Topic 30 of 84: Mr. Rochester and Blanche Ingram
Thu, Aug 28, 1997 (20:47) |
R.l. (classic)
I guess that this has confused me for some time in Jane Eyre. Was Mr. Rochester actually really engaged to Blanche Ingram? i know that he did it all to make Jane jealous, but was there some truth to it, and did everyone know about the engagement? i don't remember any of the other characters talking about it much, but by the way Rochester talks (right before his proposal to Jane, when she tells him that he will have a wife, and he says 'i will, i will.' pretty angrily.
i don't know, Blanche is kind of dropped from the book after jane and mr.Rochester''s engagement so i was wondering if the first one was actually existed- for a while at least.
18 responses total.
Topic 30 of 84 [bronte]: Mr. Rochester and Blanche Ingram
Response 1 of 18: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Thu, Aug 28, 1997 (21:03) * 1 lines
I got the impression that the engagement was generally expected but that it wasn't actually formalized -- I could be wrong though. Isn't Blanche just a hateful character? She & her mother remind me of Lady Catherine & Anne de Bourgh, only worse. I love the way Blanche drops Rochester like a hot potato after he floats rumors that his wealth isn't as much as supposed. She's just a superficial, gold-digging twerp!
Topic 30 of 84 [bronte]: Mr. Rochester and Blanche Ingram
Response 2 of 18: R.l. (classic) * Fri, Aug 29, 1997 (19:31) * 1 lines
I know. The way she treats Adele and Jane is awful. And the first time i read it, Charlotte had me believing that Rochester really was going to marry her! That does make sense, about the marriage just being supposed. Mrs. Fairfax knew a little about it but it seems that she was the only one. And the part about how Mr. Rochester never visited Miss Ingram after their 'engagement' was strange too.
Topic 30 of 84 [bronte]: Mr. Rochester and Blanche Ingram
Response 3 of 18: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Fri, Aug 29, 1997 (19:44) * 1 lines
Also -- why did Rochester put Jane through so much hell? Wasn't it apparent to him that she loved him, especially after the "bed in flames" incident? I know he was trying to make her jealous, but he really went to some lengths -- pretending he was going to get married & then adopting the disguise of the Gypsy!
Topic 30 of 84 [bronte]: Mr. Rochester and Blanche Ingram
Response 4 of 18: R.l. (classic) * Sat, Aug 30, 1997 (10:36) * 4 lines
To me it seemed that Jane didn't do or say anything after the fire incident to
convince Rochester that she loved him. She said she had to leave early and made two almost exuses (that she was cold and she heard Mrs. Fairfax.) Of course I don't know what she could have done- it must have been strange for her. So maybe just when Jane was realizing that Rochester must care for her, he himself was going on to 'plan b.'- jealousy. He did put her through a lot- not even looking at her and the whole 'marriage' charade with Blanche. Maybe it was because he had such a hard time with his p
evious romances and jealousy.
Topic 30 of 84 [bronte]: Mr. Rochester and Blanche Ingram
Response 5 of 18: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Sat, Aug 30, 1997 (13:18) * 1 lines
You're right -- Jane was so quite & usually restrained on the outside -- it must have been hard for Rochester to know what she was thinking. And she was smart enough to be very cautious in her replies to the "Gypsy." But it does seem that there was an element of cruelty in the whole Blanche thing I wish he could have spared Jane.
Topic 30 of 84 [bronte]: Mr. Rochester and Blanche Ingram
Response 6 of 18: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Sat, Aug 30, 1997 (13:18) * 1 lines
You're right -- Jane was so quiet & usually restrained on the outside -- it must have been hard for Rochester to know what she was thinking. And she was smart enough to be very cautious in her replies to the "Gypsy." But it does seem that there was an element of cruelty in the whole Blanche thing I wish he could have spared Jane.
Topic 30 of 84 [bronte]: Mr. Rochester and Blanche Ingram
Response 7 of 18: Susan (Susan) * Sat, Aug 30, 1997 (18:22) * 2 lines
I felt that Rochester was trying to provoke a response from Jane. He didn't want to show his own feelings until he had some assurance that she shared them.
His actions did seem somewhat cruel, but I think he was determined not to be hurt--or maybe more importantly, humiliated--again. He probably carried things further than he intended because Jane was so stalwart in the face of his efforts. He seemed particularly heartless when he talked with her at such length about her having to take another post somewhere.
Topic 30 of 84 [bronte]: Mr. Rochester and Blanche Ingram
Response 8 of 18: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Sat, Aug 30, 1997 (22:18) * 1 lines
Yes, that whole Ireland thing was painful, although Charlotte handled it with very subtle humour on Rochester's part. If Jane hadn't been provoked to blurt her feelings to Rochester in the garden, do you think would he have spoken his heart to her first?
