Bertha Mason And Grace Poole Flashcards
Bertha is mr Rochester’s wife :
Bertha is a mysterious character who is kept secret from the reader and Jane for a large part of the novel. Even after she’s revealed the reader still can’t be sure of the truth about Bertha’s character
The reader does know that she unpredictable and can be violent - In addition to all the strange laughs and noises . Bertha sets fire to mr. Rochesters bed , attacks mr mason(her brother) and rips Janes bridal veil in the night
Describe Bertha
Bertha is …
Savage:” it snatched and growled like some strange wild animal”
Dangerous “ laid her teeth to his cheek “
Exotic “ a fine women …. talk, dark and majestic”
What quote shows Bertha is a savage What does this quote show What quote shows Bertha is dangerous What does this quote show What does the quote exotic show What does this quote show
Bertha is described as being “mad” and she is clearly dangerous-she is badly injuries mr mason and tries to bite mr Rochester
Jane is scared of Grace before and doesn’t speak- the reader has to trust mr Rochester’s account of her story -he says she was very beautiful, but that after they got married she was “intemperate and unchaste” and then went mad
Mr Rochester claims that Berthas madness runs in her family and that his father and brother knew of Bertha’s mother’s insanity before he married Bertha. He presents himself as a victim of their greed
Despite her madness, Bertha is clearly cunning - she manages to escape from her room more than once
Character - Jane:
Bertha is a foil to Jane - physically she’s a “big women” compared with “little” Jane. They also seem to have very different temperaments -Mr Rochester says he couldn’t pass” a single hour of the day” with Bertha, but he loves spending time with Jane.
Theme-marriage:
Mr Rochester’s marriage was arranged to Bertha because her family was rich. The failure of their marriage is a clear argument against marrying for money
Describe Bertha’s story from Rochester viewpoint
Grace Poole:
She is a scapegoat for Bertha’s actions:
Grace Poole was hired by mr Rochester to look after Bertha and keep his secret by taking the blame for her actions. She used to work at the “Grimsby retreat” (probably an asylum), but is now well paid at thornfield
She sometimes gets drunk which allows Bertha to escape
Jane can’t understand why Grace Is kept on as a servant-her presence, and mr Rochester’s reluctance to sack her, creates mystery
To an extent, Grace is controlled by mr Rochester- she must do what he says and take the blame for what Bertha for because she is apis much by him
Writers technique:
Blaming unnatural events on an ordinary secant like Grace builds tension. The reader suspects that something else is responsible
Describe Grace Poole
