chapter 26

This is a chapter in which Jane marries Mr. Rochester for the first time. However when the clergyman asks whether or not there is any impediment stopping the marriage from being recognized by law, a solicitor claims that there is, stopping the wedding in its tracks. In spite of Mr. Rochester’s insistence that the wedding goes on, the priest hears the man out, and it turns out that Mr. Rochester already has another wife, Mr. Mason's sister. However it turns out that she is quite mad, and that she's the woman locked up in the attic. Mr. Rochester takes Jane and the other people to see his supposed wife, and show them why he wanted to marry Jane instead of her. Jane vanished off into her room and stays there for a very long time, with good reason I suppose.

Themes

One of the main themes in this chapter is Mr. Rochester’s trickery, and it becomes obvious that is not only Jane he's managed to trick into believing that he has no wife, but also many other members of the community, who also find it hard to believe that Mr. Rochester had been hiding his wife away for all those years.

Motifs

The main motif in this chapter is contrast, namely between Bertha and Jane. Mr Rochester is the one to draw our attentions to this, comparing Jane, pale and calm as always, and Bertha, a Jamaican madwoman who flies into a rage when she so much as she’s her husband.

Narrative voice

For obvious reasons Jane isn't very happy in this chapter, as all her hopes of happiness have been dashed in a few fatal minutes. And the beginning of this chapter before she even realises that everything is about to go wrong, she is still anxious, but this is properly because it is her wedding day and most people are anxious that. But she still seems to keep her head remarkably well however, she doesn't seem to cry or get angry or anything that you would normally expect in a circumstance like that.

Response

And as I mentioned earlier I find it hard to believe that Jane was so calm after having her wedding ruined, she seemed to take it all in her stride. Mr. Rochester’s the one who seems to react more, which I found surprising, as in previous chapters he seemed to be the person who is in more control. However, here his actions become slightly rash, ignoring both Mr Mason and Grace Poole’s suggestion that he removes himself from Berthas sight. Jane, on the other hand, waits till she is in private to show how the news has really affected her, as she now knows that she can't marry Rochester, then he would be committing bigamy. This chapter shows how strangely Rochester’s mind works, as he was always resentful because he was tricked into marriage with Bertha, yet he seems to have no qualms about tricking Jane into marrying him when really he can’t be married.