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Post by carlsonchris on Nov 18, 2015 21:58:41 GMT
Jane and Bertha are both impacted by the places they were born and raised. Jane was born in England while Bertha was born in Jamaica. Bertha was raised in a more free and loving society with the influence of the Natives evident in the Creole culture. She loves nature and is happy while surrounded by the lush growth of the island. On the other hand, Jane is raised in the drab world of Victorian England. She has to deal with a mostly industrialized country with a more mild climate. The climate is reflected in their personalities as Bertha starts off as a promiscuous girl who is very excitable and passionate while Jane seems to be more calm and buttoned up. They also reflect their birthplaces general attitudes with Jane reflecting the independence and strong will that England prizes, while Bertha is searching for love and acceptance by her husband as Jamaica which was a British colony until the 20th century.
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Post by reshmabelur on Nov 19, 2015 22:24:24 GMT
Chris, this is a very interesting interpretation! I could see how introducing Bertha to Victorian society could have driven her mad. This shock could have played a role in her descent into insanity as she is abruptly whisked away to a country where she no longer has social status as a woman and is regarded with little to no respect. In fact, this could also be why Bertha is so dependent on Rochester. Unlike Jane, Bertha was extremely unfamiliar with her new surroundings while Jane had lived in a similar environment for most of her life. Also, the Masons outright turned out Antoinette to Rochester so she had no family in the area. Jane was accustomed to a life of loneliness which could be why she thrived while Bertha suffered.
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Post by joshualiu on Nov 19, 2015 22:48:34 GMT
Chris!! It's cool how you related Jane's and Bertha's birthplaces to their character. I noticed something about Bertha and Jamaica too. Jamaica was a colony owned by Britain, which could symbolize how similarly, Bertha was basically owned by Rochester and that he controlled her.
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Post by ndefilippis on Nov 20, 2015 2:48:44 GMT
Chris, I agree with you that Jane and Bertha's place of birth impact their character. Something I wanted to point out is the change from their birthplace to Thornfield Manor. It is obvious that Thornfield Manor is completely different from Jamaica, which could contribute towards Bertha's descent into insanity. However, do you think that there is a change from Jane's birthplace to Thornfield Hall that impacts her? I think that in Bertha's case, the change was negative, as she went from a loving and caring land to a cold and harsh one that sent her down the "madwoman" path. However, I think Thornfield Hall represents a positive change for Jane, even if it was not extremely positive. For Jane, Thornfield Hall is much better than Gateshead and Lowood, which were cold and harsh, and she felt unloved there. Thornfield Hall, on the other hand, is a place where she finds other people that cherish her. I think that this change helps Jane go towards the "angelic" side of the dichotomy. What do you think?
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pavansuresh
New Member
I am Pavan the Skeptical Elf.
Posts: 26 
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Post by pavansuresh on Nov 21, 2015 2:04:42 GMT
Chris, I agree with you that Jane and Bertha's origins affect their characters. Antoinette/Bertha was atheistic from the get-go; she could never understand the concept of a god, and only based her beliefs on empirical evidence rather than millennia-old scriptures, alienating herself from the vast majority of people in her day. Her attitude is profoundly different from any other person's. Antoinette cannot bring herself to simply surrender to religion and societal demands, and instead rages against them so much that she becomes insane. Their origins were entirely different: Jane's surroundings tried forcing her into submission, while Antoinette's essentially gave her carte blanche with her young life. Jane, after the initial suffering, finds slight solace in Rochester and Thornfield Hall, while Antoinette goes from a freer place to a more constricting one with Rochester. It might not have been their origins that affected them as much as the transition between levels of freedom: Antoinette went down levels, and could not help spiraling out of control of her mind, while Jane went up levels, and kept on growing and learning and loving.
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Post by gerryliu on Nov 21, 2015 20:49:47 GMT
I agree with Nick's perception of how Jane and Bertha's birthplaces affected how they dealt with Rochester and Thornfield. It's very interesting how Jane comes from a harsh environment to a loving one whereas Bertha is completely opposite, a loving to a harsh environment.
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Post by carlsonchris on Nov 23, 2015 3:09:19 GMT
Nick I agree with you how it negatively affects Bertha but I would argue that the switch does not have much effect on Jane. She is still living in the same general area and even at Lowood had a few friends, Miss Temple and Helen Burns, around her. The houses she lived in before just prepare her for the harsh conditions of Thornfield more than the lush paradise that is Jamaica.
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