Reinterpretation of Jane Eyre-part 23.

On the wedding day, Jane looks in the mirror for a moment before heading to the cathedral, where she sees a strange woman.

"I saw a robed and veiled figure, so unlike my usual self that it seemed almost the image of a stranger."

Perhaps this was Bertha's image. And this is God's warning that if she were to marry Rochester now, she would be imprisoned like Bertha. In this way, God gives Jane a miracle warning whenever she is in danger. However, because Rochester is more dominant at this moment, Jane ignores all these warnings.

And Rochester, literally, drags Jane away. He is in a hurry to make Jane his possession. And Jane already feels that she is bound by Rochester.

"But my hand was held by a grasp of iron: I was hurried along by a stride I could hardly follow; and to look at Mr. Rochester's face was to feel that not a second of delay would be tolerated for any purpose."

However, Richard suddenly appears at their wedding, interrupting their progress. Rochester then shouts at the priest to expedite the wedding.

"The marriage cannot go on: I declare the existence of an impediment."

Mr. Rochester moved slightly, as if an earthquake had rolled under his feet: taking a firmer footing, and not turning his head or eyes, he said, "Proceed."

He only twined my waist with his arm and riveted me to his side.

Then Rochester and Richard meet again. In this scene, obviously Rochester is a person who tried and failed to commit a serious crime. However, he criticizes Richard in a dignified manner as if he were a victim. As such, he is a person who does not feel guilty at all.

But Mason shrank away, and cried faintly, "Good God!" Contempt fell cool on Mr. Rochester??he only asked??"What have YOU to say? The devil is in it if you cannot answer distinctly. I again demand, what have you to say?"

Here we can see two facts. One is that, although Richard is the one who kept Bertha in captivity with Rochester, he still wants a relationship - Rochester's brother-in-law - to be maintained. In other words, he agrees with Rochester to keep Bursa in captivity, but is against divorce. (I think this has to do with Bertha's estate in Jamaica.)

Another is that Richard met Jane's uncle's lawyer by chance on his way to Jamaica. It is a wonderful coincidence. But maybe it is not. God has created another miracle again to save Jane. Perhaps Rochester thought the same.

"Bigamy is an ugly word!??I meant, however, to be a bigamist; but fate has outmanoeuvred me, or Providence has checked me,??perhaps the last."

Rochester then confesses that he was brought to Thornfield to hide Bertha.

"No, by God! I took care that none should hear of it??or of her under that name."

Rochester always insisted that Bertha was crazy and that he had brought her to Thornfield to take better care of her. Even if she was really crazy,

Rochester's argument was not logical. Rather, it is reasonable to assume that he was brought to Thornfield to hide her thoroughly. But here comes a new question. When Rochester brought Bertha to Thornfield from Jamaica, was she really crazy?

The moment Rochester claimed that Bertha was crazy was similar to the time of his father's death. In other words, when his father died four years after his brother's death, the Rochester family's wealth that he gave up was finally inherited to him. And that's when he suddenly started to claim that Bertha was crazy. Therefore, I believe there is a close connection between these two events. And this part, I think, is the most interesting part in this novel.