Mettle vs. Madness

The contrast of Bertha Mason and Jane Eyre

The monstrous as an institution becomes subtle in the context of a work like Jane Eyre. As a central theme we find Jane Eyre confined by society struggling to fight her way to independence through patriarchy and male domination. She ultimately succeeds and through a mixture of grit and cunning ends the novel with a level of independence that was shocking to the readers of the day. To achieve her end she is forced to go outside of the traditional limits of society. In Jane Eyre there are two prominent women who find themselves outside of Victorian societal norms, Jane the protagonist and Bertha the unfortunate wife of Mr. Rochester. One is a feminist ideal, an early example of how to push the boundaries and achieve goals outside of traditional roles. The other is an example of just how dangerous pushing societies boundaries can be. Jane and Bertha are different sides of the same coin and represent opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of what could become of women who strayed beyond traditional roles. Perhaps more deeply they represent Victorian guidelines, according to Bronte, on how to approach independence and dissent through Pragmatist Feminism to achieve ends in the world that exists.

To approach this topic during this time period Bronte needed a certain subtlety. Feminism as a conversation was in its embryonic phases when Bronte wrote this novel and as such Bronte includes it quietly. This subtlety allows Bronte the scope to approach the topic without immediately alienating her audience. As such while Bronte challenges traditional gender roles she adheres to many other stereotypes of the time to maintain a commonality with her readership. Whether intentional or not it is important for the contemporary reader to spot these places where Bronte is writing in her time even when the perspectives have been debunked today. Acknowledging her shortcomings allow us to weed through the chaff to the deeper meaning underneath.

One of these major areas, which is discussed later in more specificity as it applies to characters, is the subject of phrenology. In the mid-late 1800’s there was a surge of “scientific” discovery that attributed traits to features. Appreciating this as a science of the day provides a lens through which to view Jane Eyre. Bronte spends copious amounts of time describing characters, particularly facial features or how they speak. To readers today this has the potential to look like attention to detail or a way to really involve a reader with a text. Understanding that to an 18th century audience a person described with a “wide nose,” or “deep set eyes,” would mean something about their character allows the audience to approach the text in a more complete way. The following image is from the American Phrenological journal. Each section of the head has a different attribute and a person with pronounced features, wherever they happened to be was thought to have corresponding character traits. While Bronte avoids the science of phrenology this image is representative of the intricacy of the theory and when it is appreciated as a pervasive component of society Bronte’s character descriptions take on a whole new meaning.

Jeffrey Cohen’s third Thesis on monsters is that “The Monster is the Harbinger of Category Crises.” He states that “because of it’s ontological liminality, the monster notoriously appears at times of crisis as a kind of third term that problematizes the clash of extremes.” (Cohen 6) As Jane approaches an important decision in her life, her marriage to Rochester, she discovers Bertha. Attributing ontological liminality to Bertha is not much of a stretch, she is not literally supernatural but for Jane through the beginning stages of the novel Bertha is more of a specter than a character. A vision of the dark side of what she could become if she strays into the darker forms of defiance and rebellion. Bertha in this sense very literally problematizes a clash of extremes for Jane. On the one hand she could adhere and conform to a traditional compliant role and marry Rochester. All the more submissive due to the complications unearthed by Bertha’s very existence. On the other she could stick to her personal principles and escape into a world where she is without any traditionally necessary protection or resources. The reader finds in Bertha, briefly but distinctly, the first option. As a harbinger of a moment of crisis Bertha is Jane’s foil, representing the agonizing alternative to escape, maddening and permanent confinement.

Jane and Bertha are also extremes in terms of their approach to defiance. Jane chooses rationality Bertha defies with madness. Rochester tells Jane of Bertha’s vices and implies her promiscuity, “whatever topic I started immediately received from her a turn at once coarse and trite, perverse and imbecile.” (Bronte 396) He explains, “Her excesses had prematurely developed the germs of insanity.” (Bronte 397) Jane on the other hand approaches her defiance with more subtlety. As it applies to Rochester, even early in their courtship, Jane defies through design rather than vulgarity. “From less to more, I worked him up to considerable irritation; then, after he had retired, in dudgeon, quite to the other end of the room I got up, and saying “I wish you goodnight sir,” in my natural and wonted respectful manner, I slipped outside the side-door and got away.” (Bronte 360) In as strong a sense as Bertha Jane is defying Rochester in this scene, but where Bertha clashes Jane relates. This dynamic in some respects is one of the subtler and more interesting that Bronte discusses. Jane is given no less agency, or power, than Bertha, yet she approaches her dissent as a relationship rather than a power dynamic. Jane’s affinity for shaping her resistance based on the individual essaying to assert dominance is shown again in her refusal of St. John. Instead of the almost coquettish way she exerts influence with Rochester with St. John she approaches her resistance far more directly. In response to his secondary marriage proposal she responds, “Formerly,” I answered, “because you did not love me; now I reply because you almost hate me. If I were to marry you, you would kill me. You are killing me now.” (Bronte 512) With St. John she is far more direct and honest, as fits their relationship. There are two ways to take this fine differentiation, although they are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Either, in order to defy men in Victorian society Jane had to adapt her responses to their tastes and personalities in order to achieve some modicum of personal agency. Or, maybe, these subtleties are representative of relationships that go deeper than power dynamics. In either case Jane, in complete polarity with Berta, manages to maintain her independence through conversation rather than fits of rage.

