A Close Reading Of Jane Eyre: The Shopping Trip To Millcote
Kristin Nelson
EN 202: Evolving Canon II
Paper 2
Professor Mason
April 23, 2003
A Close Reading of Jane Eyre
The Shopping Trip to Millcote
The shopping trip to Millcote in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre proves to be much more than a day out on the town. The reader is thoroughly educated, in a mere four pages, on the characters of Jane, Rochester, and Adèle. More importantly, the relationships between the three characters are indirectly but quite unambiguously explained in detail. Brontë’s diction, choice of point of view, symbolism, and tone can be examined and found to be essential to the reader’s understanding of the passage.
Jane competes for equality with Rochester, though he wishes to dominate her. Jane shows herself to be an independent woman throughout the novel, defying those who would be in power over her and taking control of her own life. She resents being put under submission. When Rochester proposes marriage, she delights at the thought of rising from her subordinate status and being placed on an equal plane. When Adèle requests that she ask Rochester to allow Adèle to accompany them to Millcote, she expects his compliance, as he had previously promised to give her anything she wanted. However, she is met with a “peremptory”[1] denial, and is filled with “unsubstantiality and uncertainty.”[2] This passage contains the first evidence of her thwarted hopes for equality as a wife. She had expected “control over him,”[3] but after being denied, was ready to “mechanically” submit “without further remonstrance.”[4] Brontë’s choice of the word “mechanically” is interesting, as it implies that Jane’s very essence as a human being is lost under Rochester’s dominance.
Indeed, Rochester treats Jane as an object in his possession. He says, “I mean shortly to claim you † your thoughts, conversation and company † for life.”[5] Brontë is very careful in her choice of words. She uses “claim” rather than “marry” to show Rochester’s sense of...
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