Bertha in the 'Jane Eyre'

Paper Summary:

This literary study examines the role of Bertha Mason as the alter-ego of Jane Eyre. While Bertha represents the maddened and insane Victorian wife, bound to the household by Rochester; Jane seeks a far more equal feminist standing her relationship with Rochester. When she finally marries Rochester at the end of the novel, she has done with a feminist dignity, which contrasts the role that Bertha enacted as a prisoner in the attic. This why Bertha represents an alter-ego to Jane in the characterization brought forth by Charlotte Bronte.

From the Paper:

"This literary study will analyze the character Bertha Mason in 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte. In many ways, Bertha is the alter ego of Jane Eyre, as she clearly represents the Victorian insanity and delusional state, which opposes Jane's feminist integrity and sober mannerisms. By analyzing these behaviors, one can realize how Bronte brings forth this contrast of characterization through a psychological ego-based criterion. In essence, Bertha Mason, Rochester's clandestine wife, is the alter-ego of Jane's sober and modest feminist behaviors within the novel. The basis for Bertha as the alter-ego to Jane is founded through the principle of Victorian patriarchal domestic norms."

More papers on Bertha in the 'Jane Eyre' :

• Analytical Essay # 114396 : "Women and Restraint in "Jane Eyre"
• Analytical Essay # 47220 : "The Horror of Marriage in "Jane Eyre"
• Book Review # 120417 : "Bertha in Bronte's "Jane Eyre"

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