What Does Bertha Mason Symbolism In Jane Eyre?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,

Bertha Mason symbolizes the passionate and emotional side of Jane . The side English society has been telling her to suppress and deny for her whole life.

How does Jane Eyre compare to Bertha Mason?

Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason can be compared and contrasted easily by showing the way they act in various situations in the novel. ... Bertha, on the other hand, would let everyone know what she was feeling by her actions. Both Jane and Bertha had some of the same feelings about how their life was at that time.

What does Bertha Mason symbolize in Jane Eyre?

Bertha Mason is a complex presence in Jane Eyre. She impedes Jane’s happiness , but she also catalyses the growth of Jane’s self-understanding. ... Further, Bertha serves as a remnant and reminder of Rochester’s youthful libertinism. Yet Bertha can also be interpreted as a symbol.

How is symbolism used in Jane Eyre?

Fire is a frequent symbol in the novel that develops various meanings throughout. It represents passion, destruction, as well as comfort. Jane Eyre as a character is full of passions that she cannot always control and the fire helps represent this aspect of her identity.

What happens to Bertha Mason in Jane Eyre?

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.

What mental illness does Bertha Mason have?

A quarter of a century before the reading of Huntington’s essay “On chorea,” Brontë depicted Bertha Mason in Jane Eyre, a woman suffering from a familial disorder with prominent behavioral and cognitive decline with violent movements , likely culminating in suicide.

Is Bertha Mason mixed race?

Another source of complexity is Bertha’s ethnicity. She is a Creole , the daughter of a white European settler in the West Indies.

Did Bertha Mason have syphilis?

In the novel ‘Jane Eyre’, Bertha Mason showed all of these symptoms: biking, stabbing, walking on all fours ,grunting, etc... The more plausible explanation would be the fact that she was suffering from a mental illness that was affecting her brain, Syphilis .

Is Bertha a foil to Jane?

Bertha is both a foil and mirror to Jane Eyre . She represents the angry self that Jane has rejected and repressed as an adult. Yet Jane had been like Bertha as a child, acting out in rage against patriarchy and imprisoned in the red-room, just as the rage-filled Bertha is imprisoned in the Thornfield attic.

Is Grace Poole Bertha Mason?

Grace Poole is Bertha Mason’s keeper at Thornfield , whose drunken carelessness frequently allows Bertha to escape. When Jane first arrives at Thornfield, Mrs. Fairfax attributes to Grace all evidence of Bertha’s misdeeds.

Is Adele Mr 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. ... Rochester doesn’t believe Adèle is his, and Jane emphasizes that Adèle bears no resemblance to Rochester.

What does Adele symbolize in Jane Eyre?

Adèle is Jane’s pupil at Thornfield , a little French girl just under ten years old, the daughter of Céline Varens (an opera dancer who was Rochester’s mistress). She’s creepily precocious. Mostly, Adèle is an opportunity for Jane to show her teaching skills and her compassion.

What does Rochester do in response to his bed being burned?

Give it here!” ( He throws it on the burning bed curtains to stomp out the fire . Then he uses it to smother the rest of the flames.) Notice that Rochester does not have water splashed in his face or on any other part of him.

Is Jane Eyre rich at the end?

This ending culminates Jane’s quest for stability and happiness. From childhood, Jane depended on the good will of others due to her lack of family and wealth. Now, Jane’s fortune has reversed . In her marriage to Rochester, he must depend on Jane for sight, and she possesses her own fortune.

Why does Rochester call her Bertha?

Rochester refers to Antoinette as “Bertha” as a way of ensuring that she surrenders into his idea of a woman , as opposed to who she truly is.

Why is Jane Eyre afraid of the Red Room?

For Jane, the red room is a place of terror, one where she thinks she sees monsters and demons. The red room represents Jane’s fear of her own anger and power . ... The young Jane is stubborn and quick to anger. She has a powerful sense of right and wrong.

Maria LaPaige
Author
Maria LaPaige
Maria is a parenting expert and mother of three. She has written several books on parenting and child development, and has been featured in various parenting magazines. Maria's practical approach to family life has helped many parents navigate the ups and downs of raising children.