Question: What is Bertha Rochester’s function in Jane Eyre?
Answer: Bertha Rochester has many functions in Charlotte Bronte’s ‘Jane Eyre’. Being a text which many critics have called a feminist novel, Bertha Rochester’s function could be seen as an attack on the idea that feminine energy or power is a symptom of madness. There is also evidence in the text to suggest that Bertha’s role is as Jane’s ‘dark double’, who represents Jane’s repressed self. In this case, Bertha acts out Jane’s fantasies and desires on her behalf, which reveals much about Jane’s repressed attributes. There are also many parallels between Rochester and Bertha, which could indicate that her function in the novel is as Rochester’s female doppelganger. Such a function would highlight the differences in treatment between men and women during the Victorian era.
Bertha Rochester is conceptualised by Gilbert and Guber as Jane Eyre’s ‘dark double’. Berth...(short extract)
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- Subject: English Literature
- Course: English Literature
- Level: Degree
- Year: 1st
- Mark: 79%
- Words: 1154
- Date submitted: December 09, 2013
- Date written: Not available
- References: Yes
- Document type: Essay*
- Essay ID: 5259
