The Main Character of Mr Rochester in Jane Eyre - Essay Example

Character Analysis of Mr Rochester. The character of Mr Rochester in Jane Eyre bears some resemblance to a romantic hero, but he has some very serious faults. This is hinted at in the very first meeting between Jane and Mr Rochester. Jane does not yet know that this man is to be her new employer, and she reflects: “Had he been a handsome, heroic-looking gentleman, I should not have dared to stand thus questioning him against his will.” (p. 134) The truth is, he is not her ideal man, being of average height, perhaps thirty five years old, and having a rather stern disposition.

Paradoxically, however, it is his brooding intensity that the young Jane likes. He always speaks his mind, regardless of the conventions of polite society and this behavior appeals to Jane, who is a very serious and thoughtful young woman. In the early stages of Jane’s first visit to Thornfield Hall, the reader is shown both the good side of Mr Rochester, and some of his weaknesses. He shows remarkable love and care for his large dog Pilot, and for his charitable care of Adèle, whom he describes as a “poor thing” and “illegitimate offspring of a French opera-girl” (p. 170). He engages also in many philosophical discussions with Jane, confessing that he has in the past been “ a worldly, dissipated, restless man” (p. 253) and he treats her with true friendship and respect, despite the fact that she is an orphan with a very low status in society.

Despite his rough and authoritarian manner, Jane is clearly attracted to Mr Rochester. On the other hand she is aware that he has a dark side to his character. At times he seems to be testing her, as for example when he asks her if she likes presents and Jane notices that “he searched my face with eyes that I saw were dark, irate and piercing.” (p. 142) Mr Rochester invites young ladies to his home and appears to be looking for a woman to marry, such as Miss Ingram, who is a beautiful but superficial lady of high society.

The most serious flaw in Mr Rochester’s character, however, is a moral one. He maintains that “unheard of combinations of circumstances demand unheard- of rules” (p. 161) but Jane cannot accept this. He deceives Jane by growing closer to her, and then asking to marry her while he still has a wife. The revelations about the strange creature in the attic explain why Mr Rochester is so angry and gloomy, but her existence causes Jane to reject Mr Rochester’s advances and this makes him even more bitter and angry than before.

Towards the end of the novel a series of dramatic events change Mr Rochester’s character. The house and his mad wife are destroyed in a fire, and he is left injured and almost blind. When Jane returns to him he reveals the fine qualities that were lurking within his character all along. Mr Rochester says “I am no better than the old lightning-struck chestnut tree in Thornfield orchard” (p. 512). This image shows his stability and protectiveness, even though he has suffered physical injury.

He turns back towards God, saying “I began to see and acknowledge the hand of God in my doom” (p. 514) and this shows that he is repenting of his moral failures and now becomes the man that Jane can love without reserve. Reference Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. London and New York: Penguin Classics, 2006.