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Post by elizaneights on Nov 16, 2015 21:47:43 GMT
Jane and Bertha both don't like the oppression they are facing, but Jane knows exactly how she feels about it and how she wants to deal with it. She uses her passion to get the independence, love, and place in society that she desires. She is very clear about what she wants and is able to describe this and think of a way to deal with it. Jane has very specific goals that she is set on achieving and because of her stubbornness and passion, nobody can stop her. Bertha differs from this in that she struggles to even recognize the oppression she is facing, let alone explain it. There is much less that Bertha has the power to do, and she feels hopeless and defenseless throughout Wide Sargasso Sea, which is in sharp contrast with Jane's ability to resist oppression. Bertha did not fight back against her unloving mother who rejected her multiple times or Rochester when he told her he didn't love her. She simply accepted that they didn't love her and let it go. Bertha did not appear to blame them and is looking for acceptance but has trouble finding it. Jane, when put in similar situations, such as with St. John, does what is best for her, which is leaving him and marrying Rochester. Bertha lacks this passion that drives Jane and allows Rochester, who also loves passionately, to love her instead of Bertha. She accepts the patriarchal society and although she doesn't like it, she does little to change it. I thought it was interesting that the use of dichotomy between Bertha and Jane highlights the different types of feminism and the different personality traits of both characters and how they affected their final outcomes. Bertha ended up going mad and being locked in an attic for years, which is obviously not a good way to live, but Jane, who fought back strongly against stereotypes, found love and happiness. I also found it interesting that in today's society, standing up for what you believe in and fighting against your oppressors is considered a good thing, which may partially be a result of characters such as Jane in literature.
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Post by danvolpone on Nov 21, 2015 15:03:14 GMT
Is it possible that Jane fled Thornfield because she felt like she needed to escape? After learning that Bertha, Rochester's wife, is kept locked up, and she feared that if she did not leave she would eventually be oppressed and locked up as well. It seems likely that Jane, who wants independence and control, would also go crazy if she was oppressed. If so, could the only difference between the two be that Jane was able to escape Rochester's oppression, while Bertha Mason was not? And would Jane return to Rochester if she had not gained enough money to not be dependent on Rochester and therefore not allow him to oppress her? I'm blowing my own mind this is crazy.
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Post by sydniemarkowitz on Nov 21, 2015 15:24:18 GMT
Is it possible that Jane fled Thornfield because she felt like she needed to escape? After learning that Bertha, Rochester's wife, is kept locked up, and she feared that if she did not leave she would eventually be oppressed and locked up as well. It seems likely that Jane, who wants independence and control, would also go crazy if she was oppressed. If so, could the only difference between the two be that Jane was able to escape Rochester's oppression, while Bertha Mason was not? And would Jane return to Rochester if she had not gained enough money to not be dependent on Rochester and therefore not allow him to oppress her? I'm blowing my own mind this is crazy. Dan, I think you make a fantastic point. The only real difference that is shown between Bertha and Jane really is that Jane was able to get away from Rochester before he had the chance to control her. If Jane never ran away to find herself, we as the reader have no idea what would have happened. Maybe what Rochester needs is an independent woman, and Jane sees that. If Jane didn't become independent before returning to Rochester, there is no doubt in my mind that he would have just stuck her up in the attic, although he did claim to love her. We will never know. Great point. |
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Post by hopekim on Nov 23, 2015 0:26:26 GMT
Is it possible that Jane fled Thornfield because she felt like she needed to escape? After learning that Bertha, Rochester's wife, is kept locked up, and she feared that if she did not leave she would eventually be oppressed and locked up as well. It seems likely that Jane, who wants independence and control, would also go crazy if she was oppressed. If so, could the only difference between the two be that Jane was able to escape Rochester's oppression, while Bertha Mason was not? And would Jane return to Rochester if she had not gained enough money to not be dependent on Rochester and therefore not allow him to oppress her? I'm blowing my own mind this is crazy. Dan, I think you make a fantastic point. The only real difference that is shown between Bertha and Jane really is that Jane was able to get away from Rochester before he had the chance to control her. If Jane never ran away to find herself, we as the reader have no idea what would have happened. Maybe what Rochester needs is an independent woman, and Jane sees that. If Jane didn't become independent before returning to Rochester, there is no doubt in my mind that he would have just stuck her up in the attic, although he did claim to love her. We will never know. Great point. But the differences in the way Mr. Rochester treated Bertha and Jane (not listening to Bertha vs. actually proposing to Jane) don't give a little bit of doubt that maybe he would have treated Jane right but always with a secret? This continuation might even say something about the men during the time period, or i guess lack of saying something! Men cheated and were involved with multiple men but were not put into categories like women. So, although I think that Jane would have definitely been treated better, she would have been with a sleezy (although not in the eyes of society) man had the truth not come out. |
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