CC - X: Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre : Mr. Rochester's character

 

Jane's employer and the master of Thornfield, Mr. Rochester is a Byronic hero. He is a wealthy, passionate man with a dark secret that provides much of the novel's suspense. He has some qualities which are anti-heroic. He is physically dark and stern, rough in appearance, sudden in action and unpolitic in speech. In fact, he is unconventional, ready to set aside polite manners, propriety and consideration of social class in order to interact with Jane frankly and directly. He is rash and impetuous and his problems are partly the result of his own recklessness. He has led a life of vice, and many of his actions in the course of the novel are less than commendable. 

                             Charlotte Bronte's account of Mr. Rochester's character is very striking-"Mr. Rochester has a thoughtful nature and a very feeling heart; he is neither selfish nor self-indulgent; he is ill-educated, misguided; errs, when he does err, through rashness and inexperience...He is taught the severe lessons of experience and has sense to learn wisdom from them. Years improve his; the effervescence of youth foamed away, what is really good in him still remains. His nature is like a wine of good vintage; time cannot sour, but only mellows him...".    

                                Mr. Rochester is a very unhappy man at the very beginning of the novel. At a very young age, his father and elder brother tricked him into his marriage with Bertha Mason so that he should get her dowry of ,30,000. When he discovers that she is insane, he has to bear the responsibility of this alone, and only brings her to Thornfield when his brother dies and the house is left to him. He then runs away abroad to forget his troubles by leading an immoral life, but the knowledge of Bertha's existence haunts him and his shady life only helps him to turn bitter. Obliviously, he appears as a sympathetic figure because he has suffered for so long as a result of his early marriage to Bertha. He is tormented by his awareness of his past sins and misdeeds. At the same time, he makes genuine efforts to atone for his behavior. For example, although he does not believe that he is Adele's natural father, he adopts her as his ward and sees that she is well cared for. This adoption may well be an act of atonement for the sins he has committed.

                            He is presented from the outset as rather eccentric. Mrs. Fairfax says that she never knows when he is joking and when he is serious. When Jane first sees him in Hay Lane, after his fall from his horse, she describes him as stern, dark, broad-chested, and rather ugly-not at all the conventional handsome hero. Jane's elfin nature has caught his imagination. He asks many questions about her past life, appreciates her painting, yet dismisses her abruptly as if he has suddenly tired of her. At their next meeting, she refuses to talk on demand and answers him so indepently and honestly that he is charmed by her originality. His pure love for Jane changes him back to the man he was, i.e. calm and self-controlled. He expresses self-disgust at having tried to console himself by having three different mistresses during his travels in Europe and begs Jane to forgive him for these past transgressions. He is certainly aware that in the eyes of both religious and civil authorities, his marriage to Jane before Berth's death would be bigamous. But his action can be understood in respect of his immense love for Jane. However, Mr. Rochester can only atone completely and be forgiven completely after Jane has refused to be his mistress and left him. The destruction of Thornfield by fire finally removes the stain of his past sins; the loss of his left hand and of his eyesight is the price he must pay to atone completely for his sins. Only after this purgation he can be redeemed by Jane's love.

                             Thus, Mr. Rochester has been regarded by many critics as an "impossible character; but we partly share this view. There are certain contradictions in his character-he has basically a jovial, almost gay nature; but outwardly he asumes a look of harshness, even severity. He is an excellent singer, an excellent player on the piano, and an excellent entertainer. He has a strong sense of humour. So, his character remains, in the final analysis, as stormy, equivocal, powerful and attractive.