Sasabuchi

Tyler Sasabuchi
Great Books
Mrs. Nelson
Oct. 2, 2014

Jane Eyre: Rochester Vs. St. John

The bildungsroman novel Jane Eyre by author Charlotte Bronte is the story of its title character,
Jane, as she grows from an abusive and oppressed youth to her more controlled but emotional adult
years. Many points of the story focus on her as a person and how she interacts with other people of the
time, as well as her own thoughts on those interactions, which are a source of much angst and reflection
throughout the story. Often the reader is presented with contrasting characters throughout the story, and
the way she changes the interactions with them is a large focus of this novel. Two such characters are
Rochester, the master of Thornfield Hall, and St. John, the duty bound missionary.
At first, the two characters are most obviously contrasted by physical appearance, with Rochester
being rather unattractive compared to St. John's Grecian-like beauty. Rochester is first described as
incredibly square and grim, '..recognized his decisive nose, more remarkable for character than beauty...'
(Pg. 121, Chap. XIII). The telling of her examination of him is extremely rough on his appearance and
how he is viewed, often stating that he was being '...good figure in an athletic sense of the term...neither
tall nor graceful' (Pg. 121, Chap. XIII). Compared to the descriptions of St. Johns '..tall, slender; his face
riveted the eye; it was a Greek face, very pure in outline' (Pg. 358, Chap. XXIX), which is much more
favorable in every aspect, portraying him as a cold, clean, and classical form of beauty, contrasting
Rochester's more gruff and athletic form. While these differences may seem to play out merely as
physical variances, they do indeed offer some insight on the respective owners personality.
To go with their appearances, both men have very contrasting view on life and how they interact
with it, to the point of being near complete opposites. Rochester is more of a romanticist, talking in
depth about '...Celine!...my charmer' (Pg. 145, Chap. XV) on one occasion and explaining that he had
traveled far and wide looking for a women with whom he could live and love. He gets very in depth in
later parts of the novel concerning his and Jane's relationship, even saying that 'You must become part of
me. As to the new existence, it is all right: you shall yet be my wife' (Pg. 315, Chap. XXVII) , which
further cements how much he hopes for Jane to be the woman that he shares his life with. St. John, by

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comparison is more of a utilitarian, being described as frozen over and unceremoniously direct' (Pg. 359,
Chap. XXIX). St. John is fond of the local heiress, but in the true sense of the utilitarian method, he does
not pursue her interest due to his intent to become a missionary in India, and her not being of quality for
a missionary's wife. However, he does propose to Jane the idea of marriage, but only for the reason that
she would make a good missionary's wife, not for personal love. He says 'God and nature intended you
for a missionarys wife. It is not personal, but mental endowments the have given you...' (Pg. 420, Chap.
XXXIV), revealing his true cards and intent to Jane, showing that he does not care for her personally,
but that her diligence and morals would make her apt for the work he is going to engage in. Against
Rochester's strong sense of romance and want for company, this isolationism and calculating way of
association furthers the characters even more.
Lastly, these gentlemen lead very different lives, both in stride with their personalities and views.
While St. John is an intelligent and morally driven man, Rochester is prone to engaging in large social
parties and admits to having committed semi-frequent acts of debauchery with women during his travels.
'Bigamy is an ugly word!- I meant, however, to be a bigamist: but fate has outmaneuvered me' (Pg. 302,
Chap. XXVI) is another such example of Rochester's less than saintly countenance, as he openly admits
to not only being previously married with intent to marry again, but that he also has his wife locked
within Thornfield to preserve his good name. Contrasting this, St. John lives his life by an extremely
rigid moral compass, dedicating his entire life to the church and his lords cause, even '...going to college
to become a parson' (Pg. 357, Chap. XXIX), detailing his full religious devotion in his life. He is the
pastor at a small town, and throughout his section of the book is preparing to sail to India on a
missionary expedition. The moral and ethical differences between the men are monumental, and greatly
alter how Jane engages with them, and ultimately whom she ends up marrying.
In conclusion, the characters in Jane Eyre are often very specifically placed and structured to
compliment or contrast one another, as is the case with Edward Rochester and St. John Eyre. Not only
distinct physical differences distinguish the characters, but also their actions and belief systems, which
have an interesting correlation in the novel. Rochester, the ugly but solid seeming of the two is more
dependable and constant, versus the light and noble perceptions of St. John, the religious journeyman.
These two characters never directly interact, but based on Jane's interactions and experiences with them,
it allows the reader to more easily and subtly distinguish her beliefs and views.

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Best Piece Reflection

For my best piece, I chose to use an analytical essay from Great Books Seminar, which
was an extra course I took last semester during lunch and every other Friday for two credits. The
goal of the essay was two compare and contrast two characters from Charlotte Bronte's novel
Jane Eyre, published in October of 1847. I chose the characters of Rochester, a intelligent,
mysterious and wealthy man with whom Jane falls in love with, and St. John Eyre, the pious and
beautiful missionary who helps Jane in a desperate hour.
In this essay, the two fore mentioned characters are analyzed and compared on many
features and characteristics, from their views and beliefs to their basic appearance. I spent
numerous hours looking through the various chapters and descriptors of both men in the novel to
compile the most striking and identifying features of both men, and how they simultaneously
counter and balance each other throughout the story. This will allow for the characters to be
expressed and analyzed in a semi-accurate and unbiased way, aiding in the painting of them in
their respective roles and relations to the novel's protagonist, Jane Eyre. The men both interact
heavily with her and contribute to her developing views and ideas of the world, in this manner
they effectively help to shape the plot and the other characters that are in it.
Due to the nature of analyzing anything, you are bound to find more than you did with a
cursory glance, and I found that to hold true for this as well. While reading the story, it is
obvious that Rochester and St. John Eyre are very dissimilar, but once you delve more into their
characteristics and views, this becomes even more apparent in many new ways. Even more
surprising, however, is the fact that they are actually very similar in many ways, and the
immense amount of change they cause in the story. While they are both major characters, their
interactions with Jane throughout the novel greatly impact it, even after the characters have been
removed from Jane's immediate surroundings.
This essay has allowed me to improve my analytical and pattern recognition skills, as it

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does take more than I previously thought to be able to compare and breakdown characters in a
manner that is easily understood. The paper also allowed me to delve deeper into a story than I
normally would, and while I don't immensely enjoy over-analyzing and breaking down stories, I
have found that it is a pretty interesting thing to do every once in a blue moon.