From Thornfield Hall to Marsh-End
This article continues from “A Heroine’s Quest for Home, Part One: From Gateshead to Lowood” “He is not to them what he is to me,” I thought: “he is not of their kind. I believe he is of mine;—I am sure he is—I feel akin to him—I understand the language of his countenance and movements: though rank and wealth sever us widely, I have something in my brain and heart, in my blood and nerves, that assimilates me mentally to him.”
In this series of articles, I take a look at the story of Jane Eyre
But Jane’s quest is not yet over; she still needs to achieve independence. Ironically, in her attempts to become independent, she inadvertently undermines her union with Rochester. In her article, “More True Than Real: Jane Eyre’s ‘Mysterious Summons,’” Ruth Yeazell explains:
Anxious to free herself from monetary dependence on Rochester, she determines to write to the wealthy uncle in Madeira […] and it is this effort to obtain ‘independency’[…] which results in Mason’s interference with the impending marriage.
Although Rochester offers Jane his love, their relationship would be one of dependence, not equality. In her essay, “Two Crises of Decision in Jane Eyre,” Maria Yuen describes this as “Rochester’s attempted violation of her sense of self.” By becoming his mistress instead of his wife, she would demean herself. Rochester himself admits, “Hiring a mistress is the next worst thing to buying a slave: both are often by nature, and always by position, inferior.” After twice experiencing imprisonment – first at Gateshead and again at Lowood – Jane must flea Rochester in order to preserve her freedom. In chapter 27, Jane describes to her readers the dream in which she receives the actual call to leave Thornfield:
She broke forth as never moon yet burst from cloud: a hand first penetrated the sable folds and waved them away; then, not a moon, but a white human form shone in the azure […] It spoke to my spirit: immeasurably distant was the tone, yet so near, it whispered in my heart – ‘My daughter , flee temptation!’
Jane answers, “Mother, I will,” and in response to this mystical call, departs to an unknown life. Her departure from Rochester is critical, because it eventually results in gaining her independence, not only financially but also spiritually.
The last new community in which Jane finds herself is with the Rivers at Marsh-End; here she experiences the satisfaction of discovering family. Before even meeting the Rivers, she somehow feels a connection with them. As she watches them through a window, she thinks to herself, “I had nowhere seen such faces as theirs: and yet, as I gazed on them, I seemed intimate with every lineament.” When she eventually discovers that they are actually related to her, she rejoices, saying, “I am resolved I will have a home and connections.” It is also during her stay at Moor House that Jane becomes financially independent, so she has taken another significant step towards achieving her goals. Additionally, her position as a teacher gives her the satisfaction of being useful once again.
However, without the love of Rochester, Jane’s life holds little meaning. At this point, it is as though she had gone two steps forward, but one step backward. She has achieved both a sense of belonging and independence, but she is not yet truly home. Consequently, Jane receives another mystical call (whether audible or imagined she is uncertain), and when she hears the beloved voice of Rochester, she must heed his call. It is this last call to depart that eventually leads her back home.
Continued in “Part Three: Jane’s Tests”
Sources:
Yeazell, Ruth Bernard. “More True Than Real: Jane Eyre’s ‘Mysterious Summons.’” Nineteenth-Century Fiction.
Yuen, Maria. “Two Crises of Decision in Jane Eyre.” English Studies.
I'm All Booked 
Linda, I just finished Wuthering Heights recently and could not believe how those two books came from one family. They definitely had some similarities but the undertones could not be more different. Both sisters were talented writers for sure but Jane Eyre will always be one of my favorites!
I agree. I’ve read Wuthering Heights twice I think, and one time was required reading for a lit. class. I did not enjoy it as much as JE – it was written well and all, but it was so dark and rather depressing, whereas JE, while it begins sad and the Rochester storyline has dark elements as well, the positivity that Jane brings turns it around in the end, which never happens in WH.