Chapters 21-30 changed my view of Jane Eyre, especially how it relates to depictions of disability. Initially, when I began reading this book, it seemed to differ from the other content of this course. As a reader, I had to grasp to find representations of disability, which were eventually found between Jane and Mr. Rochester. However, the case for Jane and Mr. Rochester being disabled is not especially compelling, in my opinion. Obviously, my thoughts on this changed when Mr. Rochester’s secret wife, Bertha, came into the picture.
Bertha, who seems to have some sort of disability that causes her to behave in a way one would not typically expect a human to behave, is depicted in a way that aligns more closely with the other content explored in this course. Bertha is introduced in the following passage as a figure that:
“ran backwards and forwards. What it was, whether beast or human, one could not at first sight tell: it groveled, seemingly, on all fours; it snatched and growled like some strange wild animal: but it was covered in clothing, and a quantity of dark, grizzled hair, wild as a mane, hid it’s head and face.”
(Bronte 278)
Much like Frankenstein’s monster, Bertha is depicted as an animal; almost none of the descriptors used for her would be typically associated with people. She is said to be indistinguishable as either “beast or human,” even moving and behaving like an animal, “snatching” and “growling” like an animal. She is described as being “covered” in clothing as opposed to wearing it, and her hair is described as a “mane.” To top it all off, Bertha isn’t even referred to as “she,” be as “it.”
Bertha is dehumanized by the other characters in the text for her apparent disability, a trend that carries across many of the text we’ve read in class so far. Her treatment by the other characters is almost worse than the animalistic description of her given above, as she is treated like she doesn’t even exist, Mr. Rochester just going off to marry Jane without even giving Bertha a second thought.
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I like how you compared Bertha to Frankensteins monster. I think you could delve into both texts and compare the live of the monster and Bertha and possible make connection between the journey that led to their violence. Bertha is treated and described like and animal, something less than human. That would enough to drive anyone mad. She is no longer able to communicate with other humans and lashes out. Bertha is a like a monster that was created by the coldness of Mr. Rochester.
Excellent! Absolutely… the dehumanization of Bertha is chilling. She is blamed for a lot of what eventually goes wrong for Jane and Mr. Rochester. She is demonized and considered the “reason” for why Mr. Rochester and Jane cannot have their happy ending. This is very similar, I agree, to the way Frankenstein’s monster was treated (as a villain).
It’s also really upsetting when Rochester goes into his spiel about how long Bertha has been kept in this prison-like environment, which would begin to break down anyone’s mental health, let alone someone predisposed to mental illness who is immediately made to feel othered when they move away from the safety of their understanding family (like Bertha did). Rochester also uses Bertha as a scapegoat for his own failings, which is often something that society does with neurodivergent people when it is, in fact, the neurodivergent who have been failed by society (and, in this case, Rochester). It all really makes me wonder if this is meant to be a commentary on this problem, or simply a display of part of it – or whether or not it’s even a conscious issue being addressed. I absolutely appreciate the connections you’re making here and your analysis, great job with your post!
I also noticed how much Bertha is dehumanized when she is first introduced. I think describing her this way was so important to the story because these first descriptors of Bertha stay with the reader the whole story and are what they picture in their head when reading. I also thought about the similarities between the way Bertha is described and the way the monster in Frankenstein is described. Both were blamed for a lot of the problems that went on in both books. Great post
Good job on this post!!! I completely agree. I liked how you compared Bertha to Frankestiens monster!!!