#and it's interesting because helen leaving mirrors jane's leaving rochester but for like the complete opposite reason | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dreaminginsteadofsleeping42 · 1 year

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It’s so interesting to me that the big, like, ~reveal~ of both Jane Eyre and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall concern one of the main love interests already being - surprise! - married, but they are such VASTLY different circumstances with totally different connotations and consequences. Just Bronte girlie thoughts.

#and i don't think it boils down to the gender of the married party being different #because on the surface helen and rochester's initial story beats are actually fairly similar #they marry someone based on a lack of information and youthful idiocy then come to realize their mistake later on in the marriage #and like the ~issue~ resides in their partner. namely not being who they thought they were #now this is where it starts to diverge with questionable handling of mental health and an eye raising dash of racism in rochester's case #whereas helen's husband is just a moron #then she leaves whereas rochester just. locks his wife in the attic etc etc #and it's interesting because helen leaving mirrors jane's leaving rochester but for like the complete opposite reason #jane leaves rochester despite wanting to be with him because it's the ~christian~ thing to do #whereas helen leaves her husband despite her marriage vows to save her son from growing up to be an asshole like his father #all this to say perhaps the bronte sisters laid out the following suggestion:#in an unhappy marriage a woman can only run the fuck away whereas the man can lock his wife in the attic #gender imbalances smh #anyways #jane eyre #the tenant of wildfell hall #anne bronte #charlotte bronte #the brontes

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