Why does Mr. Rochester Choose Jane over Miss Ingram to be his wife in Jane Eyre?
3 Answers
coachingcorner | High School Teacher | (Level 1) Senior Educator
In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, the author shows us a man, Mr. Rochester, who has already had one tragic marriage and has a somewhat closed heart (symbolized by his lack of vision/eyesight later.) Jane Eyre is an honest, plain-spoken woman with no "side" or artifice to her personality. because she is not striking-looking or beautiful in the classical sense, at first mr Rochester hardly notices her in terms of emotional or physical attraction terms. But little by little Jane Eyre gets under his skin and an attachment is growing under the surface. Jane's clear vision (juxtaposed against his "blindness") is one of the qualities that attracts him.
mkcapen1 | Middle School Teacher | (Level 3) Valedictorian
Mr. Rochester identifies in Jane a loving and kind woman. She is not haughty and over pretty. Instead, Jane is a real and determined woman. Miss Ingram was a socialite that was more about an image than a companion for him. He had already had a marriage of arrangement and he was in need of an understanding human being with compassion and love.
Mr. Rochester was a also a married man who kept his wife in the house. I don't believe he thought that he could have kept that facade as well with the other woman. I think in time he had intended to tell Jane, but it did not come to pass before the fire that nearly killed them all.
In addition, Jane already loved his little ward and together they could be a family.
nusratfarah | (Level 1) Valedictorian
The main feature of Jane which attracted Rochester is her singularity.
This singularity is hidden in her characteristics which make her pragmatic, caring, straight-forward, sensitive and sensible woman. Most importantly, she loves Mr. Rochester whole-heartedly, not for the sake of his wealth and riches. Even, she is ready to sacrifice her happiness for her love's sake; it is evident when we see her proposed by her master to stay at Thornfield as Adele's governess while she would be paid a good sum of money, but she refuses and utters her wish to leave along with Adele. She cares for Rochester so much that it is Jane who goes to save her master from burning while others including Miss Blanche Ingram were in deep sleep. It is she who acts as a confidante of Rochester.
On the contrary, Ingram seems to be a very snobbish and condescending woman with extreme arrogance. In fact, she is more attracted towards Rochester's property, not the human Rochester.
The contrasting images of Miss Ingram and Jane Eyre made it clear to Rochester whom he should choose.