An insane, Creole woman, Bertha represents British fears of both foreigners and women. Part human, part beast, Bertha is Jane’s double, representing all of her rage and anger over the loss of identity the marriage promises to bring.
What does Bertha Mason symbolize?
Bertha is a symbol for many cultures exploited and repressed by the British Empire. Brontë writing Bertha as the “mad woman” represents the fear that the English had if miscegenation was to occur between the British and “other” cultures.
What role does Bertha play in the novel?
She is the source of the mysterious, mocking laugh that Jane hears as she stands on the battlements of Thornfield Hall, desperate for freedom from domestic routine: she is responsible for setting fire to Mr Rochester’s bed, attacking Mr Mason, and tearing Jane’s veil on the eve of her wedding.
How does Bertha affect Jane Eyre?
She impedes Jane’s happiness, but she also catalyses the growth of Jane’s self-understanding. The mystery surrounding Bertha establishes suspense and terror to the plot and the atmosphere. Further, Bertha serves as a remnant and reminder of Rochester’s youthful libertinism.
What mental illness does Bertha Mason have?
During this period of enhanced recognition of what is now termed Huntington disease, Charlotte Brontë wrote Jane Eyre, which was published in 1847 and featured the enigmatic “woman in the attic,” Bertha Antoinetta Mason. Mason suffered from a progressive and familial psychiatric illness with violent movements.
Why does Mr Rochester call her Bertha?
Rochester refers to Antoinette as “Bertha” as a way of ensuring that she surrenders into his idea of a woman, as opposed to who she truly is.
How did Bertha reveal her jealous nature?
Bertha sees this desire of Rochester’s to marry Jane as a direct threat to herself as Mr Rochester’s first wife. Bertha’s jealous rage is presented by Bronte in the destructive fires that Bertha lights. In Bertha’s final and successful attempt to burn down Thornfield, she starts the fire in Jane’s old room.
How is Bertha a foil to Jane Eyre?
She may also be seen as the foil to Jane Eyre herself, the image of what could become of Jane were she to fail to master her will and her passions. Finally, Bertha can be viewed as the mirror through which Jane and Rochester create the ideal image of themselves.
What type of character is Bertha Mason?
Rochester depicts Mason as an exotic, dangerous temptress, incapable of modesty, intelligent conversation, or the domesticity 19th century England so cherished. He repeatedly emphasizes her failure to conform to his values: “…
Why does Bertha RIP Jane’s veil?
Jane hates Rochester dolling her up like a princess, so Bertha rips up her veil for her.
What do Bertha and Jane have in common?
Alike to Jane, Bertha has a passionate nature too. At Jane’s first sight her appearance was described as “the fiery eye glared upon me-she thrust up her candle close to my face… I was aware of her lurid visage flamed over mine…”(p. 425) Bertha is described with the same fire as Jane is.
Did Rochester ever love Bertha?
Bertha was also compelled into marrying Rochester in order to maintain rights over her own property, which is also one of the reasons why Rochester wanted to marry her, the other being her great beauty. However she never received the kind of love and affection she deserved.
Can Rochester and Bertha get divorced?
Mr. Rochester states in the book that he couldn’t divorce her precisely because she was insane. The implication might have been that his wife’s family was richer and more influential than he was. Insanity wasn’t legal grounds for divorce, probably something to do with “in sickness and in health”.
What is the terrible secret in Jane Eyre?
Jane Eyre is a powerful novel with many secrets in the storyline between the characters. One of the most shocking secrets was finding out that Rochester has a wife. Since his older brother would inherit his father’s fortune, Rochester needed to secure his own future with a marriage for the sake of money, not love.
Who is the villain in Jane Eyre?
John Reed
John Reed is a villain in Charlotte Bronte’s literary classic Jane Eyre. He is Jane’s abusive and greedy cousin and the son of Mrs. Reed.
Why did Rochester’s father want him to marry Bertha?
When we sat down again with Rochester, he told us that his father did not want to divide his estate between his children and left everything to his eldest son and because of this, his father sent him to Jamaica to meet Bertha. At the time, Bertha was beautiful and was supposed to inherit a huge fortune.
How did Bertha become mad?
The sexual repression, social isolation and emotional trauma that Bertha undergoes after being betrayed and cheated on by Rochester are shown by Jean Rhys in Wide Sargasso Sea as reasons responsible for Bertha’s (supposed) madness.
Is Bertha Mason a victim?
Bertha Mason, Antoinette, was a victim of patriarchy and colonialism. She was a woman being oppressed and a victim who could not speak for herself. Both Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea represent the voice of women in any historical period of protesting patriarchy and oppression.
Is Bertha a sympathetic character?
Rhys’ novel portrays Bertha as a much more humane, sympathetic, and nuanced character than she is depicted to be in Jane Eyre. In Wide Sargasso Sea, Bertha is born as Antoinette Cosway.
What does Rochester’s blindness symbolize?
Symbolically, Rochester’s blindness means that he must depend on Jane now, shifting the power balance in their relationship.
How might Rochester’s wife Bertha be Jane’s doppelganger?
Bertha is locked as tightly in her secluded room as Jane is locked into her subordinate life, and even in the literal prison of the red room. Society perceives these two characters, and in fact the characters perceive themselves, in a similar way.