Why did Rochester lock up Bertha?

In the novel, Mason was the former wife of Edward Rochester and she was kept locked up in the attic because she was 'mad'. But Bertha Mason, a woman of courage and fortitude, should be admired and respected for her actions rather than being given the term 'madwoman in the attic'.

Why did Mr Rochester lock up his wife?

And his wife is locked in the attic. Yikes. Bertha Mason, Rochester's first wife, was a beautiful Creole woman from Jamaica, who Rochester married years ago before she had a mental breakdown and, naturally, had to be locked in the attic forever.

Why does Rochester keep Bertha at Thornfield?

He resolved to place Bertha at Thornfield Hall “in safety and comfort: [to] shelter her degradation with secrecy, and leave her.” Rochester then drifted around the continent from one city to the next, always in search of a woman to love. When he was met with disappointment, he sank into debauchery.

Why did Rochester not divorce Bertha?

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".

How was Rochester tricked into marrying Bertha?

Bertha seemed to be a dazzling woman and Rochester was aroused by her. He mistook this lust for love. Before he knew it, they were married.

Mr Rochester, Bertha Mason, Mrs Rochester, & NAMES | Charlotte Brontë JANE EYRE novel analysis

Did Mr. Rochester cheat on Bertha?

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.

What mental illness did 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.

How long was Rochester married Bertha?

Bertha is diagnosed as insane and kept in a locked room. After four years of marriage, Rochester takes Bertha back to England and confines her at Thornfield with Grace Poole as her nurse and jailer.

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.

Is Adele Rochester's daughter?

Adèle is Mr. Rochester's ward and the daughter of Céline Varens. Céline was Rochester's mistress during his time in France, but Rochester cut her off after discovering Céline cheating with another man. Céline claims Adèle is his daughter, but the truth of his paternity remains ambiguous.

Did Mr. Rochester sleep with Amelie?

Amélie, Antoinette's maid at Granbois, sleeps with Rochester after he is poisoned by Antoinette. But she's not just a saucy vixen. Like Tia, she taunts Antoinette with racist slurs, and Rochester notes a disturbing similarity between her features and Antoinette's.

What is Mr. Rochester secret?

He also has a dark secret: that of his first marriage to Bertha Mason. Mr. Rochester hides his first wife on the third floor of Thornfield because she is insane.

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.

Was Mr. Rochester abusive?

Known as one of literature's most romantic figures, Charolette Bronte's Mr. Rochester has been viewed favorably in history despite his flaws. Bronte's Jane Eyre displays him as a controlling, abusive man, and yet it is all forgiven because of his love for Jane Eyre.

Did Mr. Rochester manipulate Jane?

Rochester tries to trick Jane into stating that she loves him, however she doesn't budge on an answer and he reveals himself. In the end, Jane realizes that all Rochester said was true, she loves him. Bronte also uses a simile to describe Mr.

Is Rochester in love with Jane?

The relationship between Jane Eyre and Edward Fairfax Rochester plays a major part in the novel of Jane Eyre, as Rochester turns out to be the love of Jane's life.

Why does Rochester dress up as a gypsy?

In posing as a gypsy woman, Rochester is assuming an ambiguous role — a position of both gender and class inferiority.

What is the most famous line in Jane Eyre?

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will.”

Why does Rochester love Jane?

Rochester furthermore admires the dark, passionate spirit that so alienated Jane throughout her childhood, appreciating her watercolors of supernatural subjects and admiring her outspokenness. In Chapter 22, Jane observes that she views Rochester as her home, emphasizing this kinship she feels with him.

What is the age gap between Jane and Rochester?

seldom allow their affections to centre on those who are below them in social position." How To Behave does show how potentially scandalous Rochester's decision to marry Jane was — not because he was close to twenty years her senior, but because she was of a distinctly lower rank.

Does Mr. Rochester love Bertha?

Despite not loving her, Rochester attempts to save Bertha from a fire she starts in the house when she again escapes. Bertha dies after throwing herself off the roof, leaving her husband free to marry Jane.

Why did not Rochester legally marry with Jane?

Rochester and Jane cannot be married because Rochester is already married to Bertha Antoinetta Mason.

Why did Bertha set the house on fire?

Bertha uses fire to destroy the room where Jane, who stole Bertha's husband's love, lived. Fire symbolizes Bertha's unrestrained passions and madness. The inferno represents the fatal consequences of Rochester's secrets. He loses his eyes, symbols of his pride and power, as punishment from God.

What does Bertha symbolize in Jane Eyre?

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.

Is Rochester blind at the end of Jane Eyre?

After having a vision of Rochester, Jane returns to Thornfield to discover that Bertha has burned the mansion down, leaving Rochester blind and disfigured. With Bertha dead, Jane agrees to marry Rochester. This ending culminates Jane's quest for stability and happiness.