I am done. Yeah!
I love the ending of this book. Jane and Rochester, reunited and married. I’m so glad Jane managed to put St. John off long enough to get up her courage to go back to Thornfield and look for Rochester, even if he might still be married to Bertha.
A couple of things about the end of the book. The first thing is when Jane hears Rochester call her name after another head-to-head with St. John. It’s physically impossible, so I have two ideas to explain it. First, it’s Jane imagining it. She’s under such emotional stress that her subconscious may be trying to get her out of it. What puts the kibosh on this is that Rochester later admits that he called out for her one night at Ferndean, and heard her answer. So, solution number two, it was a kind of magic. Something, Jane thinks Nature (nature personified) wants them to be together, and lets both Jane and Rochester know of each other’s longing.
Second thing about the end of the book: I forget where I heard this, but someone once said that Rochester’s maiming from the fire is a natural conclusion for a Byronic hero. And Rochester has all the hallmarks of a Byronic hero–moody, dark, has a love of lonely places and a certain disregard for the rules. According to that person, a Byronic hero has to fall.
I kind of agree, but I think this idea puts the emphasis on the wrong thing. I think Rochester’s personality had to change before he and Jane could have as significant and as lasting a relationship as they have. Like Jane points out, he would always have been the dominant one, dressing her and decorating her like a doll, parading her around. He would have made her change, and that would have made her unhappy and, eventually I think, angry. But after the fire, Rochester is much humbled, and that makes him able (more likely forced) to set aside and let someone else take charge.
So, that’s all for Jane Eyre. It’s always a fun read. The next book I might tackle is Dicken’s Great Expectations, but I may take a break and read some popular fiction first.