Chapter 14-15 Flashcards
Why does Rochester adopt Adele?
He says he has given up his shameful lifestyle, and is ready to begin a new, pure life. Rochester tells Jane he is rearing Adèle in order to expiate the sins of his youth.
What does Rochester enjoy about Jane?
Rochester enjoys Jane’s frank, sincere manner, and confesses that he hasn’t lived the purest, most innocent life.
Who is Celine Varens? (Ch.15)
French opera-dancer whom he naively believed loved him. One night, however, Céline arrived home with another man and they mocked Rochester’s “deformities”;
What does Jane hear before seeing Rochester’s room in flames?
demoniac laugh outside of her bedroom door and the sound of fingers brushing against the panels.
Why does Rochester tell inexperienced Jane about his life of immorality?
He justifies his action by arguing that Jane’s strong character is not likely to “take infection” from this tale of immorality; indeed, he claims that he cannot “blight” Jane, but she might “refresh” him.
What similarities does Rochester have to Lord Byron?
- Rochester let himself be ruled by his “grande passion” for Céline, despite its immorality. Rochester is not afraid to flout social conventions.
- relation with Jane, rather than maintaining class boundaries
Why does Adele help identify the reasons he likes Jane in ch.15?
Adèle displays a materialism Rochester dislikes primarily because it reminds him of her mother, Céline Varens, who charmed the “English gold” out of his “British breeches.”
Whereas Jane is not materialistic
How do Jane and Adele contrast? (Foreigner)
Céline presents an unsavory model of femininity, but also an image of unattractive foreignness. Jane’s comment implies that the English, unlike their French neighbors, are deep, rather than superficial, spiritual rather than materialistic.
What does Jane’s image try to reflect?
Jane provides a prototype of the proper English woman, who is frank, sincere, and lacking in personal vanity
How does he burning bed show Rochester’s sexuality?
ends with an image of “tongues of flame” darting around his bed. Rochester’s sexual indiscretions have become literalized in the vision of his burning bed
What does the ending scene in ch.15 foreshadow? (Burning bed)
foreshadows Jane’s role in channeling Rochester’s sexual profligacy into a properly domestic, reproductive passion.
