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How do St. John Rivers' and Mr. Rochester's proposals compare in Jane Eyre?
Quick answer:
St. John Rivers and Mr. Rochester both propose to Jane with expectations that require her to sacrifice personal desires. St. John seeks a platonic marriage for missionary work, disregarding Jane's passionate nature, while Rochester wants her as a mistress despite being married. Both claim to understand Jane's heart better than she does. Despite asserting equal partnership, their possessive actions contradict this. Ultimately, Jane rejects their control, adhering to her conscience and self-understanding.
Both St. John Rivers and Mr. Rochester are selfish men who expect Jane to give up much to marry them.
St. John Rivers expects Jane to remain celibate with him and work hard as a missionary abroad. This does not appeal to Jane because she is a passionate person and the idea of a platonic marriage is unappealing to her. On the other hand, Rochester expects Jane to sacrifice her sense of morality by becoming his mistress, since his wife Bertha is still alive and the two of them cannot be legally separated.
Both men claim they understand Jane's heart more than she does. When St. John asks Jane if she feels called to work in India with him and she claims her "heart is mute," he replies by saying, "Then I must speak for it." He even goes as far as to speak for God, saying, "God and nature...
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intended you for a missionary's wife." Jane replies that she knows this is not her passion, but St. John continues to speak over her, disregarding her feelings and thoughts.
While Rochester is Jane's true love, he also tries to manipulate Jane. He courted other women to make Jane jealous and even spied on her in disguise at a party. When she finally fights back and claims she will not be mistreated, only then does he announce his desire to marry her.
Interestingly, both men claim Jane is more a partner than the less equal in the marital bond. St. John wants a "helpmate," while Rochester asserts that as his wife, Jane will be "my equal" and "second self." However, the possessive behavior of both men asserts otherwise, with St. John trying to bully Jane into marrying him and Rochester later threatening to use violence against her if she will not "hear reason" after their botched wedding.
In the end, Jane follows her own sense of duty and her own understanding of herself. She does not allow either man to control her or force her to act against her conscience and better judgment.