After reading this passage, I felt like Jane had a bit of a character development here because of her good friend Helen. Jane is the type of person to hold grudges and seek revenge so it is astounding to see how Helen’s philosophy on forgiveness, endurance, submissiveness, and self-deprecation gave Jane strength to bear her unwarranted suffering. It is that, along with Helen’s kindness and support, that gave Jane the strength to bear her punishment. Helen and Jane’s relationship is one of my favorite aspects of the book because Helen inspires Jane to be steadfast and kind, despite their `differences; their connection is truly one of a kind! Coming from an abusive household, Jane always felt the need to exhibit strength and resist unjust treatment but Helen teaches Jane to endure the suffering. When Jane stands on the stool, it is empowering to see how much she is changed by the experience; she no longer finds herself alone in her suffering. More importantly, she knows she can rise above it by staying kind and loving, and that there is goodness in that. I think this quote captured the significance of their friendship and revealed the amount of influence Helen and Jane have on each other very well. 

Aside from my thoughts on this passage, Helen and Jane’s dynamic really reminded me of the blissful relationship I have with my sister. I would say my sister is monumental in my development as a person because we share and do everything with each other so I am thankful I have her by my side.

I thought the exchange here between Jane and Mr. Rochester was very strange. Why is it that Rochester is so interested in Jane’s paintings? He is clearly intrigued by them and by the mind at which Jane produced them and even admits her limitations saying, “You had not enough of the artist's skill and science to give it full being,” (Bronte 130) but he obviously sees something in them of worth.  I thought that these pictures nicely set Jane's mind apart from the other girls of her time (not painting the typical landscapes), but I also find it interesting that all three paintings could reveal a type of inner anguish: the shipwreck, the iceberg, the despair, the "solemn depth." Her childhood and young adult years were dismal; of course Mr. Rochester, in his inner torment, would have been drawn to pictures such as these. But a part of me thinks that through these paintings, Rochester learns that he has not hired a run-of-the-mill governess, setting in motion is compulsion to seduce her. The terror of Jane’s watercolors strays pretty far from the routine landscapes or portraits of your ordinary governess, which attracts Mr. Rochester.

I also wanted to add the watercolors Jane painted that Mr. Rochester found fascinating because the description of the paintings in the novel were captivating and I thought there had to be some sort of significance through her art. Jane, having lived such a secluded, sheltered, restricted life once she left the terrible experience of the Reeds' far behind, seems the perfect candidate for such works of art. Her mind is sharp and keen and she longs for more than she knows. She herself probably wouldn't have even fully understood “why” she painted those things. I think that these paintings give a glimpse of the effect of dark years in Jane's soul that we don't see in her steady exterior. 

Prior to this quote, it was amazing to see how unflustered and stoic Jane is despite the cold greeting she receives from her cousins. I was not expecting Georgiana and Eliza’s relationship to unravel this way. It was sad to see how cruel Eliza was towards her sister, but through this chapter, I really got to see two opposite types of character flaw. Georgiana is devoted to a life of pleasure and self indulgence and illustrates the negative aspects of a lazy and selfish character with no concern other than immediate pleasure. And although Eliza is more self-controlled than Georgiana and appears deeply religious on the surface, she is also mean-spirited and seems motivated in her religion more by jealousy and hatred than by love. 

It was interesting to see at the end of chapter 21 how they show their character in their response to their mother's death- Georgiana shows an excess of feeling, and Eliza shows an excess of judgement. This chapter really showed that their initial advantages of wealth and status were undermined by their bad characters. While Jane has a happy marriage and even visits Mrs. Reed's deathbed, Georgiana and Eliza never transcend their fundamentally bad natures.

 

 

And just like how Mr. Rochester tells Jane that him and Miss Blanche are going to get married to make her jealous and mask his feelings, Allie flaunts her marriage ring in front of Noah and says, “I’m a married woman,” when in reality they are both trying to tease the other and mask their true feelings. Another part in Jane Eyre that reminded me of The Notebook, was when Mrs. Fairfax finds out about Jane and Mr. Rochester’s relationship. Mrs. Fairfax tells Jane she is confused as to why someone like Rochester, who is high-class and wealthier would be interested in Jane, who is poor and plain. She also cautions Jane about some of the problems that might turn up in her relationship with Rochester, due to their difference in social class. Even though Mrs. Fairfax isn’t really upset at the situation, it kind of reminded me of Allie’s mom since she did not approve of the relationship and forbid her from seeing Noah. With the insults given by Mrs. Fairfax and Allie’s mom, there is something both Jane and Allie do. They defend for their true love, someone who is in a different social class than them. 

 

Another interesting thing I found is Jane and Allie both reflect their innermost dreams and feelings and ideas they struggle to express given their repressed, strait-laced upbringing through art. It is astounding to see how both their sketches and inspirations show that they try to go beyond their grasp and are not limited or suppressed by the society.

I was touched by how Diana, Mary, and St. John treated Jane upon her arrival at the Moor House. St. John didn’t just send Jane away when Jane arrived at the door and Diana and Mary were very sympathetic to Jane’s plight when they offered her break and milk. They made it very inviting and comforting for Jane which starkly contrasted with the way Eliza, Georgina, and John treated Jane. There is no question that Diana and Mary provide positive female companionship for Jane. However, while they are warm and welcoming, St. John is difficult to befriend for Jane because he is more reserved and does not seem to enjoy the pleasures in life.  In the face of their reserved and cold brother, the way they open their home and hearts to Jane is striking. I feel like Diana and Mary are the perfect culmination of female relationships for Jane - encompassing and reinforcing all her previous experiences.  They are kind and welcoming to her, they teach and inspire her, and it seems like Jane finds happiness in conversing with them. It was so wholesome to see them welcome Jane into their family with open arms, but it was disappointing to see St. John more interested in empowering Jane to earn her own living. 

 

I thought it was crazy to see St. John persuade Jane to come to India with him as his wife to the point where he reads prayers aloud to her. He tries AGAIN to convince her that marrying him and doing missionary work is God’s will and Jane even started to become awed by his manner and starts to relent and she’s almost ready to agree to marry him! I was actually shocked when Jane was about to change her mind into marrying him. It just shows God's immense power over Jane, even when she just told St. John she wouldn't go to India as his wife. St. John would not give up! I thought it was wise for St. John to condemn Jane’s eternal soul and tell her that she would marry him and accompany him to India if she were convinced that it is God's will. This way, it is harder for Jane to refuse his proposal because by refusing his proposal, she is refusing God. This excerpt also revealed a lot about St. John’s character. It is as if he imagines that all his deeds and thoughts are exactly what God would want. 

 

After reading this article on codependence versus interdependence, I noticed how Jane and Rochester's relationship paralleled this in some ways. I would say that their early relationship was codependent, in the sense that Jane needed Rochester for her job and Rochester needed Jane to confide in. Signs of this codependent relationship would include Rochester believing he could "rescue" Jane or his reluctant nature to trust her. However, after the two are apart for a bit and reunite at the end of the book, both have been deeply changed by their experiences and return to a relationship of interdependence instead. They create safe spaces for each other to admit their mistakes and desires along with being open about their pasts. The two maintain their independent identities while fostering a heathy interdependence with each other.