Insanity In Jane Eyre

Jane and Bertha Mason are doubles and to say otherwise is incorrect. Both Bertha and Jane go through some form of mistreatment or oppression at some point in the novel. When young Jane remained at Gateshead she was often abused by her cousin John Eyre; she had enough of him and fought back calling him a “wicked and cruel boy” (11) her retaliation was described by one of the maids as a “picture of passion” (11). As punishment she was locked into the Red Room. This parallels Bertha since she was locked into the attic for behaving like a “madwoman” in the eyes of Rochester. Both characters are discarded, Jane is said to feel like a “nobody there [Gateshead]” (47), she had no real relation with her cousins besides being blood relatives but they

Jane is depicted with warm, fiery imagery that represents her passionate spirit; It is evident that Jane often disagrees with people who come across as cold, with icy attributes. Basically, those who try to put out Jane's passionate spirit with their oppressive cold ways. When Jane Eyre is locked in the Red Room for going against her abusive cousin John Reed, she describes it as being a cold and dark space that was “solemn” (14). All the warmth, passion, and fire that the Red Room lacks emerges from Jane once her punishment is over and manifests itself in the confrontation with Mrs. Reed, which causes her “own passionate nature to bloom” (“"Fire and water imagery" in Jane Eyre 2015”). Jane uses her voice to escape from the silence imposed by her repressive aunt or any other authoritarian figure, which stands with the "contrasting elements” (“"Fire and water imagery" in Jane Eyre 2015”) that stand between her and her passionate spirit. When Jane transitions into Lowood, she is introduced to Mr. Brocklehurst who is oppressive and cold, similar to Mrs. Reed. In an effort to extinguish Jane's inner flame, Mr. Brocklehurst humiliates her in front of the entire school by forcing her to stand atop a stool, isolated in the middle, for everyone to see. Jane’s humiliation parallels Christ being crucified since the both are being persecuted for unjust reasons. Jane’s metaphorical

Rochester, and is seduced by his “too-hot passion.”(“"Fire and water imagery" in Jane Eyre 2015”). Jane’s first encounter with Rochester was finding him injured on the side of the road with his chariot. The chariot is a representation of the balance between passion and reason, the horse signifies passion and the rider represents reason. Rochester’s accident while riding the chariot is a preview to Rochester and his unbalanced overly passionate self. When Jane meets Mr. Rochester for tea he is described as surrounded with light from flames, “Two wax candles stood lighted on the table, and two on the mantelpiece; basking in the light and heat of a superb fire … reclined on a couch appeared Mr. Rochester … the fire shone full on his face”(102). Rochester is continuously under some light that illuminates him. When Rochester is present, there is no reason for there to be a large source of light since it is metaphorically present within Rochester.Yet the passionate warmth within Rochester proves to be dangerous since it is unbalanced. Rochester lacks reason, because of this he can be abrupt and unable to think of the consequences of his actions. This is why Jane and Rochester’s first chance at a relationship failed miserably, that and the fact he was already married. Rochester, however, discovered how to balance passion and reason during their time apart, which enabled them to rejoin with a stronger