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?
This picture signifies the saying 'caught between a rock and a hard place'. I chose this saying due to the fact that Jane continuously struggles with the concept of love, and trust. She's fallen madly in love with Rochester, but she's torn due to his lie/ his secret. There is no doubt that Jane's life has improved, but her inner conflict is directly related to the fact that she can't necessarily trust Rochester, even though she desires to.
Examine Jane’s love for Rochester. Has it had a negative or positive impact on her life and her character?
I believe that Jane’s life has become a lot more fulfilling due to the love she shares with Rochester. After conversing with him upon several occasions, she begins to slowly fall in love with him, without being aware of it. Due to these feelings, Jane becomes fuller as a person, and becomes happier in the presence of her new situation. I believe that the conversations, and talks she has with Rochester contribute to her pursuit of equality, and respect within her own life, because Rochester doesn’t ever belittle her, or make her feel inferior. She continuously looks forward to meeting with him, and she tells him…”wherever you are is my home—my only home.” This indicates a sense of belonging and acceptance.
Although Jane is intimidated by Rochester’s secret, I don’t believe that he would ever intentionally manipulate, or use Jane. His secrets contribute to his unreliability, but this doesn’t mean that it has any sort of negative affect upon their love. Furthermore, the love Jane has for Rochester influences and affects her in a positive way, due to the fact that he continuously makes her happy…a concept that she was never exposed to throughout her youth.
I enjoyed how you related your picture back to the book. But i do not agree with how you said, Rochester's secrets do not affect the relationship between him and Jane. I believe that relationship must be built on trust, which clearly they do not have. Although i do agree that Rochester has made Jane's life more fulfilling. She seems to have blossomed into her real self after moving into his household.
ReplyDeleteI believe your picture is a good representation of the conflict Jane experiences during her stay within Thornfield. Mr. Rochester and her develop a strong bond that in some forms seems to be love. But I do think that once you read further into the text you can extract the idea that Jane might not truly be in love with Rochester. She has, of course, never experienced loved in any kind of form. The family she lived with never allowed her to feel love, and when Rochester started to be so kind to her and smother her with all of his feelings for her I believe she fell into the misconception that she was in love with him.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that Jane is doing a good job keeping her distance from Rochester on certain occasions and I think it would have been wise for her to take Mrs. Fairfax's advice, although I too in my response wrote the opposite.
I agree with you that Rochester has had a positive impact on Jane, but I think that she might just believe she is in love with him, when she really is not. Overall I enjoyed reading your response and getting to know your perspective of Jane.