A potentially contemporarily detrimental commentary on the differences between Jane and Bertha is their physical appearance. While Bronte is never explicit about Bertha’s race she is described physically in complete contrast with Jane. Regardless of her ethnicity Carol Atherton tells us in the British Libraries, “even as a white Creole Bertha would have been seen as ‘alien.’ In the 18th and 19th centuries, many European writers in the West Indies sought to associate Creoles with the native Caribbean population, as a way of distancing them from ‘civilised’ Europeans.” (Atherton: Figure of Bertha Mason)

This image or Bertha Mason drawn by Edmund Garett for an 1897 edition of Jane Eyre begins to demonstrate the juxtaposition of Jane and Bertha. As the text surrounding the image suggests Bertha Mason is described in her first encounter with Jane in terms far less than flattering. The text and this illustration still seem to apply some ambiguity to the subject of Bertha’s race but her demeanor is still in sharp contrast to the images of Jane.

In a time of phrenology and physiognomy Rochester frankly puts the differences between Jane and Bertha into sharp relief. “Compare these clear eyes with the red balls yonder- this face with that mask- this form with that bulk.” (Bronte 381) As a product of its time this borderline xenophobic narrative further builds the case against Bertha Mason and distinguishes her from Jane. Either as a cause or effect, Bronte uses appearance as another tool to accentuate the juxtaposition between Jane and Bertha and as such a component in their respective fates.

The visual differences between Jane and Bertha are again represented in this image of Jane and Mr. Rochester in the moment when they discover their feelings for one another. As depicted here Jane has the reserved body language and demeanor that Bertha so clearly lacks. Where Bertha is thrusting the candle in the air in a gesture almost violent Jane sits primly by Mr. Rochester. As a side note ironically the almost demure nature of Jane in this image is contrary to some of the deeper implications of the novel. While Jane Eyre is represented in the work as independent, and the work as a whole was a catalyst for feminism that is poorly represented in this image. While hopefully avoiding reading too much into it her timid posture in this pictures strikes me as something Charlotte Bronte may not have intended. Taking the next step the illustrator, as a 19th century man, may have simply adhered to the stereotypes of the day and depicted Jane in this meek way.

The disparity in character of the two women does not seem particularly powerful until they are compared in terms of their destiny in the novel. Both Bertha and Jane face many of the same forms of confinement and oppression. Generally speaking with the single overwhelming source of antiquated patriarchal society. While Bertha becomes literally confined, Jane herself finds herself powerless in much of the novel, a metaphorical confinement just as poignant as Bertha’s own vulnerability. Ultimately both women escape, but in drastically different manner. Jane finds herself as an independent and entirely self-sufficient woman. She marries the man she loves for love and far from being infantilized or dependent she finds herself in a position of necessity for Rochester, a significant and powerful role reversal. By the end of the book Jane is no longer confined by traditional societal bonds, other than the ones she chooses of her own free will and from a position of power. Bertha on the other hand finds herself leaping from the roof of a burning building. Bertha’s fate almost speaks for itself when compared to Jane’s, especially in terms of the dynamic between the two. For her faults and bellicose approach to resistance Bertha’s only escape was death. Bronte describes in these two women two very different approaches and results to resisting the pressures of society. Her goals alone were progressive for the time, but the success of Jane Eyre, the individual, shook the Victorian world, and maintains its relevance today.

Sources:

Atherton, Carol. “The Figure of Bertha Mason.” Discovering Literature: Romantics and Victorians. British Library, n.d. Web.

Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Peterborough, Ont.: Broadview, 1999. Print.

Cohen, Jeffrey J. Monster Culture (Seven Theses). University of Minnesota Press. N.p., n.d. Web.

Fowler, O. S. “The American Phrenological Journal.” Harvard Internet Archive. A. Waldie, 29 Nov. 2006. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.

Richmond, George. “Charlotte Brontë — Author of Jane Eyre.” Charlotte Bronte. The British Library, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.

Whipps, Judy, “Pragmatist Feminism”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2013 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.)