"She hadda walk inta mine."
Somehow, I think Charlotte Bronte, locked up in her dark, odd house with nothing but paper and ink to amuse herself with, had visions of'Casablanca' dancing in her head, long before the writers of it were born. Despite the virtue of the main character, Bronte pulls her off with startling ease. I find myself admiring Jane her forbearance.
The book focuses around one main theme: how to deal with tragedy. One may well brood and be slightly moody, and even on occasion sigh or rage a bit. but how differently the character behave as a result of the sorrow heaped upon them, than some of the actions we see today.
Jane, whom is born to a loving family that all die off almost straightaway, is taken in by her uncle, a decent, good chap whom unfortunately has a nasty, petulant wife. The wife is intensely envious of the natural affection her husband gives to the little orphan and nags him half to death. The uncle inevitably dies; Jane is labeled as being'a curse' and is sent off to a luridly strict ‘school’, where the students are viewed more as the orphans in a workhouse. They are underfed, over-corrected and treated by the schoolmaster Mr. Brocklehurst with an almost tangible hate. He turns out to be a charlatan of the worst order, using the name of God merely for gain and not out of zeal at all.
Jane suffers more sorrow at the'school', scoldings and lastly that her one good friend, Helen, dies as a result of typhus fever epidemic; the fever breaks out due to the cold rooms, cold meals and thin garments provided, in a country famous for it's cold, dank winters. Along with Helen, several others die; through their deaths, however, Mr. Brocklehurt's neglect comes to light. New overseers come into the picture, ending the embezzlement and torture of the students; conditions vastly improve and the rules are relaxed.
Regardless of all misfortune, Jane exhibits the most remarkable talent a woman can possess: the ability to better herself despite adversity. She tames her temperamental attitude, gives up her bitter feelings, learns to forgive, takes on the mantle of meek servant, learns several languages, reads anything she can get her hands on, leans how to play music and finds a previously unknown joy in drawing and painting. Jane is able to use her patience almost as a weapon of defense and in this skill she saves herself many a social faux-pas. She also develops a keen sense of observation, along with the rare ability to keep her opinions to herself until asked. At a later time, she would have been some CEOs highly valuable executive assistant.
The story picks up eight years after Helen's death. Jane had now been teaching at the school for two years, since her family relations still want nothing to do with her; due to its change in management and rules the school has become a little famous for its able governesses. Mr. Rochester, an eccentric, obscenely wealthy landowner, sends word to the school for a governess for his'ward' (fancy name for illegitimate child in those days) Adele, a charming, sweet little girl. Jane is hired and settles into the echoing mansion with its odd, loyal servants and the mysterious tower room, which appears inhabited by no one but a silent nurse whom goes in and out of with her pint of brew. Jane teaches Adele and finds joy in the innocent smiles of the neglected girl, she'pays it forward' with the attention and affection she was denied as a child.
Another thing I liked about Jane's character is her love of walking outdoors on a moonlit night. She finally meets Mr. Rochester this way after inadvertently causing his horse to stumble; the man sprains his ankle and has to lean upon the slight, rather elfin Jane in order to get back on his horse. She does not know it is him at first, but her observation and serenity skills do her credit in the next scene; she spies the mystery man's dog when she returns to the mansion and connects the dots well. She manages to act as if the whole road-scene did not happen. This mystifies Mr. Rochester to no end and he finds himself intrigued by her.
The man himself is not so handsome, per say, but appears to be manly of face, and though he tries valiantly to hide it, noble of character. He is also complicated of temperament, exacting in taste and highly intelligent, a combination which makes him a bit detestable to his rather stoic peers. Mr. Rochester is rich enough to get away with most of what he does and rather likes answering to no one. He is a man dedicated to riding himself of weakness, abhors shallow people and is impatient with folks possessing meanness of mind… the perfect guy for the patient, compassionate Jane, a girl whom really has never had a happy day in her life and deserves to be loved ardently by a good man.
Slowly, Mr. Rochester begins to like Jane, and then hates himself for liking her, then feels nettled at Jane for existing, then begins to like her again, often all within the same few minutes. She is likewise intrigued by the rather virile nobleman, which is not all that unexpected of a socially deprived female with a natural inclination towards companionship. The fact that they were meant for one another probably helps a great deal, but Bronte shows remarkable patience in not throwing them together right away.
Mr. Rochester, in some embittered, moody fit, decides to test Jane's character by making her jealous; he brings in a beautiful woman, in whom he has no interest in the least, along with her family and some friends for an extended visit. This plan rather backfires on him and he finds himself as desperate as ever to find out what makes Jane tick. I cannot fault Mr. Rochester too much for his toying with Jane’s mind a bit, for he had been burned repeatedly by love and finds it hard to trust. Jane wins him over, though and without really trying, a fact which just makes us admire her further.
I'll not spoil the ending, for it had a few more twists to explore than I can fit in the allocated amount of space. It shall suffice to say that Jane and Mr. Rochester are tested both in ways painful and humbling, and act appropriately. Apart by unavoidable circumstances, each of them shows a more human side by having a moment of stupidity, which leads to circumstances which could have been avoided. The experience tempers something in Mr. Rochester; Jane also finds just a bit of a backbone. She says'no' to one path and re-traces her steps back to the one she loves.
As hard as it is to imagine the time in which this book was written, Bronte's pen still holds in it the powerful story of real love, of pain and sorrow, but also of joy. She did not have to abandon good character or morals for her story to be great. Despite the drama and pains, her characters are filled with the grit and grace life's toils bestow and they choose for the most part wisely, leading to the happy ending they inevitably enjoy.
