He does not consider himself to be married to bertha because. After a moment of inarticulate fury, rochester admits that his wife is alive and that. Bertha is rejected by the man who was supposed to love her. Rochesters wife throughout most of charlotte brontes jane eyre. Bertha mason, edward rochesters first wife the madwoman from. A portrait of bertha mason rochester, the madwoman of my favourite book, jane eyre. Rochester claims that she was drunken and promiscuous and that her excesses. For charlotte bronte, bertha seems to become a strange kind of alterego. On the wedding day however, jane is finally told of rochesters wife bertha living in the north tower. Rochesters first wife, a oncebeautiful creole woman who is ravaged by mental illness and is hidden away, locked up in a lonely room at thornfield. Bertha is kept prisoner in a lonely house on the english moors.
The most wellknown and problematic character in jane eyre is rochesters first wife, who is almost always referred to by her maiden name of bertha mason. Before we actually find out about bertha masons existence, we are aware of her as an uneasy and even threatening presence. Rochester clearly sees her as responsible for her own situation. He tells jane that bertha came of a mad family, with a mother who was a. This information is revealed by mason who turns out to be berthas brother. Even her seeing a shadow of a woman in her rooms is, according to rochester, part of her dream. The book purports to tell antoinettes side of the story, as well as rochesters, and. She is described as the violently insane first wife of edward rochester, who. Many critics have decried brontes delineation of bertha as both a racist and insensitive portrayal of insanity. Bertha mason full name bertha antoinetta mason is a fictional character in charlotte brontes 1847 novel jane eyre. Susan gubar who were so taken by this idea that they called their classic book after her.
She is the source of the mysterious, mocking laugh that jane hears as she stands on the battlements of thornfield hall, desperate for freedom from domestic routine. Charlotte fell in love with an unattainable man constantin heger. But, he promises them all, jane is completely ignorant of berthas existence. Bertha mason is a fictional character in charlotte brontes 1847 novel jane eyre. I dont know if jane eyres bertha rochester really is a baddie. The speaker explains that he is a solicitor from london, and he introduces himself as mr. Bertha antoinetta mason, a creole woman he married fifteen years ago in jamaica. Bertha rochester has always been a fascinating character for me. Jane eyre is a progressive book in many senses far ahead of its. She is described as the violently insane first wife of edward rochester, who moved her to thornfield hall and locked her in a room on the third floor the 1966 parallel novel wide sargasso sea by jean rhys serves as a prequel to brontes novel. Rochester attempts to proceed with the ceremony, but the stranger explains that rochester is already marriedhis wife is a creole woman whom rochester wed fifteen years earlier in jamaica. Why is rochester s wife bertha so often referred to as bertha mason shouldnt it be bertha rochester.
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