Blanche Ingram’s idea of a good marriage is one in which the partners are distinctly different and one partner is far superior to the other. As a stunning beauty, she doesn’t want a handsome husband, but the opposite, that way she’ll always get all the attention. This is very different from Jane’s (and Rochester’s) ideas about love and marriage--they’re drawn together because they are alike. Blanche thinks that opposites attract, but Jane knows that kindred spirits attract more strongly. Jane does not desire attention, just love, which she is on a journey for the whole book.
"I saw he was going to marry her, for family, perhaps political reasons, because her rank and connections suited him; I felt he had not given her his love, and that her qualifications were ill adapted to win from him that treasure. This was the point—this was where the nerve was touched and teased—this was where the fever was sustained and fed: she could not charm him."
Back in this time, women did not really marry for love. They married for wealth and social status. Jane on the other hand, wants to marry for love. She was on a quest the whole novel to find love, and she did with Mr. Rochester. She doesn't think it is right that Blanche is going to marry Rochester because they are not in love.
I really REALLY liked your analysis here, really well done. The stark difference between Blanche Ingram and Jane's ideal marriage and view of love surprised me. Blanche really could use a reality check, most desirably a slap upside the head. Jane ultimately ends up being happier than Blanche I'm sure. One thing that interests me is how the story would have been different if Jane had married St. John for "God" instead of Rochester for love.
ReplyDelete