1. Discuss Jane’s major internal and external conflicts in these chapters. What is your assessment of Jane based on these conflicts and her responses to them? What is your assessment of Rochester?
I think Jane is going under more emotional stress then external stress. Although not quite new, she is still adjusting to the different lifestyle in Thornfield. She is then also struggling with her feelings of love, which becomes especially tricky considering she believes he is to be married. She is then also pressured with marriage, and the arrangements. On top of all of this, she is puzzled by Bertha.
The story so far has built Jane up to be a very introverted person. She is not used to attention or a multitude of people being around her. Simply, she didn’t grow up in that world. She is used to blending into a crowd, however now so much is happening around her that she doesn’t know how to react. It is more or less like a sensory over-load for her, she doesn’t know what to do with herself.
Rochester is very affectionate towards Jane, there is a sense that he does have feelings for her. He always is flattering her, whether it succeeds or not he is happy.
[I think however, Jane should be careful. I think they love the idea of each other. Rochester likes that Jane is unique and different, she isn’t a lady that you could meet in the city. Jane loves the idea of love, she feel in love with the feeling and not the person. There may be a basic connection there, but I don’t believe it is something that will hold. ]
Examine Jane’s love for Rochester. Has it had a negative or positive impact on her life and her character?
Jane has never had the emotional intimacy that she is now sharing with Rochester. She isn’t used to the attention, and I think it is causing her stress because she doesn’t know how to react in such a situation. She has always been the quiet, introvert so this can also be a good thing and teach her how to come out of her shell a little more.
She has also had to deal with confusion. Jane left Thornfield after she found out that Rochester was married. After this she ended up in a distant cousins home, where she heard Rochester confess his love for her. All of this at one time is definitely a lot to take in, especially for Jane. This is the third “home” she has moved into, and then a man whom is married tells her he is deeply in love with her.
Later, Jane heads back to Thornfield only to find it burnt down and Rochester physically injured. She also finds out that his wife died in the fire and now they can marry without complications.
Though these chapters, Jane is confused, hurt and stressed. She has so much going on emotionally that she can no longer absorb anything more. Therefore, she can not properly react to them. I think that her love for Rochester is both good and bad. Good because she is now understanding that level of emotional intimacy. Bad due to the fact that is causing her emotional turmoil that she could otherwise avoid.
[personally I would assume that Jane would not marry Rochester, even though she is in love with him, because his wife has just died. I would have thought she would give a nice amount of time for healing and then revisit the topic. To me, Jane seemed as if she were someone who would feel un-comfortable with the idea of marrying someone who had their spouse die]
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