the ending of jane eyre

[myra]

why does Bronte end the book with ST John RIvers any ideas are welcome

[Whifflingpin]

Have you read "The Eyre Affair" by Jasper fforde?
It's all explained in there:smile5:

[L.M. The Third]

I think it has something to do with the prevalence of religion in the novel. Bronte brings out many very religious characters, and very, very few of them are attractive. Yet despite a rejection of certain religious views, Jane Eyre is a novel with a theme of redemption, and an ultimate belief in a higher power. St. John is a cold, ascetic character, yet his religion is sincere, in contrast to characters such as Aunt Reed, or Mr. Brocklehurst (sp?).

Now, in all this rambling, I'm not saying that I have the answer as to exactly why Bronte ended with St. John's letter. Perhaps it was to end the novel on a note of orthodoxy , or perhaps it was some reconciliation of the religious elements of the novel. And then, perhaps, she had simply said all she had left to say in that book.

[ktm5124]

I think the character of St. John helps enhance Jane Eyre's conflicted feelings about Mr. Rochester's first marriage. She is confronted with these feelings when she turns down St. John's proposal: should she marry a strictly moral man, not for love, but for his goodness and the prospect of a spiritual life, or should she simply marry for love, despite what her religion has to say about it. Her decision in this matter reveals a lot about her character - it brings the development of the protagonist to a point where the novelist sees fit to wrap things up. And apparently either God or the novelist approves of this decision, for when Mr. Rochester regains his sight it is a sign that she chose correctly.

[kiki1982]

It had to do with Revelation 22. Where Jane nearly yields to St John's proposal, he reads Revelation 21: the kingdom of heaven that comes down on earth.

I suppose for Jane, St John is not a man in her life in a romantic way, but a kind of messenger like John who wrote Revelation. Someone who announces and moves people to do things for the end of time, or here, for ultimate happiness. If St John had not proposed, Jane would not have gone back to Rochestern in all probability.

[L.M. The Third]

It had to do with Revelation 22. Where Jane nearly yields to St John's proposal, he reads Revelation 21: the kingdom of heaven that comes down on earth.


Now that's interesting. Of course when St. John reads Rev. 21, it's as a rebuke to Jane. By the end of the book, it is inferred that all characters are apparently reconciled to their decisions. And there is also a sense that the characters are at peace with their lives and spirituality, and so verse in Rev. 22 has a concluding element.

[kiki1982]

I think it is a rebuke, but I also think that it is his arrogant side so to say... Don't get me wrong, St John is a very very religious person and he could never say as much as, 'I am the only man for you,' not like Rochester would, but he strongly believes that a spiritual life is more imporant than a mortal one. In that, with Rev 21 he wants to say, in that respect, that the kingdom of heaven coming is the thing to be strived for: a spiritual life. God will reward him and Jane if they go to India. A little arrogant really, but a life with Rochester (that nasty man who tricked her almost in a bigamous marriage, I think he implies it at a certain point) is not the kingdom of heaven, is it. She almost falls for it, but starts to ask questions in the end

But, of course that is Rev 21 and there is another chapter to follow. There is a lot of talk of water and light and what-not in thatlast chapter, just what Rochester orders in his glass of water and candles, and the thing that the sun will fade over '[his] grave or [her]s' are echoes of that last chapter where the city of Jerusalem which has come down from heaven is described more in detail. In essence that comes down to Quakerism which implied that love and marriage could be passionate and still holy, in opposition to the Jews and puritan Christians who believed that any matter of passion was to be avoided, that, in the respect of Catholics anyway, babies resulted from passion and therefore were impure, needed to be baptised.

Think about St John, he loves Rosamund madly and passionately, but relinquishes that for a spiritual life with a cousin in India, knowing that Rosamund would never be happy there and he never be happy without missionary work. Jane is not going to do that and leaves for a passionate life, in England, according to Quakerism (which is several times addressed in the novel) as holy as missionary work anyway.

I think that is an aspect of the end at any rate.

[Gizlam]

I believe that throughout the novel, like others have said, she battles between whether to follow what society wants her to do (marrying a moral, spiritual man but doesn't necessarily love her). Or to marry someone on her own terms for love.

The St John Rivers bit I think shows the reader what could of happened. She could of work herself to death as society requires her to do but instead she had a nice, long, comfortable life with Rochester.

If one was a Marxist you could suggest that the whole novel is a fight back against the rules of society (as most of the Bronte's do). The ending is rounding up the argument just as you would in an essay to show the reader how sensible picking Rochester was.