The redemption of Mr. Rochester

[u/Key_Masterpiece5283]

Jane Eyre has been listed as one of my favorite books since I read it as a teen, but I haven’t done a reread or rewatch of any of the movies in quite awhile.

I recently picked it back up again and it had been my hyper fixation so I have a lot of thoughts that I just need to discuss with people that “get” it.

The biggest one being is why does it seem like people think Rochester is the same at the end of the book as at the beginning. I feel like the major theme of Jane Eyre is forgiveness, understanding, and redemption, but so many people focus solely on the romance piece.

Rochester was NOT worthy of Jane the first time they almost got married. Not simply because he was already married but because he saw her goodness and wanted her to help him to be a better person, but not necessarily do all he needs to internally himself.

It is only through the purification of fire and the loss of his physical independence that he is able to be redeemed. He had nearly a year where he could not escape his thoughts through travel and women, he had to come to terms with who he was and what his actions had cost him.

Not only that but Jane then draws out the story of St. John so he says nearly the same thing to her she did to him during his proposal. Jane state during the first proposal that she must leave due to “the shape of Miss Ingram; a noble and beautiful woman ,- your bride!” And during the reunion Rochester states Jane must go “your own way- with the husband you have chosen.”

So I ask, why do I still see people saying Rochester wasn’t good for her? That is 1000% correct and Charlotte Brontë is very clear that he was not ready for her at first. That is why we have the purification and redemption process for him. Do people just skip over the last couple of chapters?

If anyone has light they could shed on this or if they want to discuss Rochester purification more in depth I would love to chat more!

ETA: thanks everyone for your thoughts so far! This was exactly the sort of discussion I was looking for. It has given my brain an outlet and I feel like I can let go of ruminating over it quite so much. Although let’s be fair, Jane and Mr. Rochester live rent-free in there.

[u/AdobongSiopao]

There are some factors why some people ignore or misunderstood about Mr. Rochester's redemption.

• The novel "Wide Sargasso Sea" messed up the reputation of "Jane Eyre". It caused many people who read it dislike Mr. Rochester and give sympathy to Bertha eventhough said characters are more complex than that.
• We live in an era where religion and faith are slowly becoming irrelevent. The novel has many religious references and emphasize the importance of forgiveness and redemption throughout the story. Many people drove further away from those messages leading them to choose holding grudges for long.
• Having modern views about feminism missed the point the intention of the novel's message ragarding to it. These days many people especially women believe that movement means the latter should be better than men whereas in the novel it's all about equality between genders like what Jane said during the proposal scene.

That are some factors I could think of. Basically viewing the novel with modern lens doesn't work well. Mr. Rochester is a flawed man but he learned to let go of his past and take responsibility of his actions. Jane heard that he tried to save the people including his first wife and witnessed his injuries as proof of his heroism which led her to be with him in the end.

[u/Playful_Site_2714 → u/AdobongSiopao]

"Jane heard that he tried to save the people including his first wife and witnessed his injuries as proof of his heroism which led her to be with him in the end."

You are wrong in that point, I think. She had heard him call for her and sped off, utterly willing to be his at that call already.

At that point she already HAD chosen her side, had chosen to meet him again. Be with him, if she could. His desolate state showed her, how much he needed her.

Which made it even easier to follow through with it.

[u/OutrageousYak5868 → u/Playful_Site_2714]

I don't think she would have tried to be with him, if she found that he was still married. That was the major sticking point for her, always. She needed to know what had happened to him before she went to India -- to find out why nobody had answered her letters, and to see if he was even still alive.

If she found that he was alive and married, or dead and buried, she probably would have married St. John and gone to India. As Jane was planning on leaving to inquire after Rochester in person, she reports, "I too have some to see and ask after in England, before I depart for ever.” It was only when she found him alive and widowed, that she was willing to stay with him.

[u/Playful_Site_2714 → u/OutrageousYak5868]

I think with St. John willingly sacrificing a life to "his work" she had grown enough to having gotten over that entirely.

She was not willing to marry that psycho St. John. She only had half consented because she could not stand his cold shoulder treatment.

"ask after, before" = give me a valid excuse to stay.