Topic 30 of 84 [bronte]: Mr. Rochester and Blanche Ingram
Response 9 of 18: Susan (Susan) * Sun, Aug 31, 1997 (03:16) * 4 lines
If Jane hadn't been provoked to blurt her feelings to
Rochester in the garden, do you think would he have spoken his heart to her first?
I'm inclined to say no, but then what? I think he would have kept asking her questions until his meaning was abundantly clear. He could only have carried on this charade for so long, however, because he obviously didn't intend to really marry Blanche or give up Jane. Would he eventually have broken down, without Jane's doing it first? I guess we'll never know.
Topic 30 of 84 [bronte]: Mr. Rochester and Blanche Ingram
Response 10 of 18: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Sun, Aug 31, 1997 (19:19) * 1 lines
I actually like Jane making her famous fiery speech to Rochester first -- it really shook the Victorians to their core that a woman should declare her feelings so to a man -- and first, no less!! I personally think that Rochester couldn't have held out forever. If Jane hadn't capitulated, I can definitely see him making a declaration -- he wasn't as circumspect as a Mr. Darcy!
Topic 30 of 84 [bronte]: Mr. Rochester and Blanche Ingram
Response 11 of 18: Susan (Susan) * Thu, Sep 4, 1997 (01:34) * 3 lines
I personally think that Rochester couldn't have held out forever.
I think he would not have let her leave or anything. It's entirely possible that her silence would have driven him to desperation.
Topic 30 of 84 [bronte]: Mr. Rochester and Blanche Ingram
Response 12 of 18: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Thu, Sep 4, 1997 (16:52) * 1 lines
He also SAYS (at the end) that he would have let Jane leave willingly after the disastrous near-wedding. But I wonder. He was so distraught, I can't imagine he would have really let her go.
Topic 30 of 84 [bronte]: Mr. Rochester and Blanche Ingram
Response 13 of 18: Susan (Susan) * Sat, Sep 13, 1997 (00:00) * 1 lines
Yes, *after* the wedding, when she knows about Bertha, he must let her go, but *before*, when he thought he had a chance to win her over, I don't think he would have let her go without revealing his emotions to her. He just wanted her to do it first. ;-)
Topic 30 of 84 [bronte]: Mr. Rochester and Blanche Ingram
Response 14 of 18: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Sat, Sep 13, 1997 (22:36) * 1 lines
He said that even after she found out about Bertha, he would have let her go willingly & wouldn't have forced her to be his mistress. But he was so out of his mind in this scene, I don't blame her for stealing away in the middle of the night -- he didn't seem too amenable to losing her at that point!
Topic 30 of 84 [bronte]: Mr. Rochester and Blanche Ingram
Response 15 of 18: Melissa Pearce (melissa) * Mon, Mar 16, 1998 (00:55) * 4 lines
Goodness, these comments are all from last year! But the whole issue with Blanche Ingram sort of distracts the reader from the secret in the attic. At this point in the story, we don't know that Rochester isn't free to marry. The whole time he's assessing Jane's feelings for him, he must be wrestling the demon of knowing he's already married and will put the person he truly cares for in a horrible, unholy position. The flirtation with Blanche helped create the public illusion that he was an available bach
lor and helped divert attention from the strange goings-on upstairs. Just a thought.
Melissa
Topic 30 of 84 [bronte]: Mr. Rochester and Blanche Ingram
Response 16 of 18: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Mon, Mar 16, 1998 (18:20) * 1 lines
That's a good theory but I think Rochester's main aim is to make Jane wild with jealousy and to test her love. Charlotte herself was such a wildly jealous person that I could almost see her employing a similar ruse!
Topic 30 of 84 [bronte]: Mr. Rochester and Blanche Ingram
Response 17 of 18: Melissa Pearce (melissa) * Wed, Mar 18, 1998 (02:18) * 1 lines
Certainly when Timothy Dalton plays Rochester as the gypsy fortune teller he seems desperate to bring Jane's feelings to the surface. It's been years since I saw that version, but his intensity was memorable. And what great lengths to go to in order to suss out Jane's true opinion of him.
Topic 30 of 84 [bronte]: Mr. Rochester and Blanche Ingram
Response 18 of 18: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Thu, Mar 19, 1998 (18:10) * 1 lines
Yes, Rochester really did put himself out on this count. Makes you wonder why he simply didn't ASK her what her feelings her, or would that have been too straightforward for Victorian times? Perhaps he felt that Jane wouldn't give him a straight answer, due to their class differences. . .
bronte conference 
Main Menu