marriage. Why does the novels title page introduce the work as An Autobiography? The last date is today's By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! Jane notes that his exacting and overly practical nature would suffocate her, and the reality that they do not love each other makes the thought of marriage intolerable. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Rochester follows his passion and marries Bertha because of his physical attraction to her. Free trial is available to new customers only. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Renews May 7, 2023 for a customized plan. Maderia. By leaving Rochester, she proves to herself that she can live without him and find ownership of herself. Mr. Rochester slowly finds this out, and as he begins to get to know Bertha, he sees that he is entirely incompatible with her. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! She displays a deep vein of morbidity verging on a death-wish and, in contrast with Jane's overt Christianity,[11] holds a cynical viewpoint of both God and religion in general. In this quote, Jane describes her feelings for Mr. Rochester after he reveals details about his past. Mr. Rochester married Bertha Mason in order to gain possession of her family's wealth and rise in socioeconomic status. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. I lived with her for 4 years. No one in the community knows of his wife because she is mad, and Rochester keeps her locked away under the care of Grace Poole. Why did Mr Rochester marry Bertha Mason? Janes thoughts speak to Mr. Rochesters effect on her. on 50-99 accounts. This shows that the white English men and women are cared for and have a degree of autonomy, while Bertha, who is from another (quite different) country, is othered, trapped, and misunderstood. Jane asks the fortune teller (Mr. Rochester) if the two are to be married and she (in reality it is a he since it is Mr. Rochester) responds in the affirmative. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! You can view our. Her mention that they simply enjoy talking together demonstrates their love transcends physical and emotional infatuation. St. John Rivers desire to travel to India, however, involves a more culturally-oriented form of imperialism.