SeptembEYRE Check In: Jane Eyre Complete!

When I finish that last page of a book, I am generally left with mixed feelings.  My obsessive-compulsiveness-must-finish-things-I-start sings a happy song, but the more rational side breaths a heavy sigh because those characters cease to be a part of my life, excepting my memory, of course.  But, oh, I do love the ending of Jane Eyre! 

In the last section, Jane runs away from true love, namely Mr. Rochester and a life where she is valued for herself, which left me feeling disappointed and wondering what Jane actually thought she was going to accomplish by abandoning Thornfield.  In this final reading, Jane redeems herself.  She is confronted with forced “love” and an indecent marriage proposal by the cold, manipulative St. John.  St. John disgusts me even though there seems to be some similarities in the personalities of Jane and St. John, including their phenomenal stubbornness and reliance on utmost morality.  For his marriage proposal, St. John demands: “A missionary’s wife you MUST – you shall be.  You shall be mine. I claim you”.  Really, St. John? You think demanding a girl to marry is the best approach?  I read this part like St. John was correcting himself by changing the “must” to “shall”, to appear less harsh.  It didn’t work for me, and thank goodness, Jane did not fall for it either.  There were periods where Jane’s rationality could almost see herself following St. John to India, but she also knew that it would be the death of her soul and so she declined . . . multiple times. 

What I love best about Jane comes out in this section: her compassion and sensibility. While she hardly flinches at the announcement of her large inheritance, she is overcome with excitement when she learns that the very friends that took her in are her close relatives.  I am so happy for Jane!  Jane longs for a family to love and cherish her.  Finally, she can feel like she belongs somewhere.  It doesn’t take long for her to think of Mr. Rochester again.  So to complete her happy life, Jane searches for Mr. Rochester and finds him crippled and alone.  Without a second thought, she marries the man and ties herself to a life of service.  This is true love.  And true to Jane’s character where she needs to be useful and valued.

Although I do love how the story ends, I find the last small section with the letter from St. John an odd way to end the novel. I spent a good portion of the novel believing Bronte had a negative attitude toward organized religion and Christianity.  Brocklehurst and St. John, both apparently godly man, are represented in an unfavourable light and, in fact, do not exemplify the life of Jesus.  So why, then, would Bronte end with these words of St. John: “Amen; even so come, Lord Jesus”, a sentiment believed by most Christians?  For me, I found this somewhat perplexing. Any thoughts?

To end, the quote I found most meaningful in this section describes true love and marriage.  For all of us in long-term relationships, take this to heart:

“ I hold myself supremely blest – blest beyond what language can express; because I am my husband’s life . . . consequently, we are ever together.  To be together is for us to be at once as free as in solitude, as gay as in company.  We talk, I believe, all day long: to talk to each other is but a more animated and an audible thinking.  All my confidence is bestowed on him all his confidence is devoted to me.”

This first read-along of mine has been a great experience. I liked getting to know the fellow SeptembEYRE-ites and hope to see more of you ladies in the future!  For now, read on!