Jane Eyre demonstrates the human condition in various ways throughout the novel. Mr. Rochester demonstrates the human conditions of reckless abandon and foolish love. Mr. Rochester demonstrates this with his wife Bertha. Mr. Rochester is a very passionate character, and passion often leads to recklessness and/or foolishness. Mr. Rochester married Bertha in Jamaica and because he did not marry for love, he neglects her when she goes mad. Instead of facing his problems or considering the consequences, Mr. Rochester locks Bertha away in the attic.
Mr. Rochester demonstrates reckless abandon through his own selfishness of keeping Bertha hidden and a secret from Jane. When he and Jane become romantically involved, he continues to keep Bertha in secrecy and when he and Jane are engaged, he still does not confess his secret. Mr. Rochester demonstrates the human condition of reckless abandon out of foolishness from love. Foolish love is another human condition also revealed in Mr. Rochester.
While Mr. Rochester is still married to Bertha, he insists that he and Jane run away together to France to live as husband and wife.
Mr. Rochester is deeply in love with Jane and because of his emotions, he does not think about the craziness of his proposal. He is a fool in love willing to drop everything and forget about his wife Bertha, to ride off with Jane into the sunset. His human condition leads him to reckless abandon and irrational thinking when it comes to love. His passion blindsides him from Jane and her emotions.
As a result of Mr. Rochester’s reckless abandon and foolish love, Jane’s suffering is another human example displayed in the novel. Jane’s introverted personality contrasts with Mr. Rochester’s passionate personality. Jane falls deeply in love with Mr. Rochester and was about to marry him when she finds out that he is married to another woman. Although, Mr. Rochester’s proposal to run away together seems tempting, Jane declines the offer because she refuses to be someone’s mistress.
Jane suffers when she forces herself to leave the man she loves. Jane also suffers from Mr. Rochester’s actions when he openly “flirts” with Blanche Ingram, leading Jane to believe that he will propose to Blanche. Mr. Rochester’s “women”, Bertha and Blanche, serve as obstacles in Jane’s life. These women are obstacles in Jane’s pursuit of happiness, which makes Jane suffer. Jane also suffers physically under the abuse of her cousins when she was a child.